DYNAMICS OF LABOUR MOVEMENT IN THE ASEAN REGION: THE SABAH EXPERIENCE

This paper seeks to situate Sabah, the eastern state of Malaysia, in the context of the dynamic labour movements within ASEAN. Sabah is located at the strategic crossroad of labour flows from the neighbouring countries, particularly the BIMP-EAGA member countries. Analyzing the historical connections as well as the dynamic "push and pull factors" between Sabah and the outlying regions, the study attempts to draw lessons on the mounting challenges faced by the state which is now a host to arguably the largest number of foreign labour in the Asean region. Drawing on past lessons from the influx of foreign labour into Sabah, this paper will suggest some policy options on how best to deal with the foreign labour migration and its attendant negative consequences without abandoning the benefits of regional economic complementarity and interdependence in the spirit of ASEAN.

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Neilson Ilan Mersat

The Eighth Sarawak state election was held on 26 September 2001 with various issues–Native Customary Rights Land development, Malay unity and Islamic fundamentalism, corruption and cronyism, and the coming of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO) to Sarawak–being raised in the campaigns. Barisan Nasional won 60 of the 62 seats while the Democratic Action Party (DAP) and an independent won one seat each. Barisan Nasional’s victory, however, was not a surprise and the three factors that contributed to the ‘big win’ were the ‘3Ms’: money, media and machinery. This paper examines the performance of political parties that ran in the election and their election issues. Among others, this paper also discusses the factors that influenced the voting patterns and the implications of the election on Sarawak politics.

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URBAN CHALLENGES TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN THE ERA OF GLOBALISATION

The era of globalization has thrust upon new demands and expectations on urban governance, moving away from the traditional "top-down" approach to one that is more proactive, fair, transparent, accountable, participatory and responsive to people’s needs. Here, the author summarizes key elements of the concept of good governance as it applies to urban governance, draws lessons from rapid urban population growth and highlights their implications for urban planning in the Malaysian context. Laying her critiques of the existing structures and rigidities in local government, the author advocates a new approach to ensure sustainability of local governance institutions by adopting Local Agenda 21 (LA21) whose key elements are sustainable development and community participation in urban planning.

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SUPPLY RESPONSE OF RICE IN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

The production of grain rice, the leading staple crop in Brunei Darussalam, has declined considerably over the last four decades, a period of rapid economic transformation in the country brought about by increased production and export of oil and gas products. The decline of rice production continued from the mid-1980s onwards even after the Government had introduced a price support programme for local farmers beginning from 1986. This study analysed the factors that affected the supply of rice in Brunei over the period of 1966 to 2000 based on econometric analysis. A positive supply response of the farmers was hypothesised. The results of the analysis confirmed this hypothesis and established factors responsible for the rapid decline in rice production. A major factor for the decline in local rice production was the steady disinvestment due to the use of low yielding varieties of rice and less modern inputs resulting from the relatively lower profits of rice production compared to other economic opportunities. Rapid increase in oil exports in the country provided more profitable job opportunities for farmers in the larger economy. Together with the increasing average age of farmers, it led to an increasing exit of producers from the industry despite large price subsidies paid by the Government.

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