Prominent scholars across the political divide and academic disciplines analyze how the dominant political parties in Malaysia and Singapore, United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and the People's Action Party (PAP), have stayed in power. With a focus on developments in the last decade and the tenures of Prime Ministers Najib Tun Razak and Lee Hsien Loong, the authors offer a range of explanations for how these regimes have remained politically resilient.

This new and up-to-date textbook has been specially written for university students taking courses dealing with the politics and society of the South East Asian region, covering Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Each chapter begins with a description of the country's history, society, geography and economy. Plus key statistics. The subsequent politics sections examine the formal organization of government as provided for constitutionally, followed by a description and analysis of the major political institutions - parliament, the executive, the civilian and military bureaucracies, the judiciary and, more widely, ideology, civil society, political parties, elections, civil society and human rights. Finally, each chapter looks at major political issues - focussing on who rules, who benefits, legitimacy, and the nature of governance generally. Student-useful features include the comprehensive socio-economic and historical context provided by each country study; basic statistical data; and a Further Reading list. The originality and usefulness of this volume lies in its exceptionally detailed information and analysis of each country's political system, as well as its up-to-date examination of the key domestic issues that dominate the political agenda in this fast changing region.