COVID-19: Malaysia’s Fragile Constitutional Democracy

The COVID-19 pandemic occasioned a de facto worldwide state of exception.In Malaysia, the beginning of the pandemic would coincide with political turmoil.In 2018, a democratic reformist government surprisingly rose to power after unexpectedly winning the general election.The victory ended six decades of ethnocratic and authoritarian rule under the United Malay National Organization ("UMNO"), a Malay nationalist party committed to a political doctrine of ethnic "Malay Dominance."However, in March 2020, just as the WHO declared a global pandemic, a series of political machinations brought down the reformist government.In its place, a new ruling coalition, containing remnants of the collapsed government and UMNO joined forces to form a new Perikatan Nasional ("PN") government.The raging pandemic and political turbulence related to doubts about the legitimacy of the PN government threaten Malaysia's already fragile constitutional democracy.