Foreign policy concerns swayed Malaysia’s voters

Malaysia’s recent election on 9 May 2018 saw a dramatic result — the incumbent Barisan Nasional ruling coalition that had ruled Malaysia for 61 years crumbled, and Pakatan Harapan, a coalition of opposition parties, emerged victorious.

• Adam Leong Kok Wey

One of the numerous reasons why the ruling party lost in the elections is that Malaysia’s foreign policy was perceived by a large segment of its people to be too cosy to China.

Malaysia’s foreign policy decision-making has long been the purview of the elite leadership with most final decisions being made by the…

• Foreign policy concerns…