IT is difficult, if not impossible, to expect political reforms if an incumbent leader is secure and remains in power for decades. Some of the recognised problems of prolonged incumbency are the deterioration of the quality of the candidates’ pool, corruption, and presumptuous behaviours. Prolon-ged incumbency also prevents any reforms from taking place since the existing system, flawed as it may be, supports the power of the incumbent party.
Barisan Nasional remained the incumbent in Malaysian politics from independence (when it was the Alliance Party) until 2018. But the ground had already started shifting for the then ruling coalition a decade before that.
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