MAHATHIR'S RETURN: THE ENDURANCE OF PRIME MINISTER DOMINATION IN MALAYSIA

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Tunku Nashril -Abaidah
Mohammad Agus Yusoff

Abstract

The momentous win of Pakatan Harapan (PH) in Malaysia’s 14th general election in May 2018 and the return of Mahathir to power for the second time caused many to believe that the call for institutional reform, especially in limiting the power of the prime minister, would finally come true. However, the domination of the prime minister continued despite the commitment made to limit that power, thus raising concern over the growing power held by the prime minister. This article argues that after almost two years in power, prime minister domination under Mahathir grew despite the reforms which have been manifested, thus indicating the endurance of prime minister domination. The plausible explanation for this is the asymmetrical power embedded in the political system which allows the prime minister to dominate the political process and accumulate power in his hands. 


Keywords: asymmetrical power, prime minister domination, Malaysian politics, Mahathir, power consolidation

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