SEMI-DEMOCRACY IN MALAYSIA - WITHSTANDING THE PRESSURES FOR REGIME CHANGE

During the last two decades, transitions from authoritarian to democratic regimes have occurred in a large number of countries, generating a vast scholarly literature. Questions about movement from ''semi-democracies'' to ''full'' democratic openness, however, have been less widely explored. By examining Malaysia's political record, one is able to specify more closely this category of ''semi-'' or ''limited democracies'', as well as assess the increasing pressures for further regime opening. During the two years before Malaysia's general election in 1990, socioeconomic trends, elite-level decisionmaking, and external influences implied transition toward broader democratic procedures and a more competitive party system. But in the period since that election, many semi-democratic controls have been swiftly reimposed. One concludes that semi-democracies may possess greater intrinsic resilience than ''ideal-type'' authoritarian regimes, enabling state elites effectively to resist pressures toward full democracy.