The bourgeoisie’s demand for “tough reforms” consists of cuts to government subsidies and public sector pensions and salaries as well as the reintroduction of a deeply unpopular goods and services tax.
While many Western leaders have expressed support for Israel, the balance of both public and elite opinion in Muslim-majority Southeast Asia is very much on the opposite side.
While the results did not alter the make-up of the national parliament, the election provided a measure of the rising opposition to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and his Pakatan Harapan coalition.
This month’s state elections saw broad electoral gains for the Malay nationalist PN coalition, the result of years of far-right rhetoric and organizing.