Asymmetric power in Malaysian politics : Muhyiddin’s domination
Muhyiddin’s appointment as Malaysia’s prime minister in February 2020 came as a surprise to many. What is even more surprising is that he was able to defend his position despite having a dubious majority. His ability to dominate politics is something that needs to be explored. This article unfold...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2022
|
| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/19821/1/54047-184758-1-PB.pdf http://journalarticle.ukm.my/19821/ https://ejournal.ukm.my/gmjss/issue/view/1523 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | Muhyiddin’s appointment as Malaysia’s prime minister in February 2020 came as a surprise to
many. What is even more surprising is that he was able to defend his position despite having a
dubious majority. His ability to dominate politics is something that needs to be explored. This
article unfolds the factors of this domination and provides a theoretical explanation. It argues that
the asymmetrical power stipulated by the constitution resulted in the domination of the prime
minister in Malaysia, thus creating an imbalance of power for the prime minister to be the
dominant political actor. Although Muhyiddin was seen as a weak political player, his position as
prime minister has allowed him to dominate the political process and centralise his powers from
the nature of asymmetrical power. This article is qualitative in nature and uses interview as the
main data collection method. This paper concludes that the prime minister will forever be the
dominant actor if centralisation becomes the fundamental governing element. |
|---|