"Saviour" Politics and Malaysia's 2018 Electoral Democratic Breakthrough: Rethinking Explanatory Narratives and Implications. Issue 3 (December 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Welsh, Bridget
• Is Part Of: Journal of current Southeast Asian affairs. Volume 37:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 85
• Page End: 108
• Publication Date: 2018-12
• Subjects: Malaysia -- GE14 -- Mahathir Mohamad -- saviour -- emotions -- UMNO -- youth -- deinstitutionalisation -- populism -- nationalism -- political polarisation; Southeast Asia -- Periodicals; Southeast Asia -- Politics and government -- Periodicals; Southeast Asia -- Foreign relations -- Periodicals; 320.959
• DOI: 10.1177/186810341803700305
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1868-1034

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. Rather than buck international trends, Malaysia's sociopolitical 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.