Introduction

The chapter reviews intra-elite feuding in the leading Malay-based political parties in Malaysia, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS), and the implications of these serious cleavages on the electorate during General Election 14 (GE14) in May 2018. These intra-Malay political elite feuds, an outcome of the persistent patronage, corruption and rent-seeking in UMNO, deeply destabilized the party. In PAS, a similar debilitating factional dispute, though over longstanding debates over the use of Islam in the conduct of politics and as a mechanism to draw electoral support in a multi-religious society, led to the emergence of a formidable breakaway party. When these Malay political elite feuds contributed to an unexpected alliance between former Prime Minister and ex-president of UMNO, Mahathir Mohamad, and opposition parties, regime change appeared imminent. With UMNO confronted with the prospect of losing the General Election, it entered into a covert alliance with PAS, allowing UMNO to retain power at the federal level and allowing the Islamic party to capture control of a few state governments. This study provides insights into why regime change occurred even though UMNO had acted decisively to consolidate its hegemonic position in Malaysia’s political system.