March 8

The day of the underdogs, the real Merdeka, a political tsunami, the perfect storm—by any name, March 8, 2008, will go down in history as a turning point in Malaysian politics. With their votes, Malaysians dealt a blow to the Barisan Nasional government that had held almost absolute power for 50 years. Eyewitness accounts, interviews with key people and articles by both new and established writers that had never been published before, captured that historic phenomenon in the book, March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up—a book that became an immediate bestseller. This new edition updates with numerous new essays and well-informed opinions on the political situation since that historic date, as well as commentaries on the next general election.


Kee Thuan Chye is a patriot who does not believe in flag-waving on National Day. He, however, strongly believes in Bangsa Malaysia. He is a journalist of more than 30 years who does not believe in self-censorship and spin-doctoring. He is also an actor and a playwright, best-known for his political plays, the latest of which is The Swordfish, Then the Concubine. His other titles published by Marshall Cavendish are 1984 Here and Now, The Big Purge and We Could **** You, Mr Birch.