MALAYSIA'S DILEMMA: Economic Reforms but Politics Stay the Same

Malaysia's 13th general election in May 2013 was touted by many as the "mother of all battles". Many held the belief that the election would see the end of the Barisan Nasional's (BN) fifty-six years of uninterrupted rule. The election result however was a letdown for the Pakatan...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Southeast Asian affairs 2014-01, Vol.SEAA14 (1), p.190-202
Main Author: Noh, Abdillah
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Budget deficit
Budget deficits
Economic reform
Electric rates
Electricity
Gasoline
GDP
Government
Gross Domestic Product
Ibrahim, Anwar
Investment
Investments
Malaysia
Mathematics education
Minority & ethnic violence
Noh theater
Petrol
Political elections
Political leadership
Political parties
Politics
Populism
Stock exchanges
Subsidies
Voting
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Summary:Malaysia's 13th general election in May 2013 was touted by many as the "mother of all battles". Many held the belief that the election would see the end of the Barisan Nasional's (BN) fifty-six years of uninterrupted rule. The election result however was a letdown for the Pakatan Rakyat. Despite the political mood sweeping the country, the markets gave a thumbs-up to the election results. The newly installed Najib government seemed to promise what the market wanted. But if the new administration seems ready to adopt market friendly policies, the same cannot be said of Malaysia's readiness to forego its brand of politics. This essay will describe how Malaysia's attempt at economic reform is not matched by political reform. In fact, the election result could see law-makers from both sides of the political divide promoting populist policies that can do more damage to ethnic relations.
ISSN:0377-5437
1793-9135
DOI:10.1355/aa14-1l