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IKMAS is fortunate to have Professor Dr. AnthonyMilner, the Basham Professor of Asian History, at

the Australian National University, as the 4th holder of the Pok Rafeah Chair at IKMAS for a stint of nine months, from November 2010 until July 2011.Being a renowned scholar and expert on SoutheastAsia, particularly Malaysia, Prof. Milner is highlywell-placed to occupy the chair, extend the frontiersof IKMAS’s research, thereby raising the Institute’s

pro le to a higher level. During his tenure at IKMAS,Milner became the lead scholar of a collaborativeresearch- cum-book project together with all of IKMAS’s fellows on the topic “TransformingMalaysia: Dominant and Competing Paradigms”.While at IKMAS, he also delivered a number of lectures and seminars at the university and was invitedto deliver papers and talks at various institutions

outside.

As a scholar-historian, Prof. Milner’s passion, amongother things, is on the history of ideas that prevailedduring different periods of a country’s history, and howthese ideas resonate with the present. Being an experton Malaysia, particularly on Malay history, he hasundertaken research on the traditional Malay polity,or the kerajaan as contained in his books, Kerajaan:

Malay Political Culture of the Eve of Colonial Rule

(1982), as well as the beginnings of modern politics inMalaysia in his other book, The Invention of Politicsin Colonial Malaya (1995). This was followed by athird book, The Malays (2008; 2 nd edition 2011) in

which he suggests a civilisational rather than a racialunderstanding of the idea of ‘Melayu’.

With this scholarly interest and background, Milner delivered an interesting public lecture as the 4th Pok Rafeah Chair holder on 27th January 2011 at Bilik Senat, UKM on the topic “Malaysia’s Dominant

IKMAS BERITA

Newsletter of the Institute of Malaysian & International Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan MalaysiaBerita Institut Kajian Malaysia dan Antarabangsa, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Bil. 31, Jan - Jun 2011

Public Lecture On “Malaysia’sDominant Paradigm:Constructed, Embedded,Contested”: A Commentary

By: Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Abdul Rahman Embong

Continued on Page 4...

Kandungan / ContentsMesej Daripada Pengarah 2

Activities of IKMAS’s Fellows 6

IKMAS Seminar Series 11

Research Workshop 13

Research Seminar 1 14

Research Seminar 2 16 KAMERA-IKMAS MAAS Dinner Talk Seminar 18

Siri Seminar Siswazah 20

Aktiviti Persatuan Pelajar Siswazah IKMAS 21

Berita Rencam 22

The Nippon Foundation Fellowship for AsianPublic Intellectuals (API)

23

Sarjana Tamu di IKMAS - Dr. MohamedSalleh Lamry

24

IKMAS Publications 25

Book Review 27

Professor Dr. Anthony Milner


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/beritaikmas31 2/282 • BERITA IKMAS • Bil. 31 • Januari - Jun 2011

Pengarah / Director Prof. Dr. K.S. Nathan

Timbalan Pengarah / Dep. Director Prof. Madya Dr. Faridah Shahadan

Setiausaha / Secretary Sabariah Mustafa

Felo Utama / Principal FellowsProf. Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Abdul Rahman Embong

Prof. Dr. Tham Siew YeanProf. Dr. Ragayah Haji Mat Zin

Prof. Dr. Azizah Kassim

Felo Kanan / Senior FellowsProf. Madya Dr. Faridah ShahadanProf. Madya Dr. Sumit K. Mandal

Felo / Fellow Dr. Helen Ting

Felo Muda / Junior Fellow Andrew Kam Jia Yi

Pengurusan / Management

Pegawai Penyelidik Sosial / Social Research Of cersRoslina Rosli

Norinah Mohd Ali

Pegawai Teknologi Maklumat / IT Of cer

Wan Aziaris Wan Aziz

Pembantu Perpustakaan / Assistant LibrarianNurul Aini Bte Baydowi

Kakitangan Sokongan / Support Staff Sabariah Mustafa

Siti Norazimah AhmatMohd Redzuan Bin Mohamad Sauti

Nur Zaimah Bt. Abd Wahid At’iullah Bin Ya’akub

Kakitangan Pentadbiran & Sokongan / Administrative & Support Staff

Penasihat Editorial / Editorial Advisor Prof. Dr. K.S. Nathan

Penyunting / Editor Prof. Dr. Azizah Kassim

Grafk / GraphicsWan Aziaris Bin Wan Aziz

Edaran / DistributionNorinah Mohd Ali

Nur Zaimah Abd Wahid

Sidang Pengarang / Editorial Board

M s j rip da Peng r h

Institut Kajian Malaysia dan Antarabangsa ditubuhkan pada 1995dengan matlamat utamanya untuk mempromosi penyelidikan dan

kesarjanaan tentang pelbagai aspek masyarakat Malaysia, termasuk politik, budaya, ekonomi dan dasar luarnya. Selain memperoleh pemahaman mendalam mengenai dinamik kepelbagaian budayaserta gaya pemerintahan yang unik, kajian di IKMAS juga memilikifokas dasar dari segi penelitian pelbagai pilihan strategik yang sediaada untuk memperbaiki prestasi domestik dan memajukan perananMalaysia dalam ekonomi-politik global. Sehubungan dengan ini,tema utama kajian di IKMAS adalah berlandaskan Globalisasi,Pembangunan dan Perubahan Sosial.

