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31. The shifting sands of the Malaysian political landscape and the impact on security sector governance (SSG)

Author:
Tang Siew Mun
Publication Date:
09-2013
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS)
Abstract:
The Malaysian security sector is undergoing a major transformation. The Najib administration has broken the mould, implementing a series of reforms that have resulted in the expansion of political space and discourse. Consequently, the polity may become increasingly unstable, unless these reforms are accompanied by the deepening and institutionalisation of the rule of law and the development of a mature political culture. This paper identifies five priority areas for security sector governance (SSG) in Malaysia, namely, independence of the judiciary, advancement of human rights, broadening of political space, rule of law and enforcement, and institutional oversight capacity. The net effect of the security sector reforms (SSRs) is the levelling of the political playing field, which effectively weakens the hands of the incumbents. Herein lies the paradox. The fate and progress of SSR is contingent on a strong government to stay the course of reforms and to prevent a relapse. At the same time, these reforms have the unintended effect of chipping away the Najib administration's political power.
Topic:
Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Governance
Political Geography:
Malaysia and Southeast Asia

32. Does public opinion count? Knowledge and support for an ASEAN Community in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore

Author:
Ravichandran Moorthy and Guido Benny
Publication Date:
11-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
International Relations of the Asia-Pacific
Institution:
Japan Association of International Relations
Abstract:
Scholars have remarked that the decision-making process in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is largely elitist in nature and concentrated within the higher echelon of leadership, with little public participation. Since ASEAN is moving toward community building by the year 2015, questions arise on whether the people are consulted, aware, and support this initiative - which is the focus of this article. The authors argue that increased awareness and knowledge of the public regarding the ASEAN Community initiative will eventually translate into increased support. Against this background, this article analyzes the extent the public in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore are aware of and support the proposed initiative, based on public opinion surveys conducted by the authors in these countries. To support the discussion, this article also employs the Pearson chi-square test to analyze the relationship between public awareness and support for the ASEAN Community.
Political Geography:
Malaysia, Asia, Singapore, and Caspian Sea

33. Hunger: The Price of Rebellion

Author:
Veejay Villafranca
Publication Date:
03-2013
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
World Policy Journal
Institution:
World Policy Institute
Abstract:
MINDANAO, Philippines—The Badjao people have inhabited this island since at least the 16th century. Traveling in their handbuilt boats, they scattered as far as Malaysia and northern Borneo. They remain the largest Muslim group in the largely Catholic nation of the Philippines. For 10 years, I have covered brutal conflicts on this beautiful island, and since I began photographing here, I have hoped that one day Mindanao will once again live up to its name, the Promised Land.
Political Geography:
Malaysia and Island

34. Managing Malaysia–Indonesia relations in the context of democratization: the emergence of non-state actors

Author:
Khadijah Md. Khalid and Shakila Yacob
Publication Date:
09-2012
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
International Relations of the Asia-Pacific
Institution:
Japan Association of International Relations
Abstract:
This paper argues that Malaysia–Indonesia relations have become increasingly problematic and complex to manage in a post-Mahathir/Suharto era. The unequal pace of the democratization pattern in both countries has largely contributed to this state of affairs. The four key 'transnational' variables or determinants such as migrant labor, mass media, non-governmental organizations and the Anwar factor have significantly impacted on Malaysia's ties with Indonesia against the backdrop of the unequal domestic political changes. These four variables have over the years become more prominent in bilateral relations – often in negative terms. More specifically, they represent the dynamics of the people-to-people dimension in bilateral ties. As such, the deterioration in people-to-people relations threatens to significantly reshape government-to-government diplomacy. Bilateral relations could yet face their severest contradictions when official diplomacy is incapable of reflecting accurately popular sentiments. In effect, the roles of state and non-state actors have been instrumental in influencing recent developments of Malaysia–Indonesia relations.
Political Geography:
Indonesia and Malaysia

35. Malaysia's Coming Election: Beyond Communalism?

Publication Date:
10-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Crisis Group
Abstract:
Malaysia's thirteenth general election, which Prime Minister Najib Razak will have to call by April 2013, could be a watershed in communal relations. More than ever before, there is a chance, albeit a very small one, that opposition parties running on issues of transparency, economic equity and social justice could defeat the world's longest continually-elected political coalition, the National Front (Barisan Nasional), that has based its support on a social compact among the country's Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. That compact, granting Malays preferential status in exchange for security and economic growth, has grown increasingly stale as the growing middle class demands more of its leaders. Both ruling party and opposition are using images of the Arab Spring – the former to warn of chaos if it is not returned to power, the latter to warn of popular unrest unless political change comes faster.
Topic:
Democratization, Development, Ethnic Conflict, Islam, and Political Economy
Political Geography:
Malaysia and Southeast Asia

