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INDIVIDUAL experiences, though strongly influenced by collective identities, are in essence unique ones. But in Malaysia, where ethnic identity is overpoweringly applied to constrict popular thought and rationalise government policies, the uniqueness of individuals is ignored and devalued – even by the individuals themselves. Paradoxically, the community that has suffered the political ascription of group identity most acutely and most inescapably is the ascribed majority group, the Malays. In this collection of essays edited by Ooi Kee Beng and Wan Hamidi Hamid, nine young writers – Haris Zuan, Wan Hamidi Hamid, Zairil Khir Johari, Dyana Sofya Mohd Daud, Altaf Deviyati, Izmil Amri, Syuk...
The past two decades since the end of the Cold War have been years of remarkable change and transformation for Southeast Asia. Long seen as an arena for superpower rivalry, Southeast Asia is increasingly coming into its own by locating itself at the forefront of regional integration initiatives that involve not only the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, but major external powers such as the United States, China, India, Japan, and Australia as well. At the same time, the past two decades has seen the revival of old animosities as well as the emergence of new security challenges confronting the region. Old animosities include unresolved territorial disputes, while new challenges range fr...
This book is an innovative analysis of regime maintenance and transformation in Malaysia. It goes beyond familiar approaches centred on communal politics, or the corporate workings of Malaysia Inc., to stress the importance of power maintenance - tracing a path from consociational bargaining to authoritarian UMNO dominance, to Dr Mahathir's personal dominance. The author has synthesized a diverse range of sources, and in particular made insightful use of interviews with nearly all the key actors. The analysis is up-to-date, including the dramatic challenge to Dr Mahathir's dominance associated with his sacking of deputy Anwar Ibrahim following the Asian economic crisis.
In the years following its traumatic separation from Malaysia, Singapore has risen to become one of the leading economic powers in Southeast Asia. This economic strength has carried it through the recent East Asian economic crisis, as well as providing the resources for an excellent defence capability. Singapore's diplomatic achievements include relationships with countries across Asia and Europe, and ensure its interantional status, Yet, despite this success, Singapore's foreign policy has continued to be influenced by a deep seated sence of its own vulnerability. Politicians from the first prime minister, Lee Kuan Yew, onwards have focused on Singapore's limited physical size, potential domestic and international frailty due to racial tension and confirmed geographical location. These factors have combined to create a powerful nation-state which has never allowed itself to take its sovereign status for granted. Singapore's Foreign Policy is the first full-length English-language study of this subject and is an essential resource for all those interested in Singapore's international role.
The Dictionary of the Modern Politics of South-East Asia provides comprehensive coverage of the political history of this important region since the end of the Second World War.Over 400 alphabetically-organized entries cover Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia (Kampuchia), Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Individual entries provide detailed information and authoritative commentary for the central figures, political parties and organizations, political systems and structures, major events, and key documents, including constitutions and treat.
During the half century following Malaysian independence in 1957, the country’s National Museum underwent a transformation that involved a shift from serving as a repository for displays of mounted butterflies and stuffed animals and accounts of the colonial experience to an overarching national narrative focused on culture and history. These topics are sensitive and highly disputed in Malaysia, and many of the country’s museums contest the narrative that underlies displays in the National Museum, offering alternative treatments of subjects such as Malaysia's pre-Islamic past, the history and heritage of the Melaka sultanate, memories of the Japanese Occupation, national cultural policy,...