Advertisement
Ceritalah | A decade defined by collective amnesia: Trump, Brexit, Duterte – and now India
- When politics becomes shaped by inward-looking nationalism, the loudest and most provocative voices are rewarded
- Malaysia’s 2018 election stands out as the exception to the rule – elsewhere we appear doomed to repeat history’s mistakes
Reading Time:3 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
I am Malaysian. On May 9, 2018, my country bucked the global trend towards authoritarianism, when a combination of anger over the 1MDB scandal and the rising cost of living resulted in an unexpected surge of anti-Najib Razak sentiment that brought 61 years of Umno-led rule to a messy end.
Advertisement
The next morning, I felt exhilarated by what I viewed as a historic turning point, a resurgence of liberal democracy and a peaceful pivot away from corruption. How wrong I was. Events in Malaysia were just a brief respite from a global swing to the right. The “triumph of amnesia” has ensured more and more countries are becoming increasingly inward-looking, nationalistic and, frankly, racist.
Let me go back further, to 2016 and democracy’s annus horribilis. Three countries, two elections – in the Philippines, the US – and one referendum – in Britain. In turn, they produced some of democracy’s cruellest ironies.
In May that year, I was in Manila when Rodrigo Duterte, the trash-talking mayor defying all predictions, became president with a huge majority.
Advertisement
The next month, in London, I looked on in shock as the British committed an unprecedented act of self-harm by voting to withdraw from the European Union (EU).
Advertisement