Sejak 15 tahun kebelakangan ini, penyelidikan di IKMAS yangdijalankan oleh sarjananya secara sendirian atau secara kumpulandengan rakan sekerja, ataupun secara kerjasama dengan institut-

institut di dalam dan di luar negara telah menghasilkan banyak kertas berkala, penerbitan yang disunting dan buku. Sambil mengakui pentingnya meneruskan kaedah ini, IKMAS juga mahu menjadi lebih proaktif mengenalpasti serta mempelopori nic baru yang relevansecara langsung kepada dasar dan sejajar dengan tujuan strategik UKM untuk mengantarabangsakan serta mencapai kecemerlanganakademik yang setaraf dengan universiti-universiti terkemuka.

Selaku pengarah yang baru, satu bidang yang saya ingin bangunkanialah penglibatan strategik Malaysia dengan Afrika. Benua iniadalah satu kawasan di mana kepentingan politik dan ekonomi kita

pesat berkembang, tetapi ia merupakan satu kawasan yang kurangdiketahui umum. Di samping itu, kita perlu mengambil perhatian

bahawa antara lebih 20 universiti awam yang ada di negara ini,tiada satu pun yang menawarkan program komprehensif tentangKajian Afrika. Memang tidak dapat dina kan bahawa Afrika adalahsatu benua yang kaya dengan sumber asli dan mempunyai pelbagaicorak sistem pemerintahan. Sementara dua negara gergasi Asia yangsedang bangun iaitu Cina dan India, yang kekurangan sumber aslitelah mula menumpukan perhatian kepada Afrika; Malaysia, sebagai

perintis kerjasama Selatan-Selatan hendaklah mengkaji semula penglibatannya dengan benua tersebut dari sudut politik, ekonomi, budaya dan strategi. Tegasnya, Malaysia perlulah beranjak daripadadasar lama bercirikan eksplorasi minyak dan gas kepada suatu

penglibatan yang lebih bermakna dan saksama dengan negara-negaraAfrika, dari utara ke selatan, untuk memanfaatkan kepentingan

bersama yang kian terbuka berasaskan prinsip saling bergantungan.

Mengenai aktiviti bagi tempuh Januari-Jun 2011, IKMAScukup berbangga melaporkan tentang projek-projek yang telah

Prof. Dr. K.S. Nathan

IKMAS BERITA

Newsletter of the Institute of Malaysian & International Studies, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia

Berita I nstitut Kajian Malaysia dan Antarabangsa, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Bil. 31, Jan - Jun 2011



disempurnakan dan yang sedang maju. IKMAS bertuah menerimamalim sarjana Prof. Dr. Anthony Milner dari Australian NationalUniversity, Canberra selaku pemegang ke-4 Kursi CemerlangPok Rafeah dalam bidang Pengajian Antarabangsa. Pada 27Januari 2011, Prof. Milner menyampaikan Syarahan Umumke-7 Pok Rafeah bertajuk “Malaysia’s Dominant SocietalParadigm: Invented, Embedded, Contested”. Prof. Milner akanmenamatkan tugas malim sarjananya selama sembilan bulan(November 2010-Julai 2011) dengan menyampaikan Syarahan

Umum ke-8 Pok Rafeah bertajuk “Malaysian Monarchy andthe Bonding of the Nation” pada bulan Julai nanti. Beliau jugamemimpin satu projek penulisan buku yang melibatkan semuafelo IKMAS berjodol “Transforming Malaysia: Dominant andCompeting Paradigms” dan projek ini hampir siap dan dijangkaterbit pada 2012.

IKMAS telah mengadakan dua seminar secara kerjasamadengan institusi lain, pertama, dengan Institut Kajian Oksidental(IKON), UKM, Institut Kajian Ekonomi Malaysia (MIER),dan Nottingham University berkampus di Semenyih, yang

bertemakan “EU-Malaysia FTA: A Brief Presentation” pada bulan Mac 2011. Yang kedua adalah kerjasama dengan InstitutKajian Oksidental (IKON), UKM dan Malaysian Associationof American Studies (MAAS) mengenai “The Middle EastCrisis” pada 25 April 2011. IKMAS juga sempat mengadakantiga seminar penyelidikan, satu mengenai Pemasalahan KaumRohingya di Malaysia dan yang dua lagi berkait dengan

penyelidikan mengenai Pendatang Tanpa Izin di Malaysia pada5 Mei dan 9 Jun 2011. Aktiviti-aktiviti ini beserta kegiatan lainoleh warga IKMAS dimuatkan dalam Berita IKMAS keluarankali ini.

Semasa IKMAS bersedia untuk menghadapi cabaran baru dimasa hadapan dan dalam usahanya untuk mencapai matlamatnyamenjadi pusat penyelidikan yang cemerlang di UKM, institutini memerlukan sokongan dan kerjasama secara langsung atautidak langsung, daripada semua pihak yang berkepentingan,iaitu staf penyelidikan dan sokongan, para pelajar sizwazah,rakan sekerja di fakulti dan institut lain, dan yang penting sekali,sokongan dan kerjasama dari pihak berkuasa universiti untuk memastikan IKMAS dapat menjalankan program dan projeknyadengan jayanya.

M sage F om T Dir ctor

T he Institute of Malaysian and International Studies(IKMAS) was established in 1995 with the primary goal

of promoting research and scholarship on various aspects of Malaysian society -politics, culture, economy and foreign policy. Besides gaining a deeper understanding of the the dynamics of Malaysia’s multicultural mosaic and unique style of governance,the research also has a policy focus in terms of examining thevarious strategic options that are available to improve domestic

performance and enhance Malaysia’s role in the global political economy. In this regard the major theme of research and studies

in IKMAS is premised on Globalization, Development, and Social Change.

