Monash Malaysia Focus Group Seminar Series
Asia Foreign Policy Update - 2004
The Monash Malaysia Focus Group, organized by the Centre for Malaysian Studies, Monash Asia Institute, and the Asia Society have pleasure in inviting you to a lecture by the distinguished Malaysian scholar and political commentator
Professor Shamsul A. B.
Director of ATMA and
IKON at the National University of Malaysia
Separating Substance from Rhetoric: Malaysia's new Prime Minister, Abdullah Badawi - early days in office.
Monday 28 June 2004, 12.00 for 12.30
to 2.00 pm
Monash Conference Centre, Level 7, 30 Collins
St, Melbourne 3000
Abdullah Badawi became Malaysia's fifth Prime Minister on 31 October 2003. After only 140 days in power, he declared a general election on 21 March 2004. Abdullah Badawi led the Barisan Nasional (National Front) Coalition to its biggest win in history, capturing around 90% of the 200 odd parliamentary seats. Many still wonder what made it possible for him to achieve this level of success, especially as he had been perceived as someone meek, ineffective and even weak compared to his predecessor, when he took over from Mahathir. Is it his rhetoric or the substance of his policies and national agendas that have made him such an overwhelming winner? Is it the Islamic factor? Can he really fulfil all his promises? This presentation is an attempt to answer some of these questions, hardly 14 weeks after his resounding victory.
About the Speaker:
Professor SHAMSUL A.B. is Professor of Social Anthropology at the National University of Malaysia (UKM). He was formerly the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities and is now the Director of the Institute of the Malay World and Civilization (ATMA) and the recently established Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON) at UKM, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.(http:// www.malaycivilization.com). He is frequently invited to comment on Malaysian current affairs for the international mass media, including The Economist, Asiaweek, Far Eastern Economic Review, The Straits Times (Singapore), Asian Wall Street Journal and The Australian.
Professor Shamsul writes extensively on politics, religion, culture and economic development in Malaysia and Southeast Asia. He recently delivered a series of lectures on the theme "Islam in Southeast Asia and Europe Compared" in Paris, Leeds, Berlin, Bonn, Dusseldorf and Brussels sponsored by the Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF).
Inaugural Seminar 2003 - The Politics of Opposition in Malaysia: Rethinking the Nature of Post-Anwar Malaysian Politics
Professor Shamsul A.B.
Director, Institute of the Malay World & Civilization
(ATMA)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia [http://www.malaycivilization.com
]
Thursday 26th June, 2003, 6.00 ñ 8.00 pm
Monash Conference Centre, Level 7, 30 Collins St, Melbourne
3000
Abstract:
The Malaysian political scene has changed dramatically since the sacking of the Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, in September 1998. New parties were formed in response and old parties grouped and regrouped in the new climate of opposition. Yet our understanding of Malaysian politics continues to be dominated by the approach used by political scientists for decades: the focus on election results, voting patterns and electoral behaviour. This reinforces our tendency to analyze Malaysian politics only in terms of ëthe ruling partyí versus ëthe oppositioní. Such a dichotomy limits our view of the internal oppositions within the various political parties themselves, as well as the existence of non-political party opposition against the State. There is a need to re-examine the nature of opposition in Malaysia by transcending the institution-bound analytical tradition of political science and reaching beyond the observable activities of political parties. With Abdullah Badawiís succession to the role of Prime Minister just months away, this seminar will bring fresh insight into the dynamics of Malaysian politics as the complex new scenario continues to unfold.
About the Speaker:
Professor Shamsul is a frequent commentator on Malaysian current affairs for BBC London, Radio Australia, Radio Netherlands, Radio Singapore International, and a regular socio-political analyst for The Economist, Asiaweek, the Far Eastern Economic Review, and the Asian Wall Street Journal. Formerly Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, he is currently Director, Institute of the Malay World and Civilization, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi. In the last 25 years he has taught, published and researched extensively, on the themes "politics, culture and economic development", with an empirical focus on Southeast Asia. His well-known book on the Malaysian development process, "From British to Bumiputera Rule" (1986) was a finalist for the Harry Benda Prize 1988-89, an award for the best book in English on Southeast Asian Studies given by the Asian Studies Association of the USA . His latest book, "Japanese Anthropologist, Malaysian Society" (1998), is currently being translated into Japanese. He has been a regular Visiting Professor at a number of universities and research institutes in Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA. In April 2000, he was invited by the International Studies Center, Harvard University, as a Distinguished Visiting Professor, to deliver a public lecture on 'Contemporary Malaysian Politics, Religion, Economy and Society'. He has served as a member of the International Steering Committee (Humanities & Global Dialogue) World Expo 2000 Hannover, is the Co-Chair of PEARL (The Program for Europe-Asia Research Linkages), based in Leiden and Copenhagen, and since 1998 has been a member of the National Information Technology Council (NITC), Government of Malaysia, chaired by the Prime Minister.