COMMENT | The past year was a defining one for Malaysian politics – one in which leaders, coalitions, and electorates have changed the national landscape, putting in place conditions for major shifts in this coming year.

The main national coalitions, Pakatan Harapan and BN in the Madani government and Perikatan Nasional, are undergoing serious strain, with tensions unlikely to be resolved in the short term.

In this reflective piece, I look at how Malaysian politics are changing, identifying five major shifts and their consequences.

1. Displacement of senior leaders

The year ended with multiple bangs – the 1MDB conviction and 15-year sentence of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak and the almost-fall of the Perlis government that ended without by-election polls and empty seats.

The Perlis instability provided an opportunity for the Islamist party PAS to...