Malaysia: Parallels and differences

Malaysia: Parallels and differences

Malaysia is not Indonesia. Although the economic crisis has
forced many to be more careful with their money, and cut back on
unnecessary luxuries, that is a far cry from the food shortages
and starvation in many parts of Indonesia that triggered the
rioting which brought down Soeharto. The average income in
Malaysia is still more than four times the Indonesian figure.

Another important difference is the absence of the ethnic
tension that erupted into such violence against Indonesia's
ethnic Chinese, so accelerating Soeharto's downfall. Kuala
Lumpur's long-established bumiputra-first policy -- of
discriminating in favor of ethnic Malays -- means there is
nothing like the same resentment toward the nation's Chinese
community.

But the biggest difference is between the political astuteness
of these two leaders. While Soeharto had his skills, these pale
into insignificance alongside those of Dr. Mahathir in
maintaining the support of countless political factions.

His grip on the ruling party, UMNO, is so ironclad that no
other politician of any substance has dared to speak out against
him. Even the party's youth wing, which previously supported
Anwar, has barely protested at the detention of its leader, Ahmad
Zahid Hamidi, and is likely to fall meekly back into Dr.
Mahathir's camp.

None of this is to deny that Anwar's high-profile campaign
against his firing has had some effect. Tens, possibly hundreds,
of thousands of middle-class Malaysians have been radicalized by
events of the past few weeks and discovered the art of street
protests. In the long term this poses severe dangers for Dr.
Mahathir, as do the delayed effects of his isolationist economic
policies.

But those who now predict a swift, Soeharto-style, palace coup
in Kuala Lumpur are missing the point. Each country must follow
its own road toward reform and, in Malaysia, that path still has
a long way to go.

-- The South China Morning Post, Hong Kong