sustainability Article Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict Peter Ho 1, Bin Md Saman Nor-Hisham 2,* and Heng Zhao 1 1 Zijingang Campus, School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China;
[email protected] (P.H.);
[email protected] (H.Z.) 2 Department of Town and Regional Planning, Universiti Teknologi Mara, Cawangan Perak 32610, Malaysia * Correspondence:
[email protected] Received: 6 November 2020; Accepted: 7 December 2020; Published: 14 December 2020 Abstract: Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is often portrayed as a policy measure that can mitigate the environmental influence of corporate and government projects through objective, systematic, and value-free assessment. Simultaneously, however, research has also shown that the larger political context in which the EIA is embedded is crucial in determining its influence on decision-making. Moreover, particularly in the case of mega-projects, vested economic interests, rent-seeking, and politics may provide them with a momentum in which the EIA risks becoming a mere formality. To substantiate this point, the article examines the EIA of what is reportedly Asia’s largest dam outside China: the Bakun Hydro-electric Project (BHP) in Malaysia. The study is based on mixed methods, particularly, qualitative research (semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and archival study) coupled to a survey conducted in 10 resource-poor, indigenous communities in the resettlement area. It is found that close to 90% of the respondents are dissatisfied with their participation in the EIA, while another 80% stated that the authorities had conducted the EIA without complying to the procedures.