The commemoration of Indonesia's 20th year of Reformasi in May this year coincided with Malaysia's new chapter in democratization and governance. In the 14th general election ( GE14 ) held on May 9, Malaysians voted the reform-oriented Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition into power, replacing the decades-long rule of Barisan Nasional (BN).
This historic development in Malaysian politics instigated peculiar reactions on Indonesia's side.
Some Indonesian political actors were quick to grab the political capital produced by PH's victory, the return of Tun Mahathir Mohammad to top leadership and “Malaysia Baru” to bolster their own narratives in the run-up to next year's presidential election.
These include the comparison between President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Mahathir as popular and successful leaders, the portrayal of PH's election win as a sign of a similar government change in Indonesia and the call to abandon identity politics, a staple in BN's campaign strategy which proved unfruitful in GE14.
The absorption of GE14's outcome into Indonesia's national conversation should not come as a surprise. After all, the aftermath of Malaysia's election presents a strong political narrative of administrative change and the conversion from a corrupt to reformist regime.
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