HAS MALAYSIA TURNED A CORNER?
With the new leadership prioritising anti-corruption, economic development, and global cooperation, investors have taken notice of the method- and long-term possibilities.
However, regular Malaysians have been slower to follow suit because there has n’t been much trust in government officials in recent years.
Governments are perceived as much less qualified and honest than corporations and non-governmental organizations, according to the Edelman Trust Barometer 2024. Granted, this is not exclusive to Malaysia.
In light of a more polarized earth, international trust in governments and institutions has been reduced over the past few years. What is certain to Malaysia, however, is its record of bribery, which has eroded open confidence over the years.
Studies have found that there is a link between bribery and institutional believe, whether it be in post-Soviet places, Latin America, or Asia. Corruption has a unique ability to” sand the wheels” ( as opposed to “lubricate them” ), and its detrimental effects on the development of institutions and civil society are difficult to reverse right away.
Some change governments, like Malaysia, went through the same period, and the chances of politics either breaking over, stagnating, advancing or eroding is never certain. In a review of third-wave change governments, between 1974 to 2012, only 23 out of 91 situations advanced their governments. The vast majority broke down, fallen or eroded completely.
Malaysia’s transitional democracy also has a special quality. One of the longest decision coalitions in the world was Barisan Nasional before the first state turnover in 2018. Efforts at changing the government before 2018 were unsuccessful, albeit exceedingly shut, which bred feelings of disappointment and incredulity.
Predictably, the 2018 churn was pleasant for Malaysians, who raised their faith in corporations and reduced perceived corruption. However, as the country engaged in infighting that produced the highest amounts of political turmoil with three cabinet changes in less than five years, the post-election joy quickly turned into despair.
When Anwar Ibrahim became excellent minister in November 2022, it was a belated re-democracy for Malaysia’s next spring. But the joy of 2018 is tempered, and the nation’s skepticism, stacked through the years, is its landscape. This is not to say that the people’s trust ca n’t be repaired, but it at least provides an explanation to the people’s lethargy despite external excitement for the country.
Even when the numbers actually look better, a nation that has been let down several times may be afraid to think so easily. It is an apparent means of self-preservation. The new positive information is the foundation for the day when people will accept the risk of believing once more, and trust takes time to rebuild.
James Chai is a journalist, social scientist, and author of Sang Kancil for Penguin Random House.