Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008
The results of Malaysia’s general election held on 8 March 2008 was nothing short of monumental. By winning five state legislatures and denying the incumbent governing coalition its hitherto routine two-thirds parliamentary majority, the performance of the opposition, swayed by the contribution of t...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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SAGE Publishing
2010-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jsaa/article/view/363 |
| _version_ | 1811266517347598336 |
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| author | Joseph Chinyong Liow Afif Bin Pasuni |
| author_facet | Joseph Chinyong Liow Afif Bin Pasuni |
| author_sort | Joseph Chinyong Liow |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The results of Malaysia’s general election held on 8 March 2008 was nothing short of monumental. By winning five state legislatures and denying the incumbent governing coalition its hitherto routine two-thirds parliamentary majority, the performance of the opposition, swayed by the contribution of the new media, raised hopes that Malaysian politics had turned a corner. Following the elections, the popular discursive terrain in Malaysia was awash with talk of a “new politics” that had emerged, and that transcended the traditional narratives of race, religion, and communalism. The purpose of this paper is to examine the veracity of these claims in relation to the nature and conduct of politics in Malaysia. It argues that, three years after the 2008 elections, the communal narrative remains as forceful a factor in Malaysian politics despite the presence of a multi-ethnic opposition coalition and the hope engendered by the emergence of the new media as an equalizing factor that has eroded the incumbent’s traditional hegemonic control over information. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-12T20:43:26Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-21c25325d58d449d95b61dc2c0432627 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1868-1034 1868-4882 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-12T20:43:26Z |
| publishDate | 2010-01-01 |
| publisher | SAGE Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs |
| spelling | doaj.art-21c25325d58d449d95b61dc2c04326272022-12-22T03:17:20ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs1868-10341868-48822010-01-012943965Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008Joseph Chinyong LiowAfif Bin PasuniThe results of Malaysia’s general election held on 8 March 2008 was nothing short of monumental. By winning five state legislatures and denying the incumbent governing coalition its hitherto routine two-thirds parliamentary majority, the performance of the opposition, swayed by the contribution of the new media, raised hopes that Malaysian politics had turned a corner. Following the elections, the popular discursive terrain in Malaysia was awash with talk of a “new politics” that had emerged, and that transcended the traditional narratives of race, religion, and communalism. The purpose of this paper is to examine the veracity of these claims in relation to the nature and conduct of politics in Malaysia. It argues that, three years after the 2008 elections, the communal narrative remains as forceful a factor in Malaysian politics despite the presence of a multi-ethnic opposition coalition and the hope engendered by the emergence of the new media as an equalizing factor that has eroded the incumbent’s traditional hegemonic control over information.http://hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jsaa/article/view/363political sciencearea studiesMalayisacampaigningnew mediacommunal politicselections320322324Malaysia2000-2010 |
| spellingShingle | Joseph Chinyong Liow Afif Bin Pasuni Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008 Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs political science area studies Malayisa campaigning new media communal politics elections 320 322 324 Malaysia 2000-2010 |
| title | Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008 |
| title_full | Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008 |
| title_fullStr | Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008 |
| title_short | Debating the Conduct and Nature of Malaysian Politics: Communalism and New Media Post-March 2008 |
| title_sort | debating the conduct and nature of malaysian politics communalism and new media post march 2008 |
| topic | political science area studies Malayisa campaigning new media communal politics elections 320 322 324 Malaysia 2000-2010 |
| url | http://hup.sub.uni-hamburg.de/giga/jsaa/article/view/363 |
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