Reconfigurations: Convergence or Divergence in ASEAN Economic Integration? by Lau Zheng Zhou and Natasha Tan
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed a systemic risk within the complex web of global value chains. Factory closures and human movement restrictions in one country will have an impact on another. Many multinational corporations are now considering adopting the China Plus One strategy, diversifying their supply chains out of China to protect against future shocks. The ASEAN region appears to be on the receiving end of these relocations.
Download at https://bit.ly/aseanpostcovid
The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed a systemic risk within the complex web of global value chains. Factory closures and human movement restrictions in one country will have an impact on another. Many multinational corporations are now considering adopting the China Plus One strategy, diversifying their supply chains out of China to protect against future shocks. The ASEAN region appears to be on the receiving end of these relocations.
Download at https://bit.ly/aseanpostcovid
Brief IDEAS No. 23 – GLCs and Shared Prosperity
by Laurence Todd
In this Monitor we consider what role Government Linked Companies (GLCs) might be expected to play in delivering “shared prosperity” in Malaysia and specifically, Bumiputera economic development. This Monitor will argue that a clear assessment of previous and ongoing efforts by GLCs is needed and is sorely lacking. Moreover, the scale and reach of the current GLC policies to support Bumiputera development are by their nature limited and should be secondary to broader structural reform, in which GLCs can play a key role and offer a more substantial contribution to shared prosperity.
Download at https://bit.ly/GLCsharedprosperity
by Laurence Todd
In this Monitor we consider what role Government Linked Companies (GLCs) might be expected to play in delivering “shared prosperity” in Malaysia and specifically, Bumiputera economic development. This Monitor will argue that a clear assessment of previous and ongoing efforts by GLCs is needed and is sorely lacking. Moreover, the scale and reach of the current GLC policies to support Bumiputera development are by their nature limited and should be secondary to broader structural reform, in which GLCs can play a key role and offer a more substantial contribution to shared prosperity.
Download at https://bit.ly/GLCsharedprosperity
Brief IDEAS No. 24 – The Education Gap of the Indigenous Communities of Australia and Canada
by Rowena Sidhu
Assessing the policies and programs catered for the indigenous communities in Australia and Canada provide frameworks for understanding the problems faced by the Orang Asli community in Malaysia pertaining to the education gap as well as allows policymakers to formulate viable solutions in narrowing this gap. This brief provides an assessment of the cases of Australian and Canadian efforts to close the education gap based on literature and is designed to provide context for Malaysia’s policy making efforts.
Download at https://bit.ly/edugapindigenous
by Rowena Sidhu
Assessing the policies and programs catered for the indigenous communities in Australia and Canada provide frameworks for understanding the problems faced by the Orang Asli community in Malaysia pertaining to the education gap as well as allows policymakers to formulate viable solutions in narrowing this gap. This brief provides an assessment of the cases of Australian and Canadian efforts to close the education gap based on literature and is designed to provide context for Malaysia’s policy making efforts.
Download at https://bit.ly/edugapindigenous
Brief IDEAS No. 25 – Structural Changes and the Prospect for FELDA
by James Chin, Nur Zulaikha Azmi
There is no doubt that the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) worked in its initial decades in providing a way for poor Bumiputera to get a head start in palm oil. However, this Monitor will argue that there are structural changes which influence the sustainability of the current FELDA model.
These changes include global decline in palm oil prices due to the end of the commodity super cycle and shifts in global demand for palm oil. In addition, previous efforts to diversify FELDA’s income through commercialisation, especially the establishment of FGV, has led to massive losses and shifts in the demography of settlers further necessitates review of the functions of FELDA.
This GLC Monitor calls for fundamental reforms to FELDA to address structural issues including those highlighted in the Monitor.
Download the paper at https://bit.ly/GLCmonitorFELDA
by James Chin, Nur Zulaikha Azmi
There is no doubt that the Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA) worked in its initial decades in providing a way for poor Bumiputera to get a head start in palm oil. However, this Monitor will argue that there are structural changes which influence the sustainability of the current FELDA model.
These changes include global decline in palm oil prices due to the end of the commodity super cycle and shifts in global demand for palm oil. In addition, previous efforts to diversify FELDA’s income through commercialisation, especially the establishment of FGV, has led to massive losses and shifts in the demography of settlers further necessitates review of the functions of FELDA.
This GLC Monitor calls for fundamental reforms to FELDA to address structural issues including those highlighted in the Monitor.
Download the paper at https://bit.ly/GLCmonitorFELDA
Brief IDEAS No. 26 - Orang Asli and the Right to Self-Determination: Are we there yet?
by Gamaliel Kan
The UNDRIP is a universal framework of "the minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world". So, is Malaysia there yet?
In our latest paper, "Orang Asli and the Right to Self-Determination: Are we there yet?", authored by Gamaliel Kan, he assesses the legal challenges faced by the Orang Asli communities in achieving their right to self-determination.
Read it here: http://bit.ly/OAself.
by Gamaliel Kan
The UNDRIP is a universal framework of "the minimum standards for the survival, dignity, and well-being of the indigenous peoples of the world". So, is Malaysia there yet?
In our latest paper, "Orang Asli and the Right to Self-Determination: Are we there yet?", authored by Gamaliel Kan, he assesses the legal challenges faced by the Orang Asli communities in achieving their right to self-determination.
Read it here: http://bit.ly/OAself.
Did you guys know that we could find out the progress of budget implementation by the government in The Mid-Year Review?
Sadly, The Mid-Year Review was never published except for last year. So what are we missing since it wasn't tabled this year?
#OpenBudget
Sadly, The Mid-Year Review was never published except for last year. So what are we missing since it wasn't tabled this year?
