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Much has been written by scholars on the process of democratization and regime transition. Academics have extensively debated the causes of transition or liberalization of authoritarian regimes, different stages of democratization, and conditions under which democratizing regimes succeed (democratic consolidation) or fail. This article intends to contribute to this literature by focusing on democratization in a specific context: the challenge to hegemonic-party regimes in Malaysia and Singapore. Authoritarianism is diverse in practice, and this article aims to analyse a particular type of authoritarian regime (hegemonic parties).
Instead of discussing the causes and stages of democratization in Malaysia and Singapore, I focus on the nature of the opposition party which provides the strongest challenge to the incumbents. Differing characters of opposition parties would have different impacts on the democratization processes. The National Front (Barisan Nasional, BN) in Malaysia and the People's Action Party (PAP) in Singapore are the two longest-serving governments with uninterrupted rule in the world, and yet lately their dominance has been waning.1However, I posit that there is a significant difference in the decline of the two parties. In Malaysia, the opposition People's Pact (Pakatan Rakyat, PR) poses an ideological challenge to the ruling party, propagating a set of fundamental values that challenge the National Front's version of Malay-led multiracialism; whereas in Singapore, the Workers' Party (WP) does not differ from the People's Action Party in its core beliefs, and in fact challenges the People's Action Party on the latter's own terms. One could make the argument, then, that in Singapore, even if the People's Action Party ceases to be the ruling party and the Workers' Party takes over, it would be the end of a hegemonic party, but not the end of hegemony per se, because the successor party plays by the rules of the game set by its predecessor.2However, if the People's Pact takes over from the National Front, it would signify the end of a hegemonic party and hegemony, as the rules of the game would have to be altered significantly. Hegemony is defined as 'an order in which a certain way of life and thought is dominant, in which one concept of reality is diffused throughout society in all its institutional manifestation'.3A...