ABDULLAH AHMAD BADAWI AND NIKITA KHRUSCHEV AS REFORMERS: A COMPARISON

This article disputes the general opinion that equates the fifth Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with the final supreme leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev. Instead, the author argues that the rise and fall of Abdullah closely resembles that of the Soviet reformist leader, Nikita conservative forces which had been firmly institutionalised under previous leaders regimes. Reformation was found to depend on the ability of a leader to maintain the regime s equlibrium. If the nature of the regime changes, it could potentially pose a threat and resistance. Complicating this effort, both leaders possessed what is called the paradox of a reformer - accompanying weaknessess that affect their reputation as reformers. Although finally removed from power, Khrushchev s reforms paved the way for Gorbachev s political transformation 30 years later. A comparable situation exists with respect to Abdullah s initiatives, which provided a favourable context for Najib Razak to further his predecessor s reforms. Despite efforts to restore the control approach in Najib s era, such measures have invited a serious backlash, prompting him to persevere with political openness and relaxation initiated by Abdullah.