Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-23T17:13:24.742Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Dynamics of Social Capital and Recent Political Development in Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2014

SYEDA NAUSHIN PARNINI ,
MOHAMMAD REDZUAN OTHMAN  and
AMER SAIFUDE
SYEDA NAUSHIN PARNINI
Affiliation:
UMCEDEL (Centre for Democracy and Election), Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpurparnini12@gmail.com
MOHAMMAD REDZUAN OTHMAN
Affiliation:
UMCEDELredz8182@gmail.com
AMER SAIFUDE
Affiliation:
UMCEDELasaifude@um.edu.my
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The political landscape in Malaysia has been changing since the late 1990s with a gradual rise in resistance from civil society and the opposition parties. Domestic politics have become more contentious recently, particularly evidenced by the advent of a strong civil society and a multi-cultural opposition coalition. Thus, the social capital stimulated by ICTs and CSOs has played a vital role in strengthening and empowering the role of the opposition parties in Malaysia. This study seeks to understand how ICT-driven social capital has facilitated the surge in the opposition movement by situating the political use of social capital in a broader socio-political context. Hence the dramatic political change has been intertwined with the dynamics of social capital and creation of a public sphere accelerated by the rapid growth of ICTs in the country. By analyzing recent voting patterns, this study demonstrates that ICT-driven social capital does have a great impact on the changing political landscape in Malaysia, particularly in shaping voting behavior and political participation of Malay and non-Malay citizens in domestic politics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Japanese Journal of Political Science , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , September 2014 , pp. 443 - 464
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Azeem, Fazwan and Farouk, Ahmad (2011), ‘The Limits of Civil Society in Democratising the State: Malaysian Case’, Kajian Malaysia, 29 (1): 91–109.Google Scholar
Barber, B. R. (1999), ‘Clansmen, Consumers, and Citizens: Three Takes on Civil Society’, in Fullinwider, R. K. (ed.), Civil Society, Democracy, and Civic Renewal, Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.Google Scholar
Bennett, L. and Entman, R. (eds.) (2001), Mediated Politics: Communication in the Future of Democracy, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Case, William (2010), ‘Malaysia's 2008 General Election – Transition from Single-Party Dominance’, Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 29 (2): 121–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coleman, J. S. (1988), ‘Social Capital in the Creation of Human Capital’, American Journal of Sociology, 94: S95–S120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crouch, Harold (1996), Government and Society in Malaysia, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Diamond, Larry, Linz, Juan J., and Lipset, Seymour Martin (eds.) (1989), Democracy in Developing Countries: Vol. 3, Asia, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner and London: Adamantine Press, preface and p.xvi.Google Scholar
Fine, B. (2001), Social Capital versus Social Theory: Political Economy and Social Science at the Turn of the Millennium, London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Fukuyama, F. (1995), Trust: The Social Virtues and the Creation of Prosperity, New York: The Free Press.Google Scholar
Ghazali, Amer Saifude Bin (2009), ‘Analisis pola pengundian pilihan raya kecil parlimen Kuala Terengganu’, Prosiding Bengkel Pilihan Raya Kecil Parlimen P36 Kuala Terengganu Januari 2009, Kumpulan Penyelidik Kajian Demokrasi dan.Google Scholar
Gomez, E. T. and Jomo, K. S. (1999), Malaysia's Political Economy: Politics, Patronage and Profits, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Gupta, K. (2001), ‘Civil Society: An Inquiry into the Usefulness of an Historical Term’, British Journal of Sociology, 44 (3).Google Scholar
Habermas, J. (2009), ‘Political Communication in Media Society – Does Democracy Still Have an Epistemic Dimension?: The Impact of Normative Theory on Empirical Research’, Europe: The Faltering Project, Cambridge: Polity Press, pp. 138–83.Google Scholar