Over the past 15 years, research at IKMAS undertaken byindividual scholars or as a collegial effort at the institute, or

jointly with other institutes at home and abroad has resulted in the production of numerous occasional papers, edited volumes and books. While recognizing the value of continuing along this trajectory, IKMAS intends to be more proactive byidentifying and exploring new research niches that have direct

policy relevance in line with UKM’s overall strategic goal of internationalization and achieving academic excellence on par with the world’s leading universities.

One area that I, as the new director, intend to speci callydevelop is Malaysia’s strategic engagement with Africa. This isa continent in which our political and economic interests are

fast expanding but about which we have little knowledge. It needs to be noted that of the over 20 public universities in thecountry, none offers a comprehensive programme in AfricanStudies. To be sure, Africa is a huge continent with vast natural resources and diverse systems of governance. As theresource-hungry rising Asian giants, China and India begin to

focus their attentions on Africa, Malaysia as a pioneer in South-South Cooperation needs to review its own political, economic,cultural and strategic engagement with that region. In short,

Malaysia needs to move out of the complacency associated withmerely the exploration of oil and gas and into a more substantiveand equitable engagement with the African nations, from northto south, to exploit emerging synergies of mutual interest and inter-dependence.

On the activities front for the period January-June 2011, IKMAS is indeed proud to provide a status report on completed and ongoing projects. As for Visiting Scholars, we were privileged to have Prof. Dr. Anthony Milner of the Australian National University, Canberra as the 4th holder of the Pok Rafeah

Distinguished Chair in International Studies. On 27 January2011, Prof. Milner delivered the 7th Pok Rafeah Public Lectureentitled “Malaysia’s Dominant Societal Paradigm: Invented,

Embedded, Contested”. Prof. Milner will round off his 9-month stint (November 2010-July 2011) in IKMAS by delivering the8th Pok Rafeah Chair Public Lecture on “Malaysian Monarchyand the Bonding of the Nation”. Additionally, a book project involving participation by IKMAS Fellows and led by Prof.

Milner on the subject, “Transforming Malaysia: Dominant and Competing Paradigms” is nearing completion, and is expected to be published in 2012.

IKMAS hosted two joint seminars; rstly with the Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON) in UKM, the Malaysian Institute

of Economic Research (MIER), and Nottingham University, Malaysia Campus in Semenyih on “EU-Malaysia FTA: A Brief Presentation” on Mac 2011. Secondly, with the Institute of Occidental Studies (IKON) in UKM and Malaysian Associationof American Studies (MAAS) on the Middle East Crisis on 25

April 2011. IKMAS has also hosted three research seminars, oneon the problems faced by the Rohingya refugees on 5 February2011 and two others on irregular migrants in Malaysia on 5

May and 9 June respectively. These activities and others arereported in this issue.

As IKMAS prepares itself for the many new challenges ahead interms of pursuing its goal as a centre of research excellence inUKM, it needs the support of all concerned and involved directlyand indirectly—the research and support staff, the graduate

students, colleagues in other faculties and institutes--and of course, the support and cooperation of the university authoritiesin ensuring the success of all its programmes and projects.



Societal Paradigm: Invented, Embedded, Contested”.This was the seventh lecture in the Pok Rafeah Chair Public Lecture Series organised by IKMAS.

In this well attended lecture, Milner argues thatMalaysia possesses a rich history of ideas but it isseldom explored by scholars. He posits that “a study

of how ideas were forged and sometimes contested” isuseful not only for future planning but also to promoteunderstanding and tolerance among members of society. In this lecture, he highlights several major

paradigms that have been highly in uential inMalay/Malaysian society: kerajaan , race, Islamic

paradigm, and other trans-ethnic paradigms. Heargues that the race paradigm – as a structure of assumptions, a worldview, that shapes thought and

behaviour in Malaysian society – is the dominant paradigm in this country that has become embeddedin Malaysian social behaviour and policy making for more than a century until today. It should be notedthat it is not a natural but an invented paradigm bythe colonial authorities during the colonial periodand also adopted and articulated by local ideologues.However, the race paradigm is not the only paradigm,as there have been other societal paradigms that havechallenged or contested the race paradigm. Indeedas shown by Milner, in the late 19th century andearly 20th century when the race-based community

and the race paradigm were being propagated, theIslamic paradigm that proposes the idea of the umat that transcends race was also being developed, and

became in uential in the 20th century. At the sametime, he reminds us of the presence of the pre-colonialkerajaan paradigm which has a trans-racial focus of allegiance whose conceptualisation is “in terms of the personal relationship between the ruler and thesubject ( rakyat ), and not a speci c race”. He alsoalludes to the trans-ethnic or non-communal model

proposed by UMNO’s founding president, Dato’ OnnJaafar that led to his departure from the party as wellas the political model of the left-wing All-MalayaCouncil of Joint Action in the 1940s.

Milner’s lecture triggered a lively and engageddiscussion during the Q&A session. The audiencewas intrigued by his ideas and queried him further onthe subject, particularly with regard to the durabilityof the race paradigm and its impact on social relationsas well as the possible alternative. In his response,Milner reiterates the conclusion of his lecturewhich was a reminder to the audience that the race

paradigm articulated in the form of “plural society”framework is not a given, but something constructedideologically, not just demographically. There is therole of human agency involved in the construction

and shaping of such ideas. This, according to him,should give “a message of optimism at a time whenMalaysians – looking at the future of their country

– are assessing the strengths and weaknesses of thesocietal paradigm that has been dominant here since

Merdeka ”.

