Malaysia's 14th General Election and UMNO’s Fall

"This excellent volume offers a comprehensive account of Malaysia's 14th General Election, underpinned by insightful case studies that grapple with the puzzle of the defeat of a well-funded ruling coalition that had never lost an election run on an uneven electoral authoritarian playing field. In explaining this ‘stunning election’ amidst ‘elite contestations,’ the book’s contributors offer insightful theoretically-informed thematic analyses and fine-grained studies of voting trends. The book emphasizes how intra-elite Malay feuding undermined once cohesive patronage politics, strengthened the opposition through defections, and helped forge an alternative coalition that ran on a ‘cash is king’ slogan that targeted the regime’s kleptocracy." Mark R. Thompson, Professor of Politics, Southeast Asia Research Centre (SEARC) City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

"The surprise toppling of the Barisan Nasional government in May 2018 after more than 60 years in power will go down in history as one of Malaysia’s monumental events. Based on extensive field research before, during, and after the election, this collection of essays focuses its analysis on the dynamics as they unfolded within the Malay political leadership in the local, state, and national level. A must read for all who seek not only to understand what happened on 9 May 2018 and why it happened, but also its consequences for our understanding of trends and trajectories of Malay politics in Malaysia." Joseph Chinyong Liow, Tan Kah Kee Chair Professor and Dean of College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore