section_path: Asia/Malaysia
section_name: Malaysia
paragraph_text: Malaysia
  
  Independents have rarely been elected to the Dewan Rakyat and state legislative assemblies. In Malaysian elections, many independent candidates lose their election deposit because they had failed to secure at least 12.5% or one-eighth of the total votes cast. Independent Senators are quite rare.
  
  In 2010, a group of independent MPs who were sacked from the People's Justice Party formed a political block called Konsensus Bebas. The members were Zahrain Mohamed Hashim (Bayan Baru), Wee Choo Keong (Wangsa Maju), Zulkifli Noordin (Kulim-Bandar Bharu), Tan Tee Beng (Nibong Tebal) and Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri (Bagan Serai). It did not last beyond the 12th General Elections.
  
  As of May 2018, three independent MPs were elected in GE14, but later joined Pakatan Harapan (PKR), thus causing no representation for independent MP for that time. However, as of June 2018 and December 2018, the number increased to 13 independent Members of Parliament that sat in the Dewan Rakyat as of December 2018.
  
  At the same time in December 2018, almost all members from Sabah UMNO quit the party and became independent politicians.
  
  Maszlee Malik quit Homeland Fighters' Party and became an independent MP fighting for education activist.