Communalism and the Pursuit of Democracy
Communalism and the Pursuit of Democracy

Author: Chee-Beng Tan

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2023-07-26

Total Pages: 95

ISBN-13: 303136239X

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This Palgrave Pivot examines why racialism is so persistent and the challenges it poses to the functioning of democracy and the attainment of national integration. It introduces an evolutionary psychology framework, which explains human innate potential to identify with and defend one’s group, but argues that racial dislike and conflicts are provoked by racial ideologies and the politics of ethnicity. By comparing the politics of race in a number of countries, including Malaysia and the United States, this book argues that attachment to one’s ethnic and religious identities does not hinder ethnic harmony. It is necessary to manage the issues of race and religion as well as promoting conviviality and cosmopolitanism for pursuing the ideal of common humanity and for maintaining a stable and meaningful democracy. This book concludes that democracy, as practiced, has some major weaknesses; as an ideal, it is still the best form of government to pursue.

Language Policy and National Unity
Language Policy and National Unity

Author: William R. Beer

Publisher: Government Institutes

Published: 1985

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9780865980587

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The central focus of each chapter is language policy and how it accomplishes-or fails to accomplish-the task of maintaining national unity in the face of linguistic diversity. Included among the nations considered are examples of postcolonial cultures, as well as nations that have sheltered linguistic minorities within their borders throughout their history, countries fragmented into tribal groups, and those divided by a plethora of local dialects.

Occasional Papers
Occasional Papers

Author: University of California, Berkeley. Center for South and Southeast Asia Studies

Publisher:

Published: 1969

Total Pages: 544

ISBN-13:

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Malayasia's Parliamentary System
Malayasia's Parliamentary System

Author: Lloyd D Musolf

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2019-03-08

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 0429727445

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Malaysia, a new nation whose very existence depends on holding disparate ethnic groups in balance, is an example of a developing nation whose legislature does influence policy. This pioneering survey and analysis of the Malaysian parliament carefully documents and interprets the interaction of legislator, party, and voter in Malaysia. The study ind

Coalitions in Collision
Coalitions in Collision

Author: Jayaratnam Saravanamuttu

Publisher:

Published: 2015

Total Pages: 309

ISBN-13: 9789814620406

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After the watershed 2008 election when the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition lost its customary two-thirds control of parliamentary seats, there was the not unreasonable expectation that BN would slip even further in the much-anticipated Thirteenth General Election of 2013, which is the subject of this book. In the event, the BN lost the popular vote to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR) but still retained the reins of government. In this book, prominent Malaysian specialists and experts will provide the reader with fresh insights into the evolving character of electoral politics by delving into its failing model of consociationalism, the extent of malapportionment in the electoral system and its effects on outcomes, how 'new politics' continue to meet the resistance of old modes of political behaviour, the path-dependence analysis of twin-coalition politics, the significance of the FELDA vote bank, the issues animating electoral politics in Sabah, Sarawak, Terengganu and Johor, why the PR continues to command urban support, the role of the biased mainstream media, and details of the campaign strategies of both coalitions. In this new study of Malaysia's electoral politics, it is evident that the ruling coalition has lost its first-mover advantage and is only able to hold on to power due to the first-past-the-post (FPTP) single member plurality electoral system. This sort of system has given rise, in the parlance of electoral studies, to 'manufactured majorities', that is, electoral outcomes that confer a majority of seats (simple or large) to a single party or a coalition of parties without commanding a majority of the popular vote. Malaysia's FPTP system, imbued as it is with a generous proportion of 'rural weightage', continues to favour the BN, oftentimes generating large manufactured parliamentary majorities. While some may argue that electoral politics have reached an impasse, after two general elections, Malaysia's twin-coalition system seems to have gained some traction and, thanks to its federalism, with the PR having considerable control of state governments in the Malay heartland and of the more urbanized states of Selangor and Penang.