| This dissertation explores the impact of information technology (IT) on Malaysia's November 1999 parliamentary elections. The research examines a topic that has remained largely under-studied, namely, whether information technology, primarily the Internet, fosters a consolidation towards democracy in semi-democracies or authoritarian regimes.; Many scholars have assumed that as access to IT becomes more widely available, citizens in semi-democracies will use it successfully to press for democratization. However, an examination of the current conditions in many of these nations does not fully support this assumption. Accordingly, the hypothesis of this thesis is that, although IT is believed to be a powerful democratizing agent, it is not strong enough, by itself, to bring about significant political change.; The results of this thesis appear to support the hypothesis. It turns out that while the Malaysian elections were affected, to some extent, by the use of the Internet by dissatisfied voters, the election results nevertheless show that IT was not a strong enough factor to counter all the powerful tools a ruling party holds in a semi-democracy, at least in the short term.; The data regarding the margin of votes reveals that many of the parliamentary seats were more closely contested than in previous elections---when Internet use was not as prevalent. This is especially true of states with the highest level of Internet penetration. Information technology thus aided the opposition movement and provided a platform for the first alternative media in Malaysia, but not enough to oust the ruling party and prime minister.; The findings offer a theoretical foundation on how information technology, and especially the Internet, might be able to influence the democratization process. This may help prodemocracy leaders in the future to determine how best to use the power of this technology to bring about change in a semi-democratic regime, especially during election cycles. |
