Title Domination, Contestation, and Accommodation: 54 Years of Sabah
Domination, Contestation, and Accommodation: 54 Years of Title Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia Author(s) Faisal, S. Hazis Citation Southeast Asian Studies (2018), 7(3): 341-361 Issue Date 2018-12 URL http://hdl.handle.net/2433/237246 Right © Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University Type Departmental Bulletin Paper Textversion publisher Kyoto University Southeast Asian Studies, Vol. 49, No. 2, September 2011 Domination, Contestation, and Accommodation: 54 Years of Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia Faisal S. Hazis* This article traces the major contestations that have taken place in Sabah and Sarawak throughout the 54 years of their independence. The two major areas of contestation are state power and local resources, pitting federal leaders against Sabah and Sarawak’s elites. These contestations have forced the federal govern- ment to accommodate the local elites, thus ensuring the stability of Barisan Nasional (BN) rule in the East Malaysian states. However, Sabah and Sarawak elites are not homogeneous since they have different degrees of power, agendas, and aspirations. These differences have led to open feuds between the elites, resulting in the col- lapse of political parties and the formation of new political alignments. Over almost four decades, a great majority of the people in Sabah and Sarawak have acceded to BN rule. However, in the last decade there have been pockets of resistance against the authoritarian rule of BN and the local elites. This article argues that without accountability and a system of checks and balances, the demand for more autonomy by the increasingly vocal Sabah and Sarawak elites will benefit only them and not the general public.
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