The important message from Milner’s analysis of thehistory of ideas in Malaysia is that the race paradigmis one of the paradigms, that it is an invention and can

be changed through human efforts. Those attending

or reading his lecture may well hope that the1Malaysia model proposed by Prime Minister Dato’Seri Najib Razak which Milner also refers to in thelecture can be a viable non-race paradigm to moveMalaysia forward. Nevertheless, their worry is thatgiven the realpolitik of today’s multiethnic Malaysiait may still be entangled by the race paradigm in itsideological inclinations, as well as its operations andimplementation. It is up to scholars and others toexamine this further in their research and articulate

a trans-racial paradigm that can contribute towardsstrengthening Malaysia’s multiethnic society andmove Malaysia out of the present middle-incometrap into a high income developed nation status thatit aspires to be by 2020.

...from page 1

K.S. Nathan with Abdul Rahman Embong, Prof. Dr. Anthony Milner, Dr. Mohamed Halim bin Abu Bakar (Chairman, Pok Rafeah Foundation) and Prof. Dr.Saran Kaur Gill (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, UKM)



Some of the participants at the 7th Pok Rafeah Chair Public Lecture

Prof. Milner with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Saran Kaur Gill and IKMAS Fellows

IKMAS Director presenting a souvenir to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Saran

Kaur Gill

Prof. Dr. Saran Kaur Gill presenting a souvenir to Dr. Mohamed Halim, Chairman of Pok Rafeah Foundation



Activities of IKMAS’s Fellows

Prof. Dr. K.S. Nathan ► Chair/Moderator, IKMAS Seminar on “A Regional

Perspective on Pandemic In uenza Preparedness” by Prof. Dr. Chan Chee Khoon, Professor of Health& Social Policy, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang.IKMAS Seminar Room, UKM, 24 February 2011.

► Presented paper, “India in the ADMM Pus and the EASProcess: The Next Decade – An ASEAN Perspective”at Delhi Dialogue III: Beyond the First Twenty yearsof India-ASEAN Engagement”, organized by theIndian Council of World Affairs (ICWA). Hotel leMeridien, New Delhi, India, 3-4 March 2011.

► Presented a review of Johan Saravanamuttu book on Malaysia’s Foreign Policy – The First FiftyYears: Alignment, Neutralism, Islamism (Singapore:Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2010) at aBook Launch organised by IKMAS, Senate Room,Chancellory Building, UKM, 21 March 2011.

► Presented paper, “U.S. Attitudes and Policies TowardsAsian Regionalism in the Post-Cold War Era”, at theSeventh International Convention of Asia Scholars(ICAS-7), Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, 31 March–3 April2011.

► Served as Facilitator on 2 papers presented by participants at the Capacity Building Workshop for Young Social Science Scholars jointly organized bythe Malaysian Social Science Association (PSSM),IKMAS, and the School of Social Sciences, UniversitiMalaysia Sabah. Hotel Promenade, Kota Kinabalu,Sabah, 15-17 April 2011.

► Chair/Moderator, IKMAS-IKON Seminar on “Rich-nation Development NGOs and Their Work in Poorer Countries: Some Behavioural and OrganizationalParadigms”, by Dr. Colin Barlow Visiting Fellow,

Department of Political and Social Change, TheAustralian National University, Canberra. IKMASSeminar Room, UKM, 21 April 2011.

► Chair/Moderator, IKMAS-IKON-MAAS Seminar on “The Current Political Crisis in the Middle East:Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy”. RumahUniversiti, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur on25 April 2011.

► Presented paper, “The U.S. Strategic Posture inSoutheast Asia: A Partner in Need of Allies?”, at theAnnual Seminar entitled New Security Parametersfor Southeast Asia, organized by the Asia CentreParis, 27 May 2011.

► Presented paper “Malaysia’s National SecurityConceptions and Foreign Policy Behaviour:

Transcending the Dominant Racial Paradigm?”, at thePok Rafeah Book Project Workshop on TransformingMalaysia: Dominant & Competing Paradigms,IKMAS Seminar Room, UKM on 13th-14th June,2011.

► Chair/Moderator, IKMAS Seminar on “EthnicWealth Disparity in Malaysia”, by Dr. MuhammedAbdul Khalid, IKMAS Research Fellow, IKMAS

Seminar Room, UKM, 16 June 2011. ► Guest Lecture on “U.S-ASEAN Relations: A

Malaysian Perspective”, delivered to GraduateStudents of American University, Washington D.C.during their study tour of Malaysia. HELP UniversityCollege, Damansara Town Centre, Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia, 24 June 2011.

► External Examiner for 2 Ph.D theses as below:-

i. “Healing the Blind Eye? Using the United Nations Protect, Respect, Remedy Framework toAchieve Accountability for Corporate Complicity in

Human Rights Abuse”, submitted by Ms. CatherineBrooks, Ph.D Candidate in the School of History &Politics, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences,The University of Adelaide, Australia. SubmittedExternal Examiner’s Report on 15 May 2011.

ii. “Trust and Identity Formation in ASEAN:An Analysis of Piracy, Terrorism and Pollution”,submitted by Mr. Ashraf El Fatih Abdullahi, Ph.Dcandidate in the Department of Political Science,Faculty of Islamic revealed Knowledge & HumanSciences, International Islamic University Malaysia

(IIUM), Gombak, Kuala Lumpur. Submitted ExternalExaminer’s Report on 18 June 2011.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Faridah Shahadan ► Participated as representative of Universiti

Kebangsaan Malaysia, in the International Conference“Imagining Another Future for Asia: Ideas andPathways for Change” organised by Asia WomenUniversity, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 19-23 January 2011.

