What Happened to the 'New Malaysia'? Politics Since the 2018 Elections

Sep 30

May 2018 saw a momentous change of government in Malaysia, ending the 50-year-run of one of Asia's most resilient authoritarian coalitions. March 2020 saw another—this time, without an election. Amid public-health and economic turmoil, Malaysia has been navigating uncharted political waters ever since. The new government has all but rolled back reform. And the prospect of a snap election, that might bring back the once discredited “kleptocratic” leadership of Barisan Nasional, puts into question many of the assumptions behind hopes for a “New Malaysia.” Our panelists discuss how we got here and what buoys and shoals might lie ahead.

SPEAKERS

Meredith Weiss - Professor and Chair of Political Science in the Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy of the University at Albany, SUNY. She is most recently the author of The Roots of Resilience: Party Machines and Grassroots Politics in Southeast Asia and co-editor of Toward a New Malaysia: The 2018 Election and Its Aftermath.
Sharaad Kuttan - A senior anchor with Astro Awani TV in Malaysia and host of an English-language current affairs show. Ibrahim "Ben" Suffian - He is the co-founder and programs director of the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, Malaysia's leading polling firm. He offers perspective on voter attitudes and values, and how they shape the country's politics. The polls shed light on the issues and topics that unite and divide the country, and how elites use them to mobilize support.
Ibrahim "Ben" Suffian - He is the co-founder and programs director of the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research, Malaysia's leading polling firm. He offers perspective on voter attitudes and values, and how they shape the country's politics. The polls shed light on the issues and topics that unite and divide the country, and how elites use them to mobilize support.

MODERATOR

Margaret Scott - NYSEAN co-founder and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at NYU Wagner.

Watch below or download the audio.

This event is sponsored by the New York Southeast Asia Network, NYU Wagner, and the Nordic Institute of Asian Studies.