Post-election party hopping and allegiance switching are not new to Malaysia. However, unlike previous episodes, the country now ponders the spectre of mass exodus from UMNO into the Pakatan Harapan coalition already holding a comfortable majority. Beleaguered UMNO President Zahid Hamidi’s decision to step aside and hand over duties to his deputy Mohamad Hassan may help stem the outflow, but some irreversible moves and continual uncertainties raise questions about the integrity of Malaysia’s electoral system and parliamentary democracy.
In mid-October 2018, Vietnam scholar Carlyle A. Thayer reported that Vietnam quietly cancelled fifteen defence engagement activities with the United States scheduled for 2019 involving army, navy and air force exchanges. Given the robust strategic rapprochement between the two countries in recent years, despite the uncertainty generated by the Trump administration, Vietnam’s decision raised questions. What accounted for this sudden change in Vietnam’s attitude?
“The Karen National Union’s (KNU) Withdrawal from Official Myanmar Peace Negotiations and the State of the Peace Process” by Su-Ann Oh
2019/3, 11 January 2019