The Signification of Power in Malay Political Leadership in Malaysia: A Historical Interpretation

The concept of power in Malay politics has always been seen in the context of the trust and responsibility of the people who lead to those led. This view means perfect power, a holistic concept in its principals and values, especially as an effect of Islamic influence in Malay socio-political structure. However, the development of post-colonial socialization and modernization in Malay ideology caused the signification of power in Malay politics to be predisposed to speculation and manipulation. This situation had directly shattered its signification as traditionally understood before, which was based on top down centralization. It then started to shift and gravitate to exceptionalism (politics of exception) as it was practiced among the post-reformation era Europeans and spread within the modern Malay political leadership. Thus, this paper attempts to descriptively discuss the issue affecting the meaning of power in Malay political leadership in Malaysia by observing the historical background as its developmental and transformational mechanism. At the same time, this analytical discussion also encompasses the challenges faced by Malay political leadership in handling thechange of the signification of power in Malay socio-political structure in Malaysia.