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DOWNLOAD the Penang, Malaysia An annual publication of the University of San Francisco Center for the Pacific Rim Volume V · Number 2 August · 2005 Copyright 2005 Special Issue: REDEMOCRATIZING SOUTH EAST ASIA THROUGH CITIZEN, CORPORATION, AND GOVERNMENT ALLIANCES Editors Joaquin Gonzalez John Nelson Is There Room for More Social Responsibility in Asia’s Business and Economic Graduate Student Turn Around? Editor >>..................................................Joaquin L. Gonzalez III 1 Pamela Nagashima Government and Citizen Engagement at the Local Level in Thailand: Nan Editorial Consultants Municipality’s ”Roundtables” and ”Expert Panels” Barbara K. Bundy >>.............................................................Alex M. Mutebi 16 Hartmut Fischer Patrick L. Hatcher Richard J. Kozicki The Penang, Malaysia Experiment in People, Private, and Public Partnerships: Stephen Uhalley, Jr. Xiaoxin Wu Process, Progress, and Procedures >>................................................................Tan Pek Leng 29 Editorial Board Yoko Arisaka Bih-hsya Hsieh Citizens, Government, Business and the Transformation of a Ravaged Philippine Uldis Kruze City: The Case of San Fernando, Pampanga Man-lui Lau Mark Mir >>...............................................................Edel C. Guiza 44 Noriko Nagata Stephen Roddy Initiating Participatory Democracy in Indonesia: The Case of Surakarta Kyoko Suda Bruce Wydick Municipality >>.......................................................................Pratikno 59 Asia Pacific: Perspectives is a peer-reviewed journal published at least once a year, usually in April/May. It Asia Pacific: Perspectives welcomes submissions from all fields of the social sciences and the humanities with relevance to the Asia Pacific Center for the Pacific Rim region.* In keeping with the Jesuit traditions of the University of San Francisco, Asia Pacific: Perspectives 2130 Fulton St, LM202 San Francisco, CA commits itself to the highest standards of learning and scholarship. 94117-1080 Our task is to inform public opinion by a broad hospitality to divergent views and ideas that promote cross- Tel: (415) 422-6357 cultural understanding, tolerance, and the dissemination of knowledge unreservedly. Papers adopting a Fax: (415) 422-5933 comparative, interdisciplinary approach will be especially welcome. Graduate students are strongly [email protected] encouraged to submit their work for consideration. * ‘Asia Pacific region’ as used here includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and the Russian Far East. Downloaded from http://www.pacificrim.usfca.edu/research/perspectives USF Center for the Pacific Rim Asia Pacific: Perspectives · August 2005 taxes collected go into the federal coffers. The state govern- ments collect their revenue from only land tax (quit rent) and water rates. Each state is also allocated a per capita grant by The Penang, Malaysia the federal government and can apply to the federal govern- Experiment in People, ment for budgets for development projects. The municipal councils draw their revenue from property tax (assessment), Private, and Public entertainment tax, licensing, parking charges, etc. They are also entitled to development budgets from the federal Partnerships: Process, government. As an indication of the centralized budget control, of the development expenditure in Penang for the Progress, and Procedures period 1996-2000, 75 percent was from federal allocations, 13 by Tan Pek Leng percent from state funding and 12 percent from local funds. Despite the steady shrinkage of democratic space and increasing evidence of corruption and cronyism in high Abstract places, the long-standing government appears still Participatory democracy is not part of the natural order of things in unshakeable. This is attributable, to a large extent, to its Malaysia nor is fiscal decentralization anywhere in evidence. However, citizen participation in municipal governance is being experimented with general ability to “deliver the goods” in material terms as in isolated locations. Penang can be regarded as one of the front-runners illustrated by the socio-economic indicators presented in in this respect, when considered within the overall milieu of political Table 1. autarchy in Malaysia, but the process is in its infancy and progress is intermittent in comparison with other global best practices. Nonetheless, Table 1: Selected Socio-Economic Indicators, 2000 the lessons that can be learned from failings and small beginnings are better than none. Penang embarked on this journey of citizen participa- Penang tion with the Sustainable Penang Initiative (SPI) which sought to engage Indicator State Malaysia tri-sectoral partnership in identifying and monitoring community Gini Coefficient 0.4131 