Introduction

This introductory chapter sets the analytical and conceptual foundations for examining service politics as a political survival strategy adopted by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) in Malaysia. Focusing on the Bentong parliamentary constituency, a long-time MCA stronghold, the study examines the effectiveness of MCA’s service politics in three key general elections: 2008 (the 12th General Election, GE12), 2013 (the 13th General Election, GE13), and 2018 (the 14th General Election, GE14), and analyses the key drivers shaping the voting behaviour of the Bentong Chinese polity over time. The chapter situates this discussion within broader theoretical and historical contexts by reviewing the evolution of the Malaysian Chinese population, the literature on Chinese political participation, and the concepts of ethnicity, consociational democracy, and Malay supremacy. By framing service politics as an adaptive response to political marginalisation rather than a purely electoral strategy, the chapter establishes the analytical lens guiding the book’s examination of Malaysian political history, service politics in Bentong, and electoral outcomes.