New Boundaries, Voter Apathy and the Slow Erosion of Democracy in Malaysia

TODAY

09 April 2018

The recent redrawing of Malaysia’s electoral boundaries, which came into effect on March 29, has caused quite a stir as election fever grips the country.

But while delineation’s impact may be blunted, it contributes to a far deeper problem in Malaysia’s democracy.

Throughout more than 50 years of independence, Malaysian society has witnessed numerous symptoms of atrophied forms of democracy, fabricated under the state’s aphorism of “political stability and economic progress”.

These include ethnic-based political boundaries and social benefits, draconian state control, such as that via the Internal Security Act, and various other forms of electoral manipulation.

As a result, despair among various groups, particularly millennials, has taken root, resulting in lukewarm enthusiasm for the democratic process.

…Rashaad Ali and Najwa Abdullah are Research Analysts with the Malaysia Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. This is part of a series of commentaries by RSIS on the 14th Malaysian General Election.

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