Why Malaysia’s Politics Are Messy and What’s at Stake

Malaysia’s first transfer of power in six decades was hailed as a milestone for transparency, free speech and racial tolerance in the multiethnic Southeast Asian state. Two years later the young coalition collapsed amid an all-too-familiar mix of political intrigue and horse trading that stems in part from an entrenched system of affirmative action policies that critics say fosters cronyism and identity-based politics. The political upheaval has brought back elements of the old regime into a sha