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3 - The public bureaucracy's role in policy implementation in Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2016

By
Nik Rosnah Wan Abdullah
Edited by
Jon S. T. Quah
Nik Rosnah Wan Abdullah
Affiliation:
University Abdul Razak in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Jon S. T. Quah
Affiliation:
National University of Singapore
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Summary

Introduction

The Malaysian public service plays a significant role in the country's economic and social development. More importantly, it has been instrumental in initiating the country's transformational efforts towards a high income nation. This chapter analyses the role of the public service in policy implementation in Malaysia, and assesses its effectiveness in implementing these two Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) agreements: (1) the Agreement on the ASEAN Harmonized Cosmetic Regulatory Scheme, or the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive (ACD), which Malaysia signed together with the other ASEAN countries at the 35th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting in Cambodia in September 2003; and (2) combating transnational crime, as agreed under the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC) and the Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC).

This chapter begins by describing Malaysia's policy context, followed by an analysis of the public bureaucracy's profile and its role in policy formulation. The implementation of the ACD and AMMTC/SOMTC is then analysed in depth before concluding the chapter with a summary of the major findings.

Malaysia's policy context

This section describes Malaysia's policy context in terms of its geography, formative historical experiences, economy, demography and political system as these factors affect the public bureaucracy's effectiveness in policy implementation.

Geography

Malaysia has a total land area of 332, 665 sq. km (The Economist 2013: 178) and consists of thirteen states, with eleven states located in Peninsular Malaysia, and the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. These two states have a higher degree of local government and legislative autonomy than the West Malaysian states. Sabah and Sarawak have separate laws regulating the entry of citizens from other states in Malaysia, whereas, in Peninsular Malaysia, there are no restrictions on inter-state travel or migration, including visitors from East Malaysia. There are also separate land laws governing Sabah and Sarawak, as opposed to the National Land Code, which governs Peninsular Malaysia. The three main land laws are: (1) National Land Code (Act 56 of 1965) implemented in all states in Peninsular Malaysia; (2) Sarawak Land Code (Cap 81) implemented for Sarawak only; and (3) Sabah Land Ordinance (Cap 68) implemented for Sabah only.

Formative historical experiences

The Federation of Malaya was granted independence from Great Britain on 31 August 1957 with a relatively peaceful period of transition that was largely achieved by the granting of concessions to the main ethnic groups in Malaya, …

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The Role of the Public Bureaucracy in Policy Implementation in Five ASEAN Countries , pp. 171 - 232
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2016

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