Jesudason, J. V. (1995a), ‘Statist Democracy and the Limits to Civil Society in Malaysia’, Journal of Commonwealth and Contemporary Politics, 33 (3): 335–56.Google Scholar
Jesudason, J. V. (1995b), ‘The Syncretic State and the Structuring of Oppositional Politics in Malaysia’, in Rodan, Garry (ed.), Political Oppositions in Industrializing Asia, London: Routledge, pp. 128–60.Google Scholar
Levitsky, S. and Way, Lucan A. (2002), ‘The Rise of Competitive Authoritarianism’, Journal of Democracy, 13 (2): 51–65.Google Scholar
Loh, K. W. (2002), ‘Developmentalism and the Limits of Democratic Discourse’, Loh, K. W. and Khoo, B. T. (eds.), Democracy in Malaysia: Discourses and Practices, Richmond, Surrey: Curzon Press.Google Scholar
Moten, Abdul Rashid (2009), ‘2008 General Elections in Malaysia: Democracy at Work’, Japanese Journal of Political Science, 11 (1): 21–42.Google Scholar
Fine, B. (2001), ‘Social Capital versus Social Theory: Political Economy and Social Science at the Turn of the Millennium’, London: Routledge.Google Scholar
Interfaith Group (2012), ‘Support Bersih 3.0: All Religions Demand Fair Play and Transparency’, Malaysia Chronicle, 25 April.Google Scholar
Martinez, Patricia (2001), ‘Malaysia in 2000: A Year of Contradictions’, Asian Survey, 41 (1): 195–7.Google Scholar
Noor, Farish A. (2008), ‘The Hindu Rights CTION Force HINDRAF of Malaysia: Communitariansm Across Borders’, RSIS Working Papers, Singapore.Google Scholar
Ming, Ong Kian (2009), ‘Making Sense of the Political Tsunami’, Malaysiakini, 11 March, Kuala Lumpur.Google Scholar
Beng, Ooi Kee (2008), ‘Postscript: Anwar's Path to Power Goes Via Permatang Pauh’, in Beng, Ooi Kee, Saranananmuttu, Johan, and Guan, Lee Hock (eds.), March 8 Eclipsing May 13, Singapore: ISEAS, 2008, pp. 122–6.Google Scholar
O'Shannassy, T. and Hunter, P. (2009), A guide to how strategic architecture can improve an organization's ‘bottom line’’, Singapore Management Review, vol. 31, no. 1, pp. 33–47.Google Scholar
Othman, Mohammad Redzuan, Rahman, Zulkanain Abdul, Badaruddin, Shaharudin, Ghazali, Amer Saifude, and Rozimi, Md.Nasir, Mohd., (2009), Permatang Pauh, pp. 34–35Google Scholar
Ottaway, Marina (2003), Democracy Challenged: The Rise of Semi-Authoritarianism, Washington, DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.Google Scholar
Palatino, Mong (2013), ‘Malaysia's Election Tsunami’, ASEAN Beat, http://thediplomat.com/asean-beat/2013/05/10/malaysias-election-tsunami/ last accessed 5 November 2013.Google Scholar
Paxton, P. (2002), ‘Social Capital and Democracy: An Interdependent Relationship’, American Sociological Review, 67: 254–77.Google Scholar
Pragalath, K. and Lee, Patrick (2012), ‘Suhakam, Bar Council show support for Bersih 3.0’, Free Malaysia Today, 28 April.Google Scholar
Putnam, Robert (2000), Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, NY: Simon Schuster.Google Scholar
Ramasamy, Manirajan and Y-Sing, Liau (2013), ‘Malaysia's Opposition Starts Contesting Najib Election Results’, Bloomberg Business Week.Google Scholar
Robertson, Scott P., Vatrapu, Ravi K., and Medina, Richard (2010), ‘Off the Wall Political Discourse: Facebook Use in the 2008 US Presidential Election’, Information Polity, 15 (1–2): 28.Google Scholar
Saravanamuttu, J. (2012), ‘Twin Coalition Politics in Malaysia since 2008: A Path Dependent Framing and Analysis’, Contemporary Southeast Asia: A Journal of International and Strategic Affairs, 34 (1): 101–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slater, Dan (2012), ‘Strong State in Malaysia and Singapore’, Journal of Democracy, 23 (2): 19–33.Google Scholar
de Tocqueville, A. (2001), Democracy in America, New York: Penguin Putnam.Google Scholar
Verma, V. (2002), Malaysia: State and Civil Society in Transition, New York: Lynne Rienner.Google Scholar
Webber, Ross H (1969), ‘Convergence or divergence’, Columbia Journal of World Business, 4 (3): 75–83.Google Scholar
Webber, D. (2006), ‘Consolidated Patrimonial Democracy? Democratization in Post-Suharto Indonesia’, Democratization, 13 (3): 396–420.Google Scholar
Weiss, M. L. (2006), Protest and Possibilities: Civil Society and Coalitions for Political Change in Malaysia, Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar