Editing Politics of Malaysia (section)

==Participation==
Race plays a large role in Malaysian politics, and many Malaysian political parties are ethnically based.<ref name="state.gov"/> The Government's [[Malaysian New Economic Policy|New Economic Policy]] (NEP)<ref name="New Economic Policy">{{cite web|author=[[Jomo Kwame Sundaram]], [[United Nations Research Institute For Social Development|UNRISD]] |url=http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/(httpPublications)/A20E9AD6E5BA919780256B6D0057896B?OpenDocument&panel=seriespapers |title=The New Economic Policy and Interethnic Relations in Malaysia |publisher=UNRISD |date=1 September 2004 |access-date=27 October 2010}}</ref> and the [[National Development Policy]] (NDP) which superseded it, were implemented to advance the standing of ''[[Bumiputera (Malaysia)|Bumiputera]]'' Malaysians. The policies provide preferential treatment to Malays over non-Malays in employment, education, scholarships, business, and access to cheaper housing and assisted savings. While improving in the economic position of Malays, it is a source of resentment amongst non-Malays.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/4188-nem-cast-in-deviant-vision-2020-nep-moulds|title=NEM cast in deviant Vision 2020, NEP moulds|last=Fernandez|first=Joe|work=Free Malaysia Today|access-date=21 June 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713222453/http://freemalaysiatoday.com/fmt-english/news/general/4188-nem-cast-in-deviant-vision-2020-nep-moulds|archive-date=13 July 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The race-based politics practiced by UMNO has been widely criticised as racist and discriminatory. Prime Minister Dato Sri Mohd Najib Tun Razak has claimed to attempt to close racial divides through the [[1Malaysia]] initiative.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1malaysia.com.my/about/about-1malaysia/|title=1 Malaysia|last=Najib|first=Tun Razak|publisher=1Malaysia.com.my|access-date=15 November 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115045145/http://www.1malaysia.com.my/about/about-1malaysia/|archive-date=15 November 2010|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> This, however, has not helped much.

The origin of race based politics can be traced back to independence of Malaysia from United Kingdom, who wanted all citizens of Malaysia to be equal upon independence, instead of dominance by Malays. This caused the political parties of the three major races at the time, the UMNO (representing Malays), the MCA (representing Chinese), and the MIC (representing Indians), to join and form the [[Alliance Party (Malaysia)|Alliance Party]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/35825-was-merdeka-taken-or-was-it-given|title=THE CORRIDORS OF POWER|last=Kamarudin|first=Raja Petra|publisher=Malaysia Today|access-date=15 November 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111112802/http://www.malaysia-today.net/mtcolumns/35825-was-merdeka-taken-or-was-it-given|archive-date=11 November 2010|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

Students are not allowed to be involved in politics, due to the University and University College Act.<ref name="Huffington"/> A higher interest in the political process led to a slowdown in outbound corporate travel in anticipation of the general election in the first half of 2013, where many travellers postponed travel to ensure they had the chance to cast their votes.<ref>{{cite web|title=Malaysians halt outbound MICE for elections|url=http://www.ttgmice.com/article/malaysians-halt-outbound-mice-for-elections/|publisher=TTGmice|access-date=27 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130730105157/http://www.ttgmice.com/article/malaysians-halt-outbound-mice-for-elections/|archive-date=30 July 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

In June 2023, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stressed that he was committed to transitioning Malaysia from race-based to needs-based affirmative action policies.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chou |first=Chan Tau |title=Malaysia will 'not survive' if it does not change: Anwar Ibrahim |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/6/9/malaysia-will-not-survive-if-it-does-not-change-anwar-ibrahim |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=www.aljazeera.com |language=en}}</ref>