After the Change of Government: The Suspense of Malaysia's Democratic Progress

Was Malaysia's historic change of government and leadership in May 2018 truly a turning point toward true democratization, as many commentators have imagined? What stability concerns arise following this change of government?

What impact will the change of government in Malaysia have on nation-building based on ethnic politics?

What lessons can we learn from the democratization cases of Indonesia, Taiwan and other countries for Malaysia’s political transformation?

How does the change in Malaysia, a country long known for its electoral authoritarianism, deepen our understanding of democracy?

This collection of commentaries is titled "After the Change: The Suspense of Malaysia's Democratic Process" and hopes to reflect on Malaysia's future democratic path after the first change of political parties in Malaysia in 2018.

The fourteen commentaries in this book are authored by authors from Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. Among the contributors are academics, veteran media professionals, and doctors, each with a diverse professional background. This diverse background allows this collection of commentaries to offer a more macro and comparative perspective, dispassionately examining the significance of the 2018 political upheaval for Malaysia and Asia.

The book is divided into three parts: "On the Significance of Changes," "On Nation-Building," and "On the Path to Democracy." The authors share a common interest in the question: How can the Malaysian case of change help us better understand the concept of "democratization" from a historical comparative perspective?

Kwong Kin Ming

Editor-in-Chief of Monsoon Culture, Taiwan. He studied at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore and conducted research there. He is the author of The British Era: The Art of British Colonial Governance and Two Cities Confronted: The Singapore Model and Hong Kong's Future. He has co-authored books including China's Influence and the Center-Periphery: Tug of War in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Indo-Pacific (forthcoming), East Asia: Developments and Challenges, Hong Kong Under Chinese Rule: Economic Integration and Political Gridlock, and The Social Movement Era: The Trajectory of Hong Kong's Contentious Politics. His articles have appeared in The Diplomat and Asian Survey ; Hong Kong's Sing Tao Daily, Ming Pao, Economic Daily, Asia Weekly, Stand News, Initium Media, and Taiwan Review; Singapore's Channel NewsAsia and Lianhe Zaobao; Malaysia's Contemporary Review and Suihuo Review; Taiwan's Up News, New News, Wind Media, Key Review Network, and Story; and China's Candidate Project.