► Conducted Focus Group Discussion with Orang Asli

Women at Bakar Batu, Johor, 22 May, 2011. ► Organizing Committee member and Participated in

the IV Malaysian Economics Conference, organised by the Faculty of Economics and Business, UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia. Everly Resort Hotel, Melaka,5-7 June, 2011.

► Speaker on “Scale and Measurement for QuestionnaireDevelopment” in a Course on Research InstrumentDevelopment, organised by INTAN campus, Kluang,Johor, 24 June, 2011.

► Presented the nding of a Research Report on

Perak Industrial Development Plan to the Perak Government, Ipoh, 28 June 2011.



Prof. Emeritus Dr. Abdul Rahman Embong ► Chaired the 7th Pok Rafeah Public Lecture delivered by Prof. Anthony Milner entitled “Dominant SocietalParadigm in Malaysia: Constructed, Embedded,Contested” at Dewan Senat, Universiti KebangsaanMalaysia organized by IKMAS, UKM, 27 January2011.

► Delivered Lecture “Development and Its Critics” at

the Discourses on Development Series organized bythe Graduates Students Society, Institute of Malaysianand International Studies (IKMAS), UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia, 28 March 2011.

► Attended the Extra-ordinary Meeting of the Panel onConsultation and Prevention of Corruption, MalaysianAnti-Corruption Commission, at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy (MACA), Kuala Lumpur, 7April 2011.

► Delivered talk “Writing for Journal Publication:What Constitutes a Publication Ready Article?” at

the Capacity Building Workshop for Young SocialScience Scholars jointly organized by the MalaysianSocial Science Association, IKMAS, and the Schoolof Social Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Sabah at KotaKinabalu, Sabah, 15 April 2011.

► Served as Facilitator to comment on papers presented by participants at the Capacity Building Workshop for Young Social Science Scholars jointly organized bythe Malaysian Social Science Association, IKMAS,and the School of Social Sciences, Universiti MalaysiaSabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 16-17 April 2011.

► Presented paper “Knowledge Construction, theRakyat Paradigm, and Challenges towards AchievingMalaysia’s Social Cohesion” at the Pok RafeahChair *Research-cum- Book Writing Workshop“Transforming Malaysia: Dominant and CompetingParadigms” held at IKMAS, UKM, 12 May 2011.

► Delivered keynote address “Membangun PendidikanBermutu Di Era Persaingan Global: BeberapaPengalaman Malaysia” (Towards Quality Educationin the Face of Global Competition: Some Experiencesfor Malaysia) at the International Seminar onEducation and Development jointly organized by theSouthern Sulawesi Graduate Students Associationin Malaysia, the Maros Teachers Association of Indonesia and the Government of the Regency of Maros, Southern Sulawesi, Indonesia, 30 May 2011.

► Delivered a talk on “Pembangunan dan PemerkasaanKomuniti” (Community Development andEmpowerment) at the Seminar on “Development andWellbeing: Perspective of People’s Empowerment”organized by the Government of the Regency of Bulukumba, Southern Sulawesi, Indonesia, 31 May2011.

► Held a series of meetings and interviews with anumber of government and education of cials andteachers in the regencies of Maros and Bulukumba,

Southern Sulawesi on issues of development andeducation in Southern Sulawesi, Indonesia, 1-4 June2011.

► Served as speaker in a panel discussion on “TheProblems of Irregular Migrants in Malaysia”organized by IKMAS, UKM at Palm Garden Hotel,Putrajaya, 9 June 2011.

► Delivered keynote address “Pengurusan Ilmu Sains

Sosial: Beberapa Pemikiran tentang Hala TujuFakulti Pembangunan Sosial Universiti MalaysiaTerengganu” organized by the Faculty of SocialDevelopment UMT in Kuantan, Pahang, 16 June2011.

► Served as Expert Resource Person at the StragicPlanning Retreat on Future Directions of the Facultyof Social Development UMT organized by theFaculty of Social Development UMT in Kuantan,Pahang, 17-18 June 2011.

► Delivered talk on “What Constitutes a Publication-

ready Article?” at the Journal Writing Workshoporganized by the Faculty of Contemporary IslamicStudies Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA) inKuala Terengganu, 21 June 2011.

► Served as facilitator to comment on papers presented by participants at the Journal Writing Workshoporganized by the Faculty of Contemporary IslamicStudies Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UNISZA) inKuala Terengganu, 21-22 June 2011.

► Attended monthly meeting of the Panel onConsultation and Prevention of Corruption, MalaysianAnti-Corruption Commission, at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Academy (MACA), Kuala Lumpur, 24Feb, 31 March, 27 April, 26 May and 30 June 2011.

Prof. Dr. Tham Siew Yean ► Presented paper “The Role of Trade and Investment

Policies on Industrialization in Malaysia” (withLoke Wai Heng) at the Asian Development ReviewWorkshop, Manila, Asian Development Bank, 10-11January 2011.

► Presented lecture “FTAs and TPP: MalaysianPerspectives” at the FTA Workshop, WasedaUniversity, 14-15 January 2011.

