ABSTRACT
This chapter examines what effects, if any, efforts by the Malaysian government to repress and criminalise democratic dissent have on young people’s politics. Based primarily on qualitative interviews with 20 young Malaysians, the findings show that state-led repression, particularly the ongoing use of criminal laws and violent repression, has created a ‘culture of fear’ and continues to be a major barrier for most young people in Malaysia to be politically active, since they perceive political activities as being too high-risk to participate.
