Power must be devolved, decision-making must be decentralised, and development funds must be shared all the way down, asserts Francis Loh.
Jul 222010
May 192010
The favourable public reaction to Penang’s Speakers’ Square is to be expected as it contrasts with the constant moves by the federal government to restrict and prohibit freedom of speech and assembly, observes Toh Kin Woon.
Apr 212010
One of Najib’s reform initiatives aims at decentralisation in decision making and devolution of powers. But how will this be possible when, as Francis Loh observes, the BN federal government has been most disinterested in sharing power with the state and local levels of government?
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Dec 082009
Sheridan Mahavera explores federal-state relations in relation to Sarawak and Sabah. The people of these two states have to believe that there is hope, not only for change through the ballot box but for a better shared destiny between east and west Malaysia.
Nov 202009
In our cover story, Sheridan Mahavera explores federal-state relations in relation to Sarawak and Sabah. The people of these two states have to believe that there is hope, not only for change through the ballot box but for a better shared destiny between east and west Malaysia.
Sheridan follows up by interviewing political economist Andrew Aeria, who speaks frankly about the divide between east and west and suggests what can be done to overcome it.
Jul 242009
How could the Penang state government under the BN sell the Kampong Buah Pala land when “the available evidence seemed to show that the land is still vested in the Federal Lands Commissioner”, wonders a bewildered P Ramakrishnan.
Aug 202008
Barring massive electoral fraud, Anwar is one by-election and two weeks short of returning to Parliament. When he does, he’d be the Opposition Leader of a second coalition, says Khoo Boo Teik. After that people would want to know if he’d really form a new Federal government in mid-September as he has declared, promised, or threatened.
Jun 212008
Compared with those states in other countries using a federal-state system, the constituent states in Malaysia play relatively limited roles in relation to the centre. Francis Loh examines the factors that have contributed towards Malaysia’s centralised federalism.