Malaysia’s biggest threat for 2020 is ‘political and terrorist radicalisation’, experts warn

Malaysian politics is currently polarising and creating ‘extreme views’, says Ahmad El-Muhammady of International Islamic University Malaysia

Race and religion have also dominated discourse in recent times, raising the spectre of violent civil unrest, while the threat of terrorism remains

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Where Malaysia’s diversity was once seen as a source of strength, now “differences are used as a source of conflict”, says an expert. Photo: Bloomberg

Published: 11:46am, 17 Jan 2020Updated: 8:57pm, 17 Jan 2020

Malaysia is grappling with radicalisation in the political arena as well as in the context of terrorism, raising the spectre of violent civil unrest, according to a counterterrorism expert.

“We are now heading [for a repeat of] May 13 if the current political discourse that we have in our country cannot be managed well,” said Ahmad El-Muhammady, lecturer at International Islamic University Malaysia, referring to the country’s bloody racial riots of 1969.

“Escalation will continue and we will reach a point where people will take certain actions that will lead to violence, and that would cause civil strife,” said Ahmad, who advises the Malaysian police on their rehabilitation programme for terror detainees.

“This is the risk factor for Malaysia, a combination of both terrorist radicalisation [and] political radicalisation. This is the biggest threat for 2020.”

Infighting has broken out within Mahathir Mohamad’s Pakatan Harapan party over the timing of his handover of power to nominated successor Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: Reuters

His warning comes as the ruling coalition of Pakatan Harapan, led by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, is riven by infighting while facing the racial politics deployed by the opposition Barisan Nasional.

Malaysia’s biggest threat for 2020 is ‘political and terrorist radicalisation’, experts warn

Malaysian politics is currently polarising and creating ‘extreme views’, says Ahmad El-Muhammady of International Islamic University Malaysia Race and religion have also dominated discourse in recent times, raising the spectre of violent civil unrest, while the threat of terrorism remains

Malaysian politics is currently polarising and creating ‘extreme views’, says Ahmad El-Muhammady of International Islamic University Malaysia

Race and religion have also dominated discourse in recent times, raising the spectre of violent civil unrest, while the threat of terrorism remains