Embedding Ethnic Politics in Malaysia

Economic Growth, its Ramifications and Political Popularity

Bibliographic Data

ID6233690
AuthorsVejai Balasubramaniam (corresponding author)
Year2006
Volume14
Issue1
Pages23-39
Publication date2006-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0218-5377 • E-ISSN: 1750-7812
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02185370600832364
OpenAlexW2056900274
LanguageEN
Citations received5
References cited16

The cornerstone of postcolonial Malaysian political economy is to embed ethnic politics. Following the 13 May 1969 race riots, economic growth, and in particular the material advancement of the Malays has become the prime policy objective of the government to consolidate the country's ethnic constitutional edifice and through it the Barisan Nasional's political survival. Foreign investment from the 1970s until the early 1990s helped Malaysia become a global producer of manufactures. Tin and rubber, which were synonymous with Malaysia, had become sunset industries by the 1980s. This article identifies the major contradictions and challenges arising from embedding ethnic politics and examines the approach of the Malaysian government in dealing with these problems. It concludes that as economic growth in itself has not helped consolidate ethnic politics, Malaysia's democratic foundations should be strengthened in the interest of its long-term political stability. Keywords: Ethnic PoliticsEconomic GrowthDemocracyMalaysia Notes 1. For a good discussion on the subject see Nair (2005 Nair, S. 2005. ‘The State of Malaysian Studies’. Critical Asian Studies, 37(1): 161–175. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). 2. For a good critique of rational choice theories see Malesevic (2002 Malesevic, S. 2002. ‘Rational Choice Theory and the Sociology of Ethnic Relations: A Critique’. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 25(2): 193–219. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). 3. This concern owes much to the persuasive arguments in Rodrik (1997 Rodrik, D. 1997. Has Globalisation Gone Too Far?, Washington, DC: Institute of International Economics. [Google Scholar], 1999 Rodrik, D. 1999. New Global Economy and Developing Countries: Making Openness Work, Washington, DC: Overseas Development Council. [Google Scholar]). 4. For a discussion of the 1969 general election see Ratnam and Milne (1970 Ratnam, K. J. and Milne, R. S. 1970. ‘The 1969 Parliamentary Election in West Malaysia’. Pacific Affairs, 43(2): 203–226. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). 5. See Fisk (1982 Fisk, E. K. 1982. “Development in Malaysia”. In The Political Economy of Malaysia, Edited by: Fisk, E. K. and Rani, O. 1–23. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]). 6. Bumiputera includes Malays and non-Malay natives of Sabah and Sarawak. 7. See Key Economic Indicators, Malaysia at http://www.epu.jpm.my. 8. See http//www.mier.org.my/presentation/archives/pdf/NEOC2004 accessed on 18 October 2005. See also the Eighth Malaysia Plan, Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister's Department, URL: http//www.epu.jpm.my assessed on 20 September 2004; Fong (1989 Fong, C. O. 1989. The Malaysian Economic Challenge in the 1990s: Transformation for Growth, Singapore: Longman. [Google Scholar]) and Jesudason (1989 Jesudason, J. 1989. Ethnicity and the Economy: The States, Chinese Business, and Multinationals in Malaysia, Singapore: Oxford University Press. [Google Scholar]). 9. See Athukorala (2005) for a discussion on how the failure to build a more broad-based industrial structure could have important ramifications for Malaysia's medium- and long-term growth. 10. See National Economic Recovery Plan, Chapter 6, p. 4, at: http://www.mir.com.my. 11. According to Asiaweek's Best Universities Guide there was a marked drop in the rankings of Malaysia's so-called top university—University of Malaya—from 27 in 1999 to 47 in 2000. University Sains Malaysia which was ranked 42 in 1999 dropped to 57 in 2000. See http://www.asiaweek.com/asiaweek/features/universities2000/index.html. World University Rankings by the Times Higher Education Supplement also indicates a significant slip in University of Malaya's position from 89 in 2004 to 169 in 2005. See http://www.thes.co.uk/worldrankings. 12. See The Star (15 January 2005) for Badawi's defence of Hadhari, particularly its role in promoting women's rights and gender equivalence. See also Jusoh (2004 Jusoh, I. 2004. Islam Hadhari Agenda Kepemimpinan, Kuala Terengganu: Office of the State Secretary, Terengganu. [Google Scholar]). 13. For details on the IIM see its web page at www.iim.com.my. Additional informationNotes on contributorsVejai BalasubramaniamVejai Balasubramaniam, PhD, is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia

Development economics · Economic system · Economics · Embedding · Ethnic group · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Popularity · Sociology · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Asian Studies and History · Computer Science · Law · Socioeconomic Development in Asia

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