SEMINAR: TWO-PARTY SYSTEM: A PIPE DREAM?
THE INSTITUTE OF MALAYSIAN AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES (IKMAS), UNIVERSITI KEBANGSAAN MALAYSIA cordially invites you to
OCCASIONAL SEMINAR
TWO-PARTY SYSTEM: A PIPE DREAM?
By:Wong Chin Huat
Monash University Sunway Campus
Date/Venue:18 August 2010 (Wednesday), 10:00 am –12:00 noon
IKMAS Seminar Room, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
Abstract
Malaysia is in reality an electoral one-party state, thanks toelectoral manipulation, erosion of federalism and local democracy and draconian laws. Because the system operates on the "winners-take- all"logic, there is no room for a second contending party/coalition to survive healthily. After the 2008 political tsunami, many Malaysians talk passionately about two-party system. For some, it simply means a changeof government. However, if Barisan Nasional recovers its lost ground under Najib, will the so-called "budding two-party system" come to an end? This paper argues that without substantial institutional reform of electoral system, two-party system is not an equilibrium point and Malaysia may have to choose between resurrecting one-party predominance or sinking into chronic chaos and instability ala Perak.
Biodata
Wong Chin Huat has just completed his PhD from University of Essex,United Kingdom on "The Implications of the Electoral System for Party Competition in West Malaysia, 1982-2004". His research interests cover democratization, institutional engineering, party politics, ethnic politics and rational choice theory. He teaches journalism at Monash University Sunway Campus and writes regularly on Malaysian politics for the nutgraph.com and merdekareview. com (Chinese). He isalso active in the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections 2.0 (BERSIH2.0) and other civil society groups. He was detained for three days inMay 2009 for initiating the 1BLACKMalaysia campaign in protest of the Perak Constitutional Coup.
ALL ARE INVITED(For further information please call 8921-3205/4169 or8921-3625)
Location map: Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi
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