The 1996 UMNO Party Election: "Two for the Show"
Author(s)
Case, William
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
1997
Metadata
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The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant political party in Malaysia, has long been distinguished by its democratic procedures. By providing this outlet, the UMNO has made possible a closure of politics at the national level, amounting to a stable semi-democracy. This paper begins by recording the UMNO's democratic procedures. It also charts, however, the ways in which these procedures were limited by the party's leadership as its general assembly election approached in 1996, then describes the ways in which the assembly unfolded. It concludes by speculating that if some constant amount of democracy must ...
View more >The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant political party in Malaysia, has long been distinguished by its democratic procedures. By providing this outlet, the UMNO has made possible a closure of politics at the national level, amounting to a stable semi-democracy. This paper begins by recording the UMNO's democratic procedures. It also charts, however, the ways in which these procedures were limited by the party's leadership as its general assembly election approached in 1996, then describes the ways in which the assembly unfolded. It concludes by speculating that if some constant amount of democracy must be practiced in Malaysia, and if democracy has been diminished within its dominant party, the country's broader regime must then be proportionately opened in order to avoid instability or costly coercion.
View less >
View more >The United Malays National Organization (UMNO), the dominant political party in Malaysia, has long been distinguished by its democratic procedures. By providing this outlet, the UMNO has made possible a closure of politics at the national level, amounting to a stable semi-democracy. This paper begins by recording the UMNO's democratic procedures. It also charts, however, the ways in which these procedures were limited by the party's leadership as its general assembly election approached in 1996, then describes the ways in which the assembly unfolded. It concludes by speculating that if some constant amount of democracy must be practiced in Malaysia, and if democracy has been diminished within its dominant party, the country's broader regime must then be proportionately opened in order to avoid instability or costly coercion.
View less >
Journal Title
Pacific Affairs
Volume
70
Issue
3
Publisher URI
Subject
Studies in Human Society
Language, Communication and Culture