COMMENT | Recently, I was asked if there was one word to describe contemporary Malaysian politics, what would it be?

It’s not an easy question to answer. Malaysia’s politics has regularly been described through an ethnic (race/religion/region) lens, personalistic power, or corruption.

In recent times, there has been attention to broadening democracy and political instability, with an appreciation of a dynamic transformation occurring as a new generation of voters is speaking out and changing political narratives.

The negative coexists with many positives. It is hard to resist using multiple words for a complex situation.

When pressed again, my one-word answer was “betrayal”. Allow me to explain...