Managing Malaysia–Indonesia relations in the context of democratization: the emergence of non-state actors

This paper argues that Malaysia–Indonesia relations have become increasingly problematic and complex to manage in a post-Mahathir/Suharto era. The unequal pace of the democratization pattern in both countries has largely contributed to this state of affairs. The four key 'transnational' va...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International relations of the Asia-Pacific 2012-09, Vol.12 (3), p.355-387
Main Authors: Khalid, Khadijah Md, Yacob, Shakila
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bilateralism
Contradictions
Democratization
Diplomacy
Diplomatic relations
Government relations
Indonesia
International Relations
Maids
Malaysia
Mass media
Migrant labor
Migrants
Non state actors
Non-governmental organizations
Nongovernmental organizations
Political change
South Asian studies
State Role
Transnationalism
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Summary:This paper argues that Malaysia–Indonesia relations have become increasingly problematic and complex to manage in a post-Mahathir/Suharto era. The unequal pace of the democratization pattern in both countries has largely contributed to this state of affairs. The four key 'transnational' variables or determinants such as migrant labor, mass media, non-governmental organizations and the Anwar factor have significantly impacted on Malaysia's ties with Indonesia against the backdrop of the unequal domestic political changes. These four variables have over the years become more prominent in bilateral relations – often in negative terms. More specifically, they represent the dynamics of the people-to-people dimension in bilateral ties. As such, the deterioration in people-to-people relations threatens to significantly reshape government-to-government diplomacy. Bilateral relations could yet face their severest contradictions when official diplomacy is incapable of reflecting accurately popular sentiments. In effect, the roles of state and non-state actors have been instrumental in influencing recent developments of Malaysia–Indonesia relations.
ISSN:1470-482X
1470-4838
DOI:10.1093/irap/lcr024