Download full text
(external source)
Citation Suggestion
Please use the following Persistent Identifier (PID) to cite this document:
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:gbv:18-4-11497
Exports for your reference manager
"Saviour" Politics and Malaysia’s 2018 Electoral Democratic Breakthrough: Rethinking Explanatory Narratives and Implications
[journal article]
Abstract In understanding Malaysia’s surprise 14th General Election, this article argues for the need to rethink how we understand elections. We need to bring together macro socio-political forces with more micro-level evolving phenomena in the campaign, within political institutions, and in voting behaviour... view more
In understanding Malaysia’s surprise 14th General Election, this article argues for the need to rethink how we understand elections. We need to bring together macro socio-political forces with more micro-level evolving phenomena in the campaign, within political institutions, and in voting behaviour. Rather than buck international trends, Malaysia’s socio-political conditions before the election - political polarisation, a rise of anger, increasing economic vulnerabilities, as well as increased nationalist and populist sentiments - echoed global trends and served as fertile ground for political change. It was however three sufficient conditions that brought about the political breakthrough: the impact of emotional campaigning through social media, the deinstitutionalisation of the dominant Malay party, United Malays National Organisation, and the failure to win over young voters - all factors that tie closely with the macro forces shaping the country. Given the factors that shaped the electoral outcome and Malaysia’s "saviour politics," it is suggested that the government turnover was more about breaking with the past than embracing democracy. As such, there will be constraints placed on expanding democracy going forward.... view less
Keywords
Malaysia; parliamentary election; election result; voting behavior; opposition; political change; political participation; mobilization; social media; populism; nationalism; polarization; Southeast Asia
Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Free Keywords
GE14; Mahathir Mohamad; saviour; emotions; UMNO; youth; deinstitutionalisation
Document language
English
Publication Year
2018
Page/Pages
p. 85-108
Journal
Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 37 (2018) 3
Issue topic
The 2018 Malaysian General Election: the Return of Mahathir and the Exit of UMNO
ISSN
1868-4882
Status
Published Version; peer reviewed