Making Democracy Work: Institutional Reforms for Malaysia

For decades, institutions have been deprived of the capability to provide meaningful and effective check and balance on the executive. However, following the end of dominant party rule in 2018 and the political turbulence that followed, the concentration of power in the prime minister began to be contested as the demand for reforms grew.

In Making Democracy Work, Bersih brings together contributions from researchers and experts to study and propose recommendations in four key areas: electoral reforms, parliamentary reforms, public office appointments, and political finance. After the ‘Sheraton Move’ that led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan federal government and seven state governments during a global pandemic, Bersih commissioned a series of research reports to address political instability and the interconnected ‘carrots’ and ‘sticks’ contributing to party-hopping. This book is an abridged version compiling some of the reports.

This edited volume offers insight to all who share a common interest in making Malaysia a strong, stable and mature democracy.

Bio
The Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih) was officially launched in Parliament on November 23, 2006, with the clear objective to push for electoral reform in Malaysia.
Bersih organised thefirst public demonstration in 2007, which saw thousands of ordinary Malaysians take to the streets in support of clean and fair elections. After 2010, the then
mostly politician-led organisation decided it was time for it to continue its crusade for clean and fair elections as a civil society-led organisation, independent of political parties.

Bersih then organised another four mega rallies in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016—all calling for electoral and institutional reforms. Today, Bersih continues to exert pressure for various electoral and institutional reforms long demanded by civil society, and strives for multipartisanship among political parties by acting as an honest, nonpartisan broker toand common ground and solutions for the benefit of Malaysian democracy.