The Language of Old and New politics before and after the Malaysian General Elections of May 2013

This article examines the concepts of old and new politics in Malaysia as has surfaced over the past few years especially after the general election of 2008. The recently concluded general election of 2013 and the period prior to it provides a vast vocabulary of old and new politics that continues to be practised amongst political actors and which seem to have different effects on different audiences in Malaysia. From one perspective old and new politics may be seen as approaches by political parties concerned to either retain or strengthen support from the people or to gain new support from the uninitiated. This article also looks into future trends in the context of old and new politics.