Organizer: Malaysia Studies Programme at ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute

Type/Location: Virtual

Description:

From independence until 2018, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was the dominant party in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition. Since its fall from power in 2018, consequent key events have shaped UMNO’s structure, leadership and overall support. Today, the party sits in a large-tent coalition at the federal level (the Unity Government), is part of the state government in seven states and, of these, controls the position of Chief Minister in three.

Grappling with party splits and leadership gaps at the national level, in recent years UMNO in both Selangor and Malacca have undergone significant leadership changes with the aim of consolidating and transforming the party. As UMNO and the Anwar Ibrahim-led Pakatan Harapan start to work together under the aegis of the Unity Government, there is some indication that this cooperation is beginning to coalesce, although there continues to be some level of resistance among the grassroots. UMNO’s party institutionalisation is still relatively weak but it remains positionally strong as part of the federal government as long as it maintains its coalition arrangement with PH.

Using the states of Selangor and Malacca as cases, this webinar examines UMNO’s current state of leadership and party institutionalisation, and how it manages coalition dynamics with the Pakatan Harapan coalition at the grassroots level.

About the Speaker:

Dr. Tricia Yeoh is Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s School of Politics and International Relations. She is also currently Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS—Yusof Ishak Institute and former CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) Malaysia.

Registration Link:

To attend the event online, please register here.