Drivers of Stasis and Change

This chapter revises the usual understanding of regimes and regime transitions, including what a genuine transition might entail. It recommends a mix of structural, political-cultural, ideological, and praxis-oriented angles to understand and assess regimes and political change. Over time the workings of politics under electoral authoritarianism may shift the contest from one of policy or ideology toward less differentiable issues of mundane management and microlevel accessibility and acquisition. The chapter focuses on structural innovation at the local level. By supplementing national-level electoral tactics, electoral authoritarian regimes discipline the public and opposition parties that gradually permeates political culture and everyday political praxis. It also points out the implications of patterns that shape politician–voter linkages, premises for accountability and assessing alternatives, and the range of players with stakes in the system-that-is.

Competitive Authoritarianism in Malaysia

This chapter investigates how the same questions of ideology, identity, and institutions that complicated Singapore's integration has remained pertinent throughout Malaysia's development. It analyzes ways in which the state, economy, and society of Malaysia have all changed structurally and significantly over time. Most especially the installation of the Barisan Nasional (National Front, BN) coalition in the early 1970s. The chapter talks about the Alliance, Socialist Front, and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PMIP or PAS) that offered ideological alternatives until episodic ethnic unrest peaked with riots following the 1969 elections. It also mentions Tunku Abdul Rahman who used the violence as justification to suspend the nearly completed election and declare emergency rule.