Malaysia 2021: a widening political legitimacy crisis

In 2021, Malaysia saw the deepening of a political legitimacy deficit as demands for reforms and political change remained largely unattended. The first half of the year was marked by a state of emergency, declared by the government in the face of a new wave of COVID-19 infections. Amid the persisting health crisis and its adverse socio-economic effects, mounting public frustration found expression in online and offline collective mobilizations. Meanwhile, power struggles within the ruling coali- tion led to a fresh change of government. Then, in December, unprecedented floods ravaged the country’s most industrialized region. In that context, a new wave of public outrage rose against the government’s sluggish response to the disaster. As the country’s economic downturn continued to disproportionally affect the most vulner- able social groups, and the political elites appeared incapable of addressing pressing policy issues, Malaysia witnessed the growth of youth-led activism with an appetite for political change.