Malaysia: UMNO and the myth of invincibility

The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) has long been seen as one of the most powerful political parties in the world in term of endurance and capacity to hold on to power. Until May 2018 it had held power continuously for a record 63 years. UMNO first came to power in colonial Malaya in 1955, stayed on in power in independent Malaya, and later in the Federation of Malaysia. It has often been compared to the Institutional Revolutionary Party (Partido Revolucionario Institucional) which held power in Mexico uninterruptedly for seven decades. In the region, the only party that is comparable is Singapore’s People’s Action Party, which has ruled the island state continuously since 1959.