Pandemic, Politics, and a Fairer Society in Southeast Asia - A Malaysian Perspective

While the world was swept up in the complications and uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia-s government changed leadership twice without going to ballot. Employing the Malaysian case as a starting point for examining a wider trend in Southeast Asia, Pandemic, Politics, and a Fairer Society in Southeast Asia delves into how politicians and policymakers navigate political uncertainty and the impact of their decisions on creating and maintaining a fairer society.

Presenting perspectives from political scientists from across Malaysia and the SEA region, chapters base themselves in the circumstances of political upheaval that Malaysia faced during the pandemic, making a unique and critical contribution to literature on the Southeast Asian experience of COVID-19. Covering trends in Southeast Asia, public perception, elections, and governance, contributors chronicle the rise of regional governments that sought to increase populism and authoritarianism at the height