The ideological moorings of Malaysia‘s nationalism are in a state of flux. The ethno-nationalist ?grand bargain?
which has governed Malaysian political life for the past 40 years is unsustainable. The response to this crisis has
been Janus-faced: The Razak Government is simultaneously projecting an image of openness while clinging
desperately to the status quo – i.e. maintaining a neo-clientelist relationship with the right flank of UMNO‘s
Muslim-Malay constituency. We see this disconnect most starkly in the operationalization of Prime Minister
NajibTunRazak‘s ?moderation agenda?. At the 68th UN General Assembly, Razak called for a Global
Movement of Moderates to counter what he called ?the forces of extremism.? He sees Malaysia as the vanguard
of the moderation movement and argues that Malaysia has much to teach the world on the subjects of peaceful
coexistence and moderation. This agenda is deeply idiosyncratic for many reasons, mostly because the current
facts on the ground in Malaysia run contrary to stated raison d‘etre of the moderation agenda.