Old Vs. New Politics In Malaysia: State And Society In Transition

The central argument in this volume of 27 essays on Malaysian politics and society, is that there exists a conflict between the BN’s Old Politics which is essentially ethnic-based and characterized by money politics, coercive laws and other restrictions, and New Politics which demands more democratic participation and social justice, accountability and transparency, and is more multi-ethnic in orientation. The NGOs, new media, Reformasi and the results of the 2008 general elections mark the arrival of this New Politics. Between the Old and the New lies a Politics of Developmentalism which also helps to explain why many people continue to support the BN. But developmentalism also underscores the relatively non-violent transition to a two-coalition political system in Malaysia.