ABSTRACT
In September 1998, a major political upheaval known as the reformasi, or reformation, occurred in Malaysia. This upheaval arose out of the controversial dismissal of Anwar Ibrahim as deputy to the then prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Anwar was also removed from his post as deputy president in the United Malays’ National Organisation (UMNO), the hegemonic party in the multiparty ruling coalition, the Barisan Nasional (BN, or National Front). Not too long afterwards, Anwar was arrested and charged with sexual impropriety and corruption, allegations that many believe were levelled at him solely to remove him from public office. The reformasi initially involved random mass street demonstrations, but these protests were soon institutionalised with the formation of a multiparty opposition coalition, the Barisan Alternatif (BA, or Alternative Front). This coalition comprised the leading opposition parties, Parti SeIslam Malaysia (PAS, or Malaysian Islamic Party), the newly formed Parti Keadilan Nasional (National Justice Party), led by Anwar’s wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, as well as the socialist-oriented, multi-ethnic Democratic Action Party (DAP).1
