Prolonged unhappiness among Malay Muslims with Pakatan Harapan (PH) is forcing Malaysia's fledgling ruling coalition to ringfence the interests of the majority community before proceeding with promised reforms.

Less than a year after its shock victory in the May 2018 general election, the Mahathir Mohamad administration has already backtracked on various initiatives, including plans to ratify two international human rights conventions, following protests from conservative Malays led by the two biggest Muslim parties, Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS). Other efforts, like abolishing the death penalty, have been watered down.