36. Malaysia's U.S. Policy under Najib: Ambivalence No More?

Author:
KUIK Cheng-Chwee
Publication Date:
11-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Abstract:
This paper adopts a neoclassical realist perspective to explain Malaysia's evolving policy towards the United States under Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. It argues that to the extent that there is a “shift” in Malaysia's U.S. policy under the current leadership, the substance and symbolism in Najib's U.S. policy has been driven and limited by the needs of the ruling elite to strike a balance between a variety of structural imperatives and domestic considerations. Structurally, in the face of a fast rising China (with whom Malaysia has come to develop an increasingly productive relation in both economic and diplomatic domains, but with whom it has unresolved territorial issues), the leader of the smaller state is increasingly confronted with the geostrategic need to keep a more balanced relationship with all the major players. This is especially so with the United States, which, under the Obama administration's “pivot” to Asia policy, has demonstrated a renewed and enhanced commitment to engage countries in the Asia-Pacific, including Malaysia. This structural push, however, has been counteracted by the smaller state's desire of not wanting to be entrapped in any big power rivalry, and by its concern about the uncertainties of great power commitments. Domestically, there is a strong economic need to further enhance two-way trade and increase the flow of American capital and technology into Malaysia, deemed vital to Najib's Economic Transformation Program. Perhaps more importantly, there is also a political calculation by the governing elite to capitalize on the increasingly warm and close bilateral ties as a leverage to reduce – if not neutralize – Washington's support for the Anwar Ibrahim-led opposition and civil society movements, which have presented a growing challenge to the ruling BN coalition. This calculation, however, has been counteracted by UMNO's domestic concern of not wanting to appear too closely aligned with America, in order not to alienate the country's Muslim majority voters who have been critical of U.S. policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These structural and domestic determinants together explain Malaysia's evolving policy toward the superpower under the current leadership.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, International Trade and Finance, Islam, Political Economy, and Power Politics
Political Geography:
United States, Malaysia, Israel, and Southeast Asia

37. Fisheries in Malaysia: Can resources match demand?

Author:
Evelyn Teh
Publication Date:
06-2012
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Maritime Institute of Malaysia
Abstract:
Fisheries have been a long practiced means of food acquisition by mankind. It has maintained its importance as the top natural protein provider in the diet of many nations in the world, with 75% of the global fish production meant for direct human consumption. The highest fish consuming nations are from developing countries. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Malaysia is one of the top fish-consuming countries in Asia (above 40kg/capita/year), almost double the average in Thailand and China, although it is still below the levels in Japan and South Korea. Figure 1 for instance shows that the trend in fish consumption among Malaysians is increasing, which is mainly based on Malaysian population data from the national consensus and data on national fish consumption. This essentially means that in 2010 an average Malaysian consumed more fish (54kg/year) compared to 20kg in 1970; a dramatic increase in demand for fish over four decades that is compounded by rapid population growth.
Topic:
Demographics, Development, Human Welfare, Maritime Commerce, and Food
Political Geography:
Malaysia, Israel, and Southeast Asia

38. Choice and Coercion in East Asian Exchange Rate Regimes

Author:
C. Randall Henning
Publication Date:
09-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Peterson Institute for International Economics
Abstract:
This paper examines the exchange rate regimes of East Asian countries since the initial shift by China to a controlled appreciation in July 2005, testing econometrically the weights of key currencies in the implicit baskets that appear to be targeted by East Asian monetary authorities. It finds, first, that Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and the Philippines have formed a loose but effective “renminbi bloc” with China, and that South Korea has participated tentatively since the global financial crisis. Second, the emergence of the renminbi bloc in terms of the exchange rate has been facilitated by the continued dominance of the US dollar as a trade, investment, and reserve currency. Third, exchange rate stabilization is explained by the economic strategies of these countries, which rely heavily on export development and financial repression, and the economic rise of China. Fourth, analysts should specify the exchange rate preferences of these emerging market countries carefully before drawing inferences about Chinese influence within the region.
Topic:
Development, Emerging Markets, Foreign Exchange, and International Trade and Finance
Political Geography:
China, Malaysia, Asia, South Korea, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand

39. Sustainable Energy Futures in Southeast Asia

Author:
Murray Hiebert, Ernest Z. Bower, David Pumphrey, Gregory B. Poling, and Molly A. Walton
Publication Date:
12-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for Strategic and International Studies
Abstract:
Southeast Asia will be the next big growth engine in Asia. Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, with a population of 525 million and a combined GDP of $2.8 trillion (when measured by purchasing power parity), are expected to grow almost 6 percent between now and 2030, according to the Asian Development Bank. For years, they have been eclipsed by China and India, but now their combined GDP is catching up with India and they could overtake Japan in less than two decades. For U.S. firms, these five members of the Association of South East Asian Nations—hereafter the ASEAN-5—are a trade, energy, and environment story.
Topic:
Development, Economics, Energy Policy, International Trade and Finance, and Oil
Political Geography:
Indonesia, Malaysia, Asia, Vietnam, Philippines, Thailand, and Southeast Asia

40. The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) Negotiations: Overview and Prospects

Author:
Deborah Elms and C. L. Lim
Publication Date:
02-2012
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies
Abstract:
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a trade agreement currently under negotiation between nine countries in three continents, including Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, United States and Vietnam. In late 2011 three additional countries--Japan, Canada and Mexico--announced their intention to join as well. The TPP has always been called a "high quality, 21st century" agreement that covers a range of topics not always found in free trade agreements. This includes not just trade in goods, services and investment, but also intellectual property rights, government procurement, labor, environment, regulations, and small and medium enterprises. This paper traces the complex negotiations and evolution of the talks since the early 2000s to the present.
Topic:
Economics, Environment, International Trade and Finance, Treaties and Agreements, Labor Issues, and Intellectual Property/Copyright
Political Geography:
United States, Japan, Malaysia, Canada, Israel, Vietnam, Latin America, Australia, Australia/Pacific, Mexico, Singapore, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, and Brunei