Mahathir Mohamad in Public Policy and Politics of Malaysia

This article deals with the political and social achievements, but also the shortcomings of Mahathir Mohamad as the long-term prime minister of Malaysia. Based on a thorough and critical literature review the authors discuss first Mahathir’s reaction to the financial crisis in 1997/98 and the upcoming reformasi movement. Then, they analyze the conditions for the re-emergence of Mahathir as opposition leader in the mid-2010s and his role in the surprising election victory of the Pakatan Harapan coalition in 2018. Mahathir, a charismatic leader in Malaysia during the 1980s and 1990s, has contributed an important role in the development and change of politics in Malaysia. The victory of the opposition coalition in the 2018 election would be hardly possible without him. His political comeback prior to the election made headlines in Malaysian media and raised high hopes for a more democratic Malaysia

An analysis of the development assistance for health (DAH) allocations for STD control in Africa

The Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations recognize the importance of making progress in the eradication and treatment of sexually transmitted deceases (STD). STD are among the most widespread diseases in the world and have the highest prevalence in Sub-Saharan Africa. The current study explored the associations between the allocation of the development assistance for health (DAH) in 54 African countries and key development indicators – STD incidence, Gross Domestic Product per capita, health expenditure, and life expectancy at birth. It employed descriptive statistical methods, the matrix scatter plot analysis and the Pearson correlation test for this purpose. The findings indicated that there was a considerable increase in the volume of the DAH given to control and prevent STD in Africa over the period of 2002–2011. A statistically significant positive association was detected between the STD incidence and the health aid allocations. At the same time, the imbalance in the distribution of the health aid between the major and minor aid recipients in the continent increased. The study concludes by discussing policy implications that can be drawn from these findings

Income convergence in the asean-5 countries

Mainstream economic arguments posit that liberalization is the route latecomer economies should pursue to achieve income convergence between countries. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) offers a useful platform to test if trade liberalization has been accompanied by income convergence since the grouping have been among the most aggressive in promoting the removal of trade restrictions in the world. Owing to data limitations involving Brunei and the transition economies of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, the assessment is confined to the founding members, namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. The current paper tested the income convergence hypothesis by deploying some innovative and powerful unit root tests, such as the Fourier augmented Dickey–Fuller (FADF) and the Fourier ADF with structural breaks (FADF–SB) methods. However, the results show a positive causal relationship with 10% of the two-country pairings. Sixty percent of the two-country pairings showed no causal relationship at all, while the remaining 30% produced inconclusive results. These findings suggest that other variables, such as government focus on the science, technology and innovation infrastructure to promote structural transformation may be more important than trade liberalization efforts to reduce inter-country income gaps

A research agenda for studying legislative incumbent turnover in new democracies, using Indonesia as a case study

Legislative incumbent turnover rates are an important indicator for the quality of a democracy. Low turnover rates may indicate the presence of oligarchic structures while high turnover rates may be a sign of political instability. Yet, there is little research on incumbent turnover in new democracies. This article will suggest ways to address this gap in the literature by looking at Indonesia. The country is not only the third largest democracy in the world but also a relatively new democracy that has only conducted four elections since 1998. The lack of studies on incumbent turnover in new democracies is mirrored in the literature on Indonesia. The vast scholarship on democratization in Indonesia that has emerged over the past twenty years has yet to harness the insights to be gained from examining legislative incumbent turnover rates. The goal of this article is twofold. One, to present for the first time a systematic and comprehensive account of incumbent turnover rates in Indonesia across all election cycles since 1998. Two, to sketch an agenda for future research on incumbent turnover in Indonesia and other new democracies and facilitate such research by making publicly available an original dataset on incumbent turnover in Indonesia

Democratization and foreign policy in Southeast Asia: the case of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Cambridge Review of International Affairs Vol. 22, Iss. 3, 2009 as published in the CAMBRIDGE REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, 2009, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/09557570903104008

The Indonesian parliament and democratization/ Ziegenhain

xvi, 238 hal. : ill.; 23 cm

Präsidentschaftswahlen in Indonesien: Ursachen und Hintergründe zur Wiederwahl Susilo Bambang Yudhoyonos

Incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) was re-elected as Indonesian president in the elections on 8 July 2009 with over 60 per cent of the votes. The reasons for the victory were his relatively successful economic policies, his efforts in the fight against corruption, and the poor quality of his political opponents. The retired general made a military career under the authoritarian New Order and then became a politician after democratisation started in 1998. In 2004, he was elected president with the support of Islamic parties, which he then included in his government. As a person close to the military, SBY avoided reducing the privileges of the Armed Forces and thus democratic deepening has been stalled. However, there are good chances that economic progress and political stability will prevail during his second term.Der amtierende Präsident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono wurde in der Wahl am 8. Juli 2009 mit über 60% der Stimmen wiedergewählt. Gründe für den Wahlsieg waren seine relativ erfolgreiche Wirtschaftspolitik, seine Bemühungen im Kampf gegen die Korruption, aber auch die wenig Erfolg versprechenden Gegenkandidaten. Der General im Ruhestand machte unter der autoritären Neuen Ordnung Karriere bei den Streitkräften und wurde nach dem Beginn des Demokratisierungsprozesses im Jahr 1998 Politiker. Im Jahr 2004 wurde er mit der Unterstützung der islamischen Parteien zum Präsidenten Indonesiens gewählt. Als eine dem Militär nahestehende Person vermied er, die Privilegien der Streitkräfte zu reduzieren, was die Qualität der Demokratie nicht erhöhte. Dennoch stehen die Chancen gut, dass in seiner zweiten Amtszeit wirtschaftlicher Aufschwung und politische Stabilität anhalten werden

The Indonesian parliament and democratization/ Ziegenhain

xvi, 238 hal. : ill.; 23 cm

The Re-election of the Indonesian President: Reasons and Background

Incumbent president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) was re-elected as Indonesian president in the elections on 8 July 2009 with over 60 per cent of the votes. The reasons for the victory were his relatively successful economic policies, his efforts in the fight against corruption, and the poor quality of his political opponents. The retired general made a military career under the authoritarian New Order and then became a politician after democratisation started in 1998. In 2004, he was elected president with the support of Islamic parties, which he then included in his government. As a person close to the military, SBY avoided reducing the privileges of the Armed Forces and thus democratic deepening has been stalled. However, there are good chances that economic progress and political stability will prevail during his second term.President; Election; Democratization