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Article: Mahathir's unhappy Malays. (Mahathir Mohamad, prime minister of Malaysia)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- September 3, 1988
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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SINCE he became Malaysia's prime minister in 1981, Dr Mahathir Mohamad has never lost a political fight; not until last week, when his candidate in a by-election was decisively beaten. The talk now is that Dr Mahathir may be on his way out. That is a premature verdict on an exceptionally resourceful politician. What is sure is that something important has changed: Malaysia's electoral politics is coming to resemble the rough-and-tumble variety familiar in western countries. The question is whether that will make the country more democratic or-quite possibly-less.
Political power in Malaysia is largely held by the Malays, who make up about half the population. The ...