Development in the Post-Colonial State: Class, Capitalism and the Islamist Political Alternative in Malaysia

Abstract

This paper seeks to investigate the nature and vagaries of the developmental state within the context of the post-colonial political economy of Malaysia. The theoretical framework for this study is situated within the debates of the 1970s concerning the dynamic interactions of class, society and capital in charting the development path of newly emergent nation-states of Asia and Africa. While the preponderant role of the state is undisputed, the forces governing its behaviour are subject to varying interpretations. An overview of discourses on models of the post-colonial state is presented, followed by an exploration of their applicability to the Malaysian experience. The uniqueness of Malaysia's socio-cultural mosaic demands important adjustments to the established models. As a testament to Malaysia's uniqueness, reform of the post-colonial state is discussed in terms of an Islamist alternative, Islamic movements and initiatives being at the helm of development endeavours in Malaysia. However, such independent-based efforts have been misconstrued by the state as a threat to its legitimacy, thereby persuading influential sections of Islamists to seek reform from within the dominant system. Such a recourse presents its own set of problems, as the political-economic developments of the past two years have demonstrated. This puts to test the viability of a so-called Islamist alternative.