The commercialization and widespread provision of higher education in Malaysia probably does eat away at what special status students can rightly claim as political actors, but it is not clear how much it does so (or whether this same dynamic applies generically to contemporary developing or newly-industrialized states). In sum, then, while its course has been inconsistent, student engagement has remained a persistent part of the Malaysian political scene and offers a useful lens on the changes in and distinctiveness of the nation’s politics. Publication: 4th International Malaysian Studies Conference; 3-5 August 2004, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi.  Author: Weiss, Meredith.