► Presented paper on “Growth and Investment inMalaysia” at the Seminar on Sustaining Asia’sGrowth and Investment in a Changing World, AsianDevelopment Bank, 17-18 January 2011.

► Presented paper “Foreign Direct Investment andEconomic Growth in Malaysia” at the ResearchOutput Writing: Foreign Investment and BusinessSustainability, Residence Hotel, UNITEN, 30-31March 2011.

► Presented a talk “Trade Policies and FTAs in Malaysia”at the EU-Malaysia FTA: A Brief Presentation, MIER,Malaysia, 31 March 2011.



► Presented Public Lecture “International Trade inMalaysia: A Policy-Oriented Research Agenda” atUTAR, Perak, 11 April 2011.

► Presented paper “Falsafah untuk Libat Sama GlobalPengajian Tinggi Malaysia” (Philosophy for GlobalCollaboration in Higher Education) at the BengkelPelan Strategik Pengajian Tinggi Negara (PSPTN)Fasa 2 (New Elements and Approach), Hotel Pan

Paci c KLIA, 21 April 2011. ► Presented paper “Memperkukuhkan Pengantara bangsaan Sektor Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia melaluiLibat Sama Global, Versi 1” (Strengthening theInternationalization of Malaysian Higher EducationThrough Global Collaboration) at the Bengkel PelanStrategik Pengajian Tinggi Negara (PSPTN) Fasa 2(New Elements and Approach), Hotel Pan Paci cKLIA, 29 April 2011.

► Presented paper “Memperkukuhkan Pengantara bangsaan Sektor Pengajian Tinggi Malaysia melalui

Libat Sama Global, Versi 2” (Strengthening theInternationalization of Malaysian Higher EducationThrough Global Collaboration) at the Bengkel PelanStrategik Pengajian Tinggi Negara (PSPTN) Fasa 2(New Elements and Approach), Park Royal Hotel,Penang, 29-30 April 2011.

► Discussant at the book launch of ISIS book “Malaysia:Policies and Issues in Economic Development”,Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, 25 May2011.

► Presented a paper “Exploring Niches for Exporting:The Case of Malaysia”, at the Trade in ServicesConference” in Manila, Philippines, 6-7 June 2011.

► Presented a talk on “Malaysia’s development perspectives towards 2030” at the ASEAN andMalaysia in 2030: Country Consultation Meeting,ISIS Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, 22 June 2011.

Prof. Dr. Ragayah Haji Mat Zin ► Presented paper with Prof. Dr. Azizah Kassim “Policy

on Irregular Migrants in Malaysia: PreliminaryFindings” at the Technical Workshop on ManagingInternational Labor Migration in ASEAN, in Manila,12 January 2011.

► As a panelist, presented a paper “MillenniumDevelopment Goals 2010: The way forward”, at theUNDP Panel Discussion on Malaysia: The MDGs at2010, Putrajaya, 28 April 2011.

► Chaired a session at the Seminar Pekerja Asing danPendatang Asing Tanpa Izin Di Malaysia: Dasar,Pelaksanaan Serta Respon Perekrut, Majikan danPekerja, Puri Pujangga, UKM, 5 May 2011.

► Represented Malaysia to The 2010/2011 East Asian

Development Network (EADN) Annual Forum andchaired a session, in Manila on 24-25 May 2011.

► Presented paper “Racial-Based Paradigm in Poverty

Eradication and Income Distribution Analysis” atthe IKMAS Pok Rafeah Book Writing Workshop onTransforming Malaysia: Dominating & CompetingParadigms, 13-14 June.

► Represented IKMAS at the Sanggar Kerja PemurnianDasar Pengantarabangsaan UKM dan Dasar MobilitiUKM, Grand Seasons Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, 17-19June 2011.

Prof. Dr. Azizah Kassim ► Presented paper, co-authored with Prof. Dr. Ragayah

Hj. Mat Zin “Policy on Irregular Migrants in Malaysia:Preliminary Findings” at the Technical Workshop onManaging International Labor Migration in ASEAN,in Manila, 12 January, 2011.

► Organised Workshop on Permasalahan OrangPelarian: Kaum Rohingya di Malaysia, Puri Pujangga,UKM, 5 February 2011.

► Presented paper, “Hubungan Sosial SesamaRohingya: Satu Pemerhatian.” (Social InteractionAmong the Rohingya: An Observation) at the BengkelPermasalahan Kaum Rohingya, Puri Pujangga,organised by IKMAS Rohingya Research Team, 5February 2011.

► Presented paper, “An Overview of Issues andProblems among the Rohingya Community” at theUNHCR Symposium on the Rohingya Refugees,Swiss Garden Hotel, Kuala Lumpur. 15 March, 2011.

► Chaired Session 2 on Irregular Migrants at the

Seminar Pekerja Asing dan Pendatang Asing TanpaIzin Di Malaysia: Dasar, Pelaksanaan Serta ResponPerekrut, Majikan dan Pekerja, Puri Pujangga, UKM,5 May 2011.

► Panel speaker on Forum Pekerja Asing Tanpa izinat the Seminar Pekerja Asing dan Pendatang AsingTanpa Izin Di Malaysia: Dasar, Pelaksanaan SertaRespon Perekrut, Majikan dan Pekerja, Puri Pujangga,UKM, 5 May 2011.

► Presented paper “Penemuan Kajian Mengenai KaumRohingya di Malaysia” (Findings of The Researchon Rohingya Community in Malaysa) at MesyuaratJawatankuasa Khas Mengenai Kaum Rohingya,

National Security Council, Prime Minister’sDepartment, Putrajaya, 10 May 2011.

