The topical relevance of this subject for contemporary Malaysian politics is underscored by the bizarre end of the Mahathir Mohamad-led Pakatan Harapan (Harapan, or Pact of Hope) government in late February 2020. As an opposition coalition Harapan had taken power at the 14th General Election (GE14) of 9 May 2018 when Barisan Nasional (BN, or National Front) suffered its first ever defeat at the national level after sixty-one years of rule. Mahathir, who had retired in October 2003, returned as the “7th Prime Minister”. By Harapan's pre-GE14 agreement he would remain in office up to the mid-point of the government's five-year term. Then Anwar Ibrahim, released from prison on 16 August 2020, would become the “8th Prime Minister”.

Towards the end of February 2020, Mahathir abruptly resigned. He expected to be reappointed by the King, in which case he could form a new government without abiding by the Harapan succession plan. But Mahathir was not reappointed. The unravelling of the Harapan government left its parties (Amanah, DAP and PKR) in disarray, and scuttled its leadership transition. Anwar then sought but did not receive the King's invitation to form a new government. Amidst the confusion, defectors from Mahathir's party, Bersatu, and from Anwar's party, PKR, were joined by UMNO and PAS, the two losers in GE14, to form a “backdoor government” ruled by an ad hoc Perikatan Nasional (PN, or National Alliance). Muhyiddin Yassin, who led the Bersatu defectors, became the new prime minister; he was in fact the deputy prime minister before he was dismissed by Najib Razak in 2016.

Instead of replicating the many commentaries on this fluid situation, or predicting the fortunes of the PN regime or whatever replaces it, this essay will explore a neglected issue raised by the continuing crisis. The protagonists in PN are political parties and politicians who portray themselves as Malay parties and Malay politicians on a mission to preserve Malay dominance. Casting themselves as a “Malay-Muslim front” combatting the multiethnic Harapan that won GE14, they subverted Malaysia's first experience of democratically determined change of government.