Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir (Politics in Asia) PDF
Preview Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir (Politics in Asia)
Malaysian politics under Mahathir Economic success and authoritarian government have been the hallmarks of Mahathir Mohamad’s administration. Since Mahathir became prime minister in 1981, the Malaysian economy has grown dramatically and Mahathir has remained firmly in control of the political scene throughout. Malaysian politics have been decisively shaped by Mahathir and this book provides a balanced and detailed account of his character, ideas, and temperament. The social and political scene in Malaysia is examined, as are the Prime Minister’s successes such as the careful management of ethnic tensions between Malays and Chinese, the program of modernization and industrialization, and his emergence as a champion of Third World causes. Mahathir’s faults are also honestly examined, including his preference for grandiose projects and his failure to check corruption. The abrupt dismissal from office, arrest and trial of Anwar Ibrahim, Mahathir’s deputy, in late 1998, and their implications, are assessed. The recent economic crisis in Asia has had a major impact on certain Southeast Asian states including Malaysia. Malaysian Politics under Mahathir considers these recent developments and their implications for Malaysia’s, and Mahathir’s, future. R.S.Milne is Emeritus Professor and has held professorships at the University of British Columbia, Singapore University, London University and Victoria University, New Zealand. Diane K.Mauzy is Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. Both have published widely on Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Politics in Asia series Edited by Michael Leifer London School of Economics ASEAN and the Security of South-East Political Change in Southeast Asia Asia Trimming the Banyan Tree Michael Leifer Michael R.J.Vatikiotis China’s Policy Towards Territorial Hong Kong Disputes China’s Challenge Chi-kin Lo Michael Yahuda Korea versus Korea India and Southeast Asia A Case of Contested Legitimacy Indian Perceptions and Policies B.K.Gills Mohammed Ayoob Religious Identity in Foreign Policy Gorbachev and Southeast Asia Islam, Malaysian Foreign Policy and the Leszek Buszynski Mahathir Administration Indonesian Politics under Suharto Shanti Nair Order, Development and Pressure for Change Taiwan and Chinese Nationalism Michael R.J.Vatikiotis National Identity and Status in International Society The State and Ethnic Politics in Southeast Christopher Hughes Asia David Brown Managing Political Change in Singapore The Elected Presidency The Politics of Nation Building and Kevin Y.L.Tan and Lam Peng Er Citizenship in Singapore Michael Hill and Lian Kwen Fee Islam in Malaysian Foreign Policy Shanti Nair Politics in Indonesia Democracy, Islam and the Ideology of Political Change in Thailand Tolerance Democracy and Participation Douglas E.Ramage Kevin Hewison Communitarian Ideology and Democracy The Politics of NGOs in South-East Asia Participation and protest in the Philippines in Singapore Gerard Clarke Beng-Huat Chua Malaysian Politics Under Mahathir The Challenge of Democracy in Nepal R.S.Milne and Diane K.Mauzy Louise Brown Indonesia and China Japan’s Asia Policy The Politics of a Troubled Relationship Wolf Mendl Rizal Sukma The International Politics of Asia-Pacific Arming the two Koreas 1945–1995 State, Capital and Military Power Michael Yahuda Taik-Young Hamm Malaysian Politics under Mahathir R.S.Milne and Diane K.Mauzy London and New York First published 1999 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002. Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group © 1999 R.S.Milne and Diane K.Mauzy All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book has been requested ISBN 0-415-17142-3 (hbk) ISBN 0-415-17143-1 (pbk) ISBN 0-203-00622-4 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-21214-2 (Glassbook Format) To Portia and Alexa, whose quantum leaps have helped us to extend the bounds of knowledge Contents Foreword ix Acknowledgements xi List of acronyms xii Malaysian proper names and titles xv Key dates xvi Map 1 Southeast Asia xviii Map 2 Malaysia xix Introduction: leadership in Malaysia 1 1 Malaysia: how Mahathir came to power 8 2 Mahathir’s assertion of executive power 29 3 The economy and development 50 4 Containing ethnic discontent 80 5 Human rights 103 6 Foreign policy 122 7 The succession to Mahathir: Anwar Ibrahim 144 8 Mahathir as Prime Minister 159 Postscript 187 Notes 189 Further reading 210 Index 217 Foreword Ever since he became Prime Minister of Malaysia in July 1981 at the age of 56, Dr. Mahathir Mohamad has exercised an extraordinary dominating influence over his country’s public life. An economic modernizer without fear of registering a scepticism of democracy and human rights, he has bent the politics of Malaysia to his will and in the process has successfully subordinated the constitutional monarchy, the judiciary and the predominant political party, the United Malays National Organization (UMNO) which he has led continuously despite a major challenge in 1987 which was only narrowly defeated. His sustained political dominance was demonstrated in the way in which he removed his deputy, Anwar Ibrahim, from national and party office in 1998. Indeed, in so doing, he effectively rewrote the rules of Malaysian politics. Dr. Mahathir is exceptional as a Malay leader in contrast to his three predecessors as Prime Minister. He is not only authoritarian but also highly combative and confrontational and adept at open invective. Such behaviour is out of keeping with Malay cultural style and indeed with the notion of “Asian values” which Dr. Mahathir has espoused. It may be that his medical training as well as his personality has been a factor in shaping a political style that brooks no opposition to his diagnoses and prescriptions. His sense of rectitude in telling Malaysians that they should swallow the equivalent of so many pills a day in their own interest conjures up the image of medical infallibility translated to politics. In locating Dr. Mahathir at the centre of their impressive study of Malaysia’s politics, Professors Stephen Milne and Diane Mauzy have acknowledged a fact of life which will not go away. They bring to this study considerable first-hand experience of Malaysia’s politics and its personalities and the text is informed by a deep understanding of its complexities. The role and political conduct of Dr. Mahathir is treated in a sober and balanced manner with credit given where it is due, while his early chequered political career is taken into full account. His accomplishments in economic modernization and his tolerant management of ethnic and religious matters as well as achievements in foreign policy are accorded full acknowledgement. Matching sober treatment is provided of his idiosyncracies and love of power. Indeed, it is pointed out that for him “power is a necessary food”. In this context, the authors discuss political succession and his chequered
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