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View all search resultsThe right lurch of Malaysia: ASEAN should watch it with care
As the political center of Peninsular Malaysia shifts rightward, preserving the nation’s fragile multiethnic balance is becoming a crucial test, not just for its federation but for the stability of ASEAN.
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A woman sits behind a window bearing the logo decal of the Election Commission of Malaysia on Oct. 20, 2022, at its headquarters in Putrajaya, the country’s administrative center. (Reuters/Hasnoor Hussain)
F
or much of its modern history, Malaysia has occupied a unique space in Southeast Asia. It’s a Muslim-majority nation running on a constitutional monarchy, a parliamentary democracy and a surprisingly durable multiethnic compact.
Perfect? No system is. But for decades, Malaysia proved that Islam, multiculturalism, open markets and constitutional rule didn’t just coexist, they actually worked together.
That long-standing model is now reaching a critical turning point.
Take the recent Negeri Sembilan state election on Aug. 1. It’s easy to dismiss provincial polls as local sideshows, but state politics often preview national tides before they fully wash ashore.
Negeri Sembilan is a case in point. An electoral understanding between Barisan Nasional (BN) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) yielded a decisive two-thirds majority in the 36-seat assembly, leaving Pakatan Harapan, the governing Coalition of Hope, with just 11 seats.
The real question isn't who won those seats, but what takeaway Malaysia’s political class pulls from the result. Winning formulas get copied. Coordinating candidates to avoid three-way contests and consolidate the Malay-Muslim vote is an electoral blueprint that party strategists across Peninsular Malaysia will find hard to resist.
And the biggest winner in this setup isn't the party running the most candidates; it’s the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS).
