Federalism going down the toilet
By Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng
May 2010 FEATURE
Is this what Malaysia’s history of centralism has led to?Something that Malaysians have had to realise in recent months is that political power in the country has over the years become so centralised that local governance is in real danger of disappearing altogether.Even the collection of solid waste – something one would think is best managed at the local level – is now under the control of the federal government. Centralism, by its very nature, distances power from the people....
Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng
is the Executive Director of Penang Institute. His latest book is Signals in the Noise: Notes on Penang, Malaysia and the World (Singapore: Faction Press) Homepage: wikibeng.com.
