Malaysian politics

Examing political events in Malaysia in the 1970s and 1980s, this study focuses on political 'elites, their interactions, their leadership styles, and the public policies emerging from their responses to the problems and demands generated by an ethnically divided society. The author traces the major events and policy initiatives of three "second-generation" administrations: Abdul Razak, Hussein Onn, and Mahathir Mohamad. Changing patterns of politics at the state level and increasing complexity of political conflicts over ethnicity, religion, education, and the impact of economic changes are given special emphasis.