► Presented paper co-authored with Prof. Dr. RagayahHj. Mat Zin “Implications of Research Findings onPolicy: Some Suggestions for Consideration” at theSeminar on Policy on Irregular Migrants: An Analysisof its Implementation and Effectiveness. Organised

by IKMAS Research Team on Irregular Migrants,Palm Garden Hotel, Putrajaya, 9 June 2011.

► Presented paper, co-authored with Prof. Dr. Ragayah

Hj. Mat Zin, “Irregular Migrants in Malaysia: Their In ow Patterns and Socio-Economic Status” at theSeminar on Policy on Irregular Migrants: An Analysis



of its Implementation and Effectiveness. Organised by IKMAS Research Team on Irregular Migrants,Palm Garden Hotel, Putrajaya, 9 June 2011.

► Presented paper “Foreign Workers in Malaysia inthe Post Independence Era: Racial Paradigm in StatePolicy, Public Discourse and Academic Writings”at IKMAS Pok Rafeah Book Writing Workshop onTransforming Malaysia: Dominating & Competing

Paradigms, 13-14 June, 2011. ► Attended three meetings of the Committee for the

Protection and Rehabilitation of Victims of HumanTraf cking and Smuggling of Migrants, Ministryof Women, Family and Community Development,Kuala Lumpur, Bil. 1/2011(26 January), Bil. 2/2011(9 March), & Bil.3/2011, (20 June), 2011.

► Attended monthly meetings of the Malaysian Councilfor Anti-Traf cking and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants(ATIPSOM), Ministry of Home affairs, Putrajaya, on27 January, 24 February, 22 March, 26 April, 26 May

& 23 June, 2011. ► Attended second meeting on Proposed United NationsOf ce on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) RegionalProject on The Smuggling of Migrants, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putrajaya, 21 Jun, 2011.

Dr. Helen Ting ► Discussant for paper presented by Dr Ayame Suzuki

entitled, “Liberalism, Democracy or Consensualism”at API forum Fellowship Program, at Taylor’sUniversity, lakeside Campus, Subang Jaya on 13March, 2011.

► Presented working paper with Assoc. Professor Dr Malini Ratnasingam entitled, “Acculturative

Dilemma of Chinese Malaysians” at InternationalConference “From Ethnic to National Identi cationamong Chinese Migrants’ Descendants” at UniversitiMalaya, Kuala Lumpur, 23-24 March 2011.

► Election Watch in Sibu with Sibu Election Watchersfor the Sarawak State Elections, 13 – 17 April 2011.

► Presented working paper co - authored with MsSyarifatul Adibah “ Nafkah (family maintenance andexpenditure), Financial Management and Impact,within Muslim Polygamous Families in Malaysia” atthe Polygamy Research Meeting at Sisters in Islam

Meeting Room, Petaling Jaya, 21 April 2011. ► Presented working paper, “Race and its CompetingParadigms: A Historical Review” with Prof. Dr.Anthony Milner, at Pok Rafeah Workshop at IKMASMeeting Room, UKM, 13-14 June 2011.

► Presented working paper, “Race and Nation-Building”at Pok Rafeah Workshop at IKMAS Meeting Room,UKM, 13-14 June 2011.

IKMAS Participation in UKM’s Heritage Exhibition

Some IKMAS Fellows at the UKM Heritage Exhibition at DECTAR on 5 May 2011.With them is Research Assistant, Ms. Waheeda Yahya. Prof. Ragayah was one of thewinners at the exhibition



Activities of Fellows

Ragayah Hj. Mat Zin & Azizah Kassim with other participants at the Technical Workshop on Managing International Labour Migration in ASEAN, Manila, 12 January 2011

Tham Siew Yean, at the FTA’s Workshop inWaseda University, Tokyo, 14-15 January2011. With her are Naoko Haraguchi,

Program Coordinator of Waseda FTA’s in East Asia Program and Prof. Dr. Myrna Austria from De La Salle University, Philippines

Abdul Rahman Embong receiving a momento from the local government representative after his keynote address to the education seminar at the Maros Regency, Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesiaon 31 May 2011

Faridah Shahadan giving a talk on scale and measurement in questionnairedevelopment at INTAN Kluang Johor,24 June 2011

Ragayah Hj. Mat Zin (far right) at the UNDP Panel Discussion on Malaysia: The MDGs at 2010, Putrajaya, 28 April 2011



IKMAS Seminar Series By: Helen Ting

11 January 2011, Occasional Seminar by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Timothy P. Daniels from Hofstra University, USA,“Discourses of Shariah and Human Rights in Malaysia”AbstractThis presentation will discuss discourses of shariah and human rights from both pro-shariah and contra-shariah perspectives based on ethnographic research in contemporary Malaysian society.The diversity of discourse and thought will be addressed through examining both “moderate” and “strong” pro-shariah stances, including UMNO, PAS, and NGOs. Similarly, examination of contra-

shariah stances will include “secular” and “Islamic” human rights groups, including Sisters in Islam, Aliran and Suaram. The presenter will also discuss some ndings from his mass shariah survey and make tentative projections for the future of shariah and human rights in Malaysia.

31 January, 2011, Occasional Seminar by Dr. Ayame Suzuki from INPUMA, Universiti Malaya, “RevisitingPolitical Process of the Constitution (Amendment) Act 1971: Authoritative Control or Binding Agreement?”