0.443 indicators of sustainable development. Through a series of roundtable discussions, representatives of the public, private and community sectors Incidence of Poverty 2.70% 7.50% identified and prioritized issues that needed urgent resolution. The roundtables generated a tremendous amount of energy and fervor Unemployment Rate 2.00% 3.10% because it was the first time that such a vast array of community groups had gathered together with public officials, political representatives and Telephones/1000 Population 320 199 private sector delegates to address head-on the threats to Penang’s sustainability. Life Expectancy at Birth (Male) 69.8 (’98) 70.2 (’00) Life Expectancy at Birth (Female) 74.8 (’98) 75.0 (’00) 1. SMALL STEPS Infant Mortality Rate 5.67 7.9 Participatory democracy is not part of the natural order Pre-School Participation Rate 94.36 52.7 of things in Malaysia nor is fiscal decentralization anywhere in evidence. Indeed, some might argue that greater centraliza- Secondary School Participation Rate 66.2 58.9 tion of power has been occurring, both in the political and Housing Units with Piped Water (%) 99.4 92 fiscal realms. Malaysia is a federal state with three tiers of government—central (referred to as the federal government), Housing Units with Electricity (%) 99.7 98.3 state and local. There are 13 states in Malaysia and 144 local authorities, of which 7 are city councils, 33 town councils and Source: SERI, Penang Quality of Life Report, 2001 104 district councils. Only the federal and state governments are elected, local council elections having been abolished in the 1970s. Despite periodic agitation for the restoration of Lulled by a sense of material comfort, their thinking local elections, this option has not been entertained by the faculties dulled by an uncritical educational system and a federal government. The same coalition of political parties muffled press, often also repelled by unsavory political has ruled the country since independence in 1957, with a two- intrigues, the vast majority of Malaysians have become a thirds majority that allows amendment of the constitution at depoliticized lot. Their withdrawal from the political realm will. Hence, although representative democracy is in practice, leaves the government a very free hand in policy formulation there is little room for maneuver by the opposition. In and implementation, with little pretence of consultation. addition, the present Prime Minister has been at the helm of Nonetheless, being part of the global community and the government for the past 21 years and is the last of the aspiring to project an image of progressiveness, the Malaysian strongmen still ruling in Asia. His consolidation of power government is not immune to the rhetoric of good gover- despite repeated challenges has meant continued diminution nance. Therefore, citizen participation —especially in munici- of the space for dissent. pal governance—is being experimented with in isolated Central control of fiscal planning and allocations also locations. A number of these experiments are even sponsored remains strong. The federal government has jurisdiction over by the government, albeit jointly with international organiza- all spheres except land and water resources. Hence, nearly all tions, examples being the Healthy Cities and Local Agenda 21 http://www.pacificrim.usfca.edu/research/perspectives Private and Public Partnerships in Malaysia / Tan · 29 USF Center for the Pacific Rim Asia Pacific: Perspectives · August 2005 (LA21) pilot projects. In these instances the consultative Hence, civic engagement is not new, except that in the process has been set apace but has yet to become integral to past it has more often taken the form of NGOs lobbying the the institutional structure of the municipality. But these government on issues that required resolution, and some- internationally sponsored programs do produce some results. times having to resort to confrontation to put their views The local authorities have recently received directives from across. There was no established channel for consultation. the federal ministry for local government that they are to Fortunately, the global movement towards good gover- implement LA21 by 2003. However, the majority of the nance has not fallen entirely on deaf ears in Penang, and there municipalities have little knowledge of what this means and is now a greater acceptance of the participatory process by capacity building will be crucial for success. It will be well those in authority. To use one of the many typologies of worth observing how the LA21 initiative plays out—whether participation that have been developed, Penang can be it will institutionalize and internalize the participative process considered at the stage of “consultation
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