A Costly Affirmation

What is it about?

This paper argues that the noble objective of promoting Malay interests has been transformed to the venal objective of securing Barisan's political perpetuity that is being pursued under the pretext of achieving inter-ethnic parity within a pluralistic Malaysia. The government's quest for a bumiputra-imagined nation gave birth to affirmative action policies that have often worked at the expense of all other Malaysian ethnic groups, particularly the Chinese and Indian-Malaysians.

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Why is it important?

In advancing these arguments, the paper attempts to answer the following sets of question. First, what are the main components of Malaysia’s national security policy and strategy? How do they generate a one-sided domestic security dilemma?Second, how do Malaysia’s AAPs affect the BN’s notion of national security? Why does the government continue to implement them despite the concerns about their economic and political sustainability in the longer run?