Posts by Jeremy Lim
Malaysia in 2024: Corruption, Racial Divides, and Economic Discontent Under Anwar Ibrahim
In 2024, Malaysia saw a continuation of previous negative trends under the Anwar Ibrahim administration, with few upsides to show for it. High-level corruption persists as current and former figures from the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) – the party of the former Prime Minister implicated in the infamous 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and…
Read More2023 Year in Review: Social Rights Stagnation in Malaysia under the Anwar Administration
The results of Malaysia’s November 2022 general elections evoked mixed reactions nationwide. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim of Pakatan Harapan (Alliance of Hope), who presented himself as a reformist firebrand, formed a government in coalition with Zahid Hamidi, leader of the former dominant UMNO-BN (United Malays National Organisation-Barisan Nasional, National Front). Zahid’s repressive track record raised…
Read MoreMalaysia’s ‘Incomplete’ Revolution: From Comprador Capitalism to State-Led Development to State-Dependent Development
Image by Pexels/Phearak Chamrien Malaysia’s decolonization and independence narrative is relatively unique in the region of Southeast Asia. Aside from Singapore and Brunei, it is one of the countries that has not experienced armed independence struggle, civil war, the overthrow of a dictator and, broadly, any kind of social revolution. The brutal suppression of the…
Read MorePopulism, Patronage and Progress: A Political-Economic Analysis of Malaysia’s 15th General Elections
The dominance of Malay-Muslim discourse in the public and political sphere is set to continue into the future, if not, deepening further. The ‘Islamisation arms race’ that has preoccupied past administrations seems set to continue as BERSATU and PAS challenge PKR and UMNO on their Islamic credentials to govern. At the moment, there is no…
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