Abstract
Since the stunning victory of the opposition grouping Pakatan Rakyat at the 12th general election on 8 March 2008, by seizing a greater number of Parliamentary seats, Malaysian voters have had high expectations in terms of good governance and what is considered as sustainable development , particularly in the three opposition states of the Federation of Malaysia . In one of these states, i.e. Penang , the stakes and expectations have become much higher, especially after it attained the coveted status of UNESCO World Heritage Site on 7th July of the same year. It is in Penang that concerned Malaysians and social activists with competing notions of socio-economic development at times come into conflict with the state and other actors in their campaign for sustainable development. This chapter examines the various, and at times creative, ways in which civil society groups convey their messages and political stand in the public domain .
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Notes
- 1.
The Pakatan Rakyat was an informal political coalition of opposition parties of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (Pas) that was formed in 2008. This grouping, however, collapsed after disagreement emerged over certain Islamic issues between DAP and Pas, which subsequently gave rise to the formation of the Pakatan Harapan coalition in 2015 between DAP, PKR and Pas splinter group, Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah). The DAP-led Pakatan Rakyat (and later, Pakatan Harapan) coalition rules the state of Penang since 2008.
- 2.
This general election was intensely contested, resulting in the incumbent Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition getting a mere 47.38% of the popular vote while its rival Pakatan Rakyat (PR, People’s Pact) won 50.87%. However, given the current delineation of the constituencies or gerrymandering, the BN coalition managed to form government as it captured 60% of the parliamentary seats. The BN, which rules the rest of the Malaysian federation, consists of the following 13 political parties: United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Malaysian People’s Movement Party (Gerakan), People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Parti Pesaka Bumiptera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), United Sabah Party (PBS), Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), United Sabah People’s Party (PBRS), United Pasokmomogun Kadazandusun Murut Organisation (UPKO), Sarawak Progressive Democratic Party (SPDP) and Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS).
- 3.
- 4.
For a glimpse of the dynamism of civil society organisations in Penang, see http://penangmonthly.com/a-citys-status-and-its-civil-society/.
- 5.
See Faruqui and Ramanathan (1998, pp. 15–16).
- 6.
See for instance http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/09/14/malaysia-sedition-act-wielded-silence-opposition to have an indication of the political implications of this piece of legislation.
- 7.
See for instance http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/global-report-singles-out-malaysia-for-trampling-rights-of-non-religious to have a sense of political and religious extremism in Malaysia.
- 8.
For a detailed analysis of media ownership in Malaysia, see for instance http://rickshriver.net/textfiles/Malaysian%20Media%20Paper%20-%20CARFAX2.pdf; Anuar (2005, 2014).
- 9.
This guarantee of no censorship forms part of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Bill of Guarantees. See http://www.mscmalaysia.my/bogs.
- 10.
- 11.
- 12.
See for instance, Hartley (2002).
- 13.
World Commission on Environment and Development (1987, p. 40).
- 14.
See for instance http://unfccc.int/resource/docs/natc/malnc1.pdf.
- 15.
- 16.
- 17.
The entire letter was posted on Penang Forum’s website at https://penangforum.net/2016/08/17/sia-boey-that-letter-to-unesco/.
- 18.
- 19.
See for instance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1muYPgGyyo.
- 20.
- 21.
- 22.
- 23.
- 24.
- 25.
- 26.
- 27.
See http://aliran.com/.
- 28.
- 29.
- 30.
An interview with Anil Netto on 19 January 2017 in George Town, Penang.
- 31.
For the Freedom of Information Enactment in Penang, see http://www.cljlaw.com/?page=sbep012010&mode=desktop.
- 32.
References
Anuar, M. K. (2005). Politics and the media in Malaysia. Kasarinlan: Philippine Journal of Third World Studies, 20(1), 25–47.
Anuar, M. K. (2014). Seeking democracy in Malaysia: New media, traditional media and the state. In A. Kenyon, T. Marjoribanks & A. Whiting (Eds.), Democracy, media and law in Malaysia and Singapore: A space for speech. London & New York: Routledge.
Faruqui, S. S., & Ramanathan, S. (1998). Mass media laws and regulations in Malaysia. Singapore: AMIC.
Hartley, J. (2002). Communication, cultural and media studies (3rd ed., pp. 191–192). London & New York: Routledge.
World Commission on Environment and Development. (1987). Our common future. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Websites
http://penangmonthly.com/a-citys-status-and-its-civil-society/.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/09/14/malaysia-sedition-act-wielded-silence-opposition.
http://rickshriver.net/textfiles/Malaysian%20Media%20Paper%20-%20CARFAX2.pdf.
https://penangforum.net/events/penang-forum-1/declaration-of-the-penang-forum/.
http://www.pht.org.my/prangin-market-and-the-penang-transport-master-plan/.
https://penangforum.net/2016/08/17/sia-boey-that-letter-to-unesco/.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQ9Gh6bH71s9utE_Kh0nv9uJ39RbHHuLp.
https://www.change.org/p/penang-state-government-better-cheaper-faster-penang-transport-master-plan.
https://www.therocket.com.my/en/star-lies-again-penang-government-clarifies/.
http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Malaysia/Story/A1Story20101113-247064.html.
An interview with Anil Netto, a member of the Penang Forum.
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Anuar, M.K., Abdul Manan, S. (2018). Making the Difference: Communicating Campaigns for Sustainable Development in the Opposition State of Penang, Malaysia. In: Prasad, K. (eds) Communication, Culture and Ecology. Communication, Culture and Change in Asia, vol 6. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7104-1_6
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