#OpenBudget
𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐬
FELDA was once successful in bringing rural households out of poverty. However, it’s now having problems with improving settler’s welfare and being competitive due to changes in the world. It’s time for FELDA’s model to change.
In our latest GLC Monitor, we call for fundamental reform to the FELDA model. Read the paper herebit.ly/GLCmonitorFELDA
bit
FELDA was once successful in bringing rural households out of poverty. However, it’s now having problems with improving settler’s welfare and being competitive due to changes in the world. It’s time for FELDA’s model to change.
In our latest GLC Monitor, we call for fundamental reform to the FELDA model. Read the paper herebit.ly/GLCmonitorFELDA
bit
MEDIA STATEMENT
For immediate release
IDEAS: Publish the ECRL project feasibility study before renegotiating any further
- The government has announced that the ECRL will once again be renegotiated
- Both the original ECRL project under Barisan Nasional and the revised project negotiated by Pakatan Harapan failed to meet internationally accepted standards for transparency
- Key information such as the feasibility study and the Environmental Impact Assessment has not been made publicly available
- The Perikatan Nasional should publish the feasibility study before the renegotiation. The publication will signal this government’s commitment to a higher standard of infrastructure transparency
Kuala Lumpur, 10 September 2020, - The Minister of Transport confirmed yesterday that the Perikatan Nasional government is seeking another renegotiation to the ECRL alignment. The minister said that the realignment “has the potential to lower project costs and reduce the amount of time required”. (The Edge Malaysia, 8 September 2020)
IDEAS welcomes the current government’s intention to lower the cost of the project. However, we call on the government to provide the public with a feasibility study that comprehensively shows that the proposed realignment exercises will indeed lower costs and save time.
Tricia Yeoh, CEO of IDEAS, said: “ Large infrastructure projects such as the ECRL require a significant amount of public funding. The government must ensure that the decisions around these projects are based on achieving value for money and high-quality service delivery, while supported through comprehensive feasibility studies. These studies should also be published as part of a robust assurance process. The failure to disclose them undermines evidence-based decision making.”
Internationally accepted standards for transparency require the government to publish key project information such as the estimated project budget, necessary land and property acquisition, price of materials, environmental impacts, and mitigation measures that would be available through the publication of feasibility studies and Environmental Impact Assessments.
In 2019, the Pakatan Harapan renegotiated the project to reduce the cost of the project. Months of negotiations indeed resulted in a project cost reduction of RM21.5 billion and a significant realignment of the ECRL including the now contested Section C portion. However, Pakatan Harapan did not complete the Environmental Impact Assessment required by the Environmental Quality Act 1974 nor did it publish the Feasibility Study for this section of the track. The significant cost reduction from RM65.5 billion to RM44 billion had been based on a comprehensive value engineering exercise, but no such report on the exercise had ever been published to the public either.
"This is a perfect opportunity for the current government to demonstrate higher transparency standards than the previous two administrations. Providing comprehensive information on large infrastructure projects that abide by international standards will set Perikatan Nasional apart from its predecessors, and set a good example within the region as well", commented Tricia.
--- END ---
For media enquiries, please contact Muhammad Azam Wan Hashim at azam@ideas.org.my or call 03-2070 8881
For immediate release
IDEAS: Publish the ECRL project feasibility study before renegotiating any further
- The government has announced that the ECRL will once again be renegotiated
- Both the original ECRL project under Barisan Nasional and the revised project negotiated by Pakatan Harapan failed to meet internationally accepted standards for transparency
- Key information such as the feasibility study and the Environmental Impact Assessment has not been made publicly available
- The Perikatan Nasional should publish the feasibility study before the renegotiation. The publication will signal this government’s commitment to a higher standard of infrastructure transparency
Kuala Lumpur, 10 September 2020, - The Minister of Transport confirmed yesterday that the Perikatan Nasional government is seeking another renegotiation to the ECRL alignment. The minister said that the realignment “has the potential to lower project costs and reduce the amount of time required”. (The Edge Malaysia, 8 September 2020)
IDEAS welcomes the current government’s intention to lower the cost of the project. However, we call on the government to provide the public with a feasibility study that comprehensively shows that the proposed realignment exercises will indeed lower costs and save time.
Tricia Yeoh, CEO of IDEAS, said: “ Large infrastructure projects such as the ECRL require a significant amount of public funding. The government must ensure that the decisions around these projects are based on achieving value for money and high-quality service delivery, while supported through comprehensive feasibility studies. These studies should also be published as part of a robust assurance process. The failure to disclose them undermines evidence-based decision making.”
Internationally accepted standards for transparency require the government to publish key project information such as the estimated project budget, necessary land and property acquisition, price of materials, environmental impacts, and mitigation measures that would be available through the publication of feasibility studies and Environmental Impact Assessments.
In 2019, the Pakatan Harapan renegotiated the project to reduce the cost of the project. Months of negotiations indeed resulted in a project cost reduction of RM21.5 billion and a significant realignment of the ECRL including the now contested Section C portion. However, Pakatan Harapan did not complete the Environmental Impact Assessment required by the Environmental Quality Act 1974 nor did it publish the Feasibility Study for this section of the track. The significant cost reduction from RM65.5 billion to RM44 billion had been based on a comprehensive value engineering exercise, but no such report on the exercise had ever been published to the public either.
"This is a perfect opportunity for the current government to demonstrate higher transparency standards than the previous two administrations. Providing comprehensive information on large infrastructure projects that abide by international standards will set Perikatan Nasional apart from its predecessors, and set a good example within the region as well", commented Tricia.
--- END ---
For media enquiries, please contact Muhammad Azam Wan Hashim at azam@ideas.org.my or call 03-2070 8881