Mahathir Mohamad served as prime minister of Malaysia between 1981 and 2003, and again between 2018 and 2020. Today’s episode in part examines the implications of being governed by the very old; Mahathir was 93 when he returned to power in 2018. 

Ethnic tensions are intrinsic to Malaysian history and politics. A mix between Malays, Chinese and Indians, the majority Malay population, reeling after years of partly real and partly perceived suppression by the other groups, rallied around Mahathir, who promised to construct a country run by and for Malays. This had mixed results, but few can dispute Mahathir didn’t give it a good go; he served as prime minister for twenty-two years, staying in power by locking in the Malay vote for five elections in a row. 

My guest today is James Chin, professor of Asian Studies at the University of Tasmania. James has written extensively on Malaysian politics, and his outlook for Malaysia’s future is mixed; whilst he is encouraged by the increasing pluralism at the top of Malaysian politics since 2018, he is also concerned by the pervasive influence of Islamism. We discuss these issues, as well as the implications of having a country so defined by ethnic division.