| Popis: |
Malaysia was a typical example of authoritarian regimes that strengthened the regime through elections for a long time until 2018, but street protests, in which the masses participated on a large scale, have become more active since 1998. Nevertheless, the opposition groups had been challenging the regime through elections and had never tried overthrowing it through the protests. Why was the choice made, and by what mechanism? This paper explores these questions and focuses on the impact of repeated elections on these opposition's changing strategic options. It argues that repeated elections not only strengthened the ruling party's support base but also long moderated mass protests in Malaysia while providing the opposition parties with electoral experience and facilitating coalition formation. That was brought about by the transformation of protests as a means of generating mass discontent against the regime and mobilizing support for the opposition, rather than directly challenging it. |
