What is next for Malaysia’s troubled politics?
In this June 2021 webinar, two leading Malaysia political experts - Professor James Chin and journalist Hadi Azmi - explain the current political crisis and analyse what could be next for Malaysia's troubled politics.
About this Webinar
Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has resigned this week after merely 17 months in office. This was due to the withdrawal of parliamentary support by UMNO (United Malays National Organization), paving the way for a new government and potentially an early election.
Despite the electoral success of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition in the 2018 elections (GE14), the political machinations of the Sheraton Move (February 2021) had allowed Muhyiddin to become the Prime Minister in March 2021. Despite forming a new coalition named Perikatan Nasional, he was nevertheless reliant on UMNO for a majority within the Dewan Rakyat (Malaysian Lower House).
Speakers
a. James Chin: Professor of Asian Studies
James Chin is currently a Professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania. He is also a Senior Fellow, Jeffrey Cheah Institute, Malaysia; and a Council Member, Australian Institute of International Affairs (Tasmania). He was previously a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore; Salzburg Global Freeman Fellow (US & Austria) and Australia-ASEAN Fellow at the Lowy Institute.
Prior to his academic career, he worked as a journalist in both Malaysia and Singapore. Prof Chin is the leading scholar on contemporary Malaysian politics, including the unique political dynamics of Sabah and Sarawak. Prof Chin’s comments are often reported in leading publications such as The Economist, The New York Times, Financial Times, South China Morning Post and Wall Street Journal.
b. Hadi Azmi: Reporter
Hadi Azmi is currently an independent reporter in Kuala Lumpur. He frequently contributes to Bloomberg and the Southeast Asian arm of Radio Free Asia, BenarNews on the topic of Malaysian current events and politics. He also writes about regional security and counterterrorism, particularly with regards to South China Sea, the Southern Thai separatist movement as well as the migration of Rohingya refugees.
Moderator
a. Dr Donald Greenlees: Asialink Senior Advisor
Dr Donald Greenlees is an award-winning journalist, author, and advisor on international political and business affairs who is also a Senior Advisor at Asialink. He has spent more than 20 years working in East Asia for international media, business consultancies and conducting academic and book research.
Since 2010, he has conducted academic research on Indonesian and regional foreign policy and worked as an advisor to multinational firms and high-net-worth individuals on a range of complex business, political and security challenges in Southeast Asia.