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Ethnic Politics and Consociationalism in the 2013 Malaysian Election

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2015

NORIYUKI SEGAWA
NORIYUKI SEGAWA*
Affiliation:
Faculty of International Studies at Osaka Gakuin University, [email protected]
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Abstract

This paper examines the prospects of ethnic politics and consociationalism in Malaysia, in terms of their structures and capabilities. Towards this end, the Barisan Nasional's (BN) policies from 2008 to 2013, the BN's and the Pakatan Rakyat's (PR) 2013 electoral strategies, and the results of the 2013 election will be analysed. As political parties in both the BN and the PR have generally represented ethnic interests and identities, an ethnic-based political structure has been maintained. A consociational political system, which is based on an ethnic-based political structure, has been adopted by both political coalitions. An examination of the 2013 election results indicates that the BN's ethnic politicking as a vote-gathering device has become ineffective. The BN's consociationalism has suffered from a legitimacy deficit, particularly within ethnic minority communities. However, it may be premature to claim that the Malaysian political culture is on the cusp of transcending the BN's paradigm of ethnic politics and consociationalism. The shift from ethnic politics will generate stronger momentum when the PR parties are incorporated into one political party.

Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 16 , Issue 2: States, Critical Citizens, and the Challenge of Democratization in Southeast Asia , June 2015 , pp. 177 - 194
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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