AbstractTwenty months after the May 1969 riots, the Malaysian Parliament amended the Federal Constitutionby inserting Article 10(4) that empowers Parliament to pass laws prohibiting citizens from questioning contentious matters such as citizenship, the use and study of languages, and the special position of the

Malays and other natives (Bumiputeras). The Article serves as a constitutional basis for the Sedition Act that makes the questioning of these matters a criminal offence. This presentation will elucidatethe political process leading to the enactment of the Article and its subsequent implementation. It will examine the following issues: why the Malaysian government introduced the legal restriction, how it has been interpreted by succeeding generations, and how it has continually shaped the political arena of the country.

24 February 2011, IKMAS Seminar by Prof. Dr. Chan Chee Khoon from Universiti Malaya, “A RegionalPerspective on Pandemic Infuenza Preparedness”

Abstract In the recent H1N1 u pandemic, vaccine access was highly uneven, since global manufacturing capacity for u vaccines and anti-virals remains highly concentrated in the af uent countries inthe West. Despite pressure from developing countries, WHO’s efforts at rebalancing virus sharing and bene ts access are still bogged down by disagreements. In parallel with ongoing efforts at the global level, a regional initiative may be needed to cope with the disruptive consequencesof infectious outbreaks among the increasingly integrated East Asian economies, which are also

potential sites for future outbreaks. (ASEAN+3) might provide an institutional framework, building

upon the Chiang Mai Initiative, for mobilizing the nancial and technological capabilities in Asiato enhance regional coping capacity for infectious outbreaks.

21 April 2011, IKMAS Seminar by Dr. Colin Barlow from Australian National University, “Rich-nationDevelopment NGOs and Their Work in Poorer Countries: Some Behavioural and Organizational Paradigms”

Abstract Development NGOs based in richer nations, and directed to improving peoples’ lives in poorer countries, have grown in signi cance. This paper addresses behavioural and organizational attributes of selected development NGOs based in Malaysia, the US, Italy, England and Australia.

Regarding behavioural attributes, the paper scrutinizes how cultural and other features of NGO players affect poverty programs. It observes how NGO interactions with local communities generatebetter participation. Regarding organizational attributes, the paper checks alternative approachesto delivering aid. It examines how NGOs evolve over time, and factors affecting sustainability. It reviews advantages from larger scale and certain kinds of sponsorship. The paper nally considers

future routes rich-nation NGOs might follow.



10 May 2011, Occasional Seminar by Dr. Wong Lai Yong from CSR Asia, Japan, “International Trends in SocialEnterprises: Lessons for Malaysia”

AbstractSocial enterprises are businesses with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principallyreinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than driven by the need tomaximise pro t for shareholders and owners. This presentation will discuss the emergence of social

enterprises and its current trends, with a focus on public and private social enterprise movements. Model cases of effective social enterprises, both in Japan and the United States of America will be presented, with the purpose of highlighting factors underlying a successful social enterprise and examining challenges of sustaining a viable social enterprise. Finally, lessons that can be learnt

for Malaysia in establishing successful social enterprises will be discussed.

8 Jun 2011, Occasional Seminar by Prof. Dr. Anthony Milner , Pok Rafeah Chair in International Studies, IKMAS,“My Encounter with Theory Working in Malay and Regional Studies”

Professor Anthony Milner is Basham Professor of Asian History at the Australian National University, and a Professorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne. He is a Fellow of the

Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia. His books on Southeast Asia include The Malays(Wiley-Blackwell, 2008, revised, paperback edition, 2011; Czech translation, 2010), The Inventionof Politics in Colonial Malaya (Cambridge University Press, 1995, revised, paperback edition,2002), Kerajaan: Malay Political Culture on the Eve of Colonial Rule (The Association for AsianStudies, 1982; Thai translation, 2008), and (co-ed) Southeast Asia in the 9th to 14th Centuries(1986). His other publications include co-editing Australia in Asia (3 volumes, Oxford University

Press, 1996-2001) and Reviewing the Orient; Artist, Scholars, Appropriations (London: Harwood Press, 1994).

16 June 2011, IKMAS Seminar by Dr. Muhammed Abdul Khalid from IKMAS, “Ethnic Wealth Disparity inMalaysia”

AbstractThis paper examines Malaysia’s wealth distribution and its inequality, focusing on the racial differences in wealth ownership among the three main ethnic groups, based on Malaysia‘s 2007

Household Income Survey (HIS). The study analyzes the distribution and disparity of wealth, and examines the determinants of these inequalities using quantile regression methods. It is expected that wealth inequality will widen in the future. The paper will conclude with some tentative

suggestions of af rmative action based on past weaknesses to address the imbalance.

Some of the participants at IKMAS Seminar



Research WorkshopTitle of Workshop : Permasalahan Orang Pelarian:Kaum Rohingya Di Malaysia (Problems of Refugees:The Rohingya Community in Malaysia).

Day/Date : Saturday, 5 February 2011.Venue :Puri Pujangga, UKM.

By: Azizah Kassim

T he workshop was part of a research project onthe Rohingya Community in Malaysia, a group

of Muslim refugees from Myanmar who have beenstripped of their citizenship by the Myanmar govern-ment in the mid 1980s. The project was sponsored

by the National Security Council at the Prime Minis-ter’s Department to gauge the socio-economic statusand plight of this group of disenfranchised people.The Rohingya who began migrating into Malaysiain search of political asylum in the early seventieshave now grown in size estimated at around 24,000in 2011. As refugees, they live in their own ethnicenclaves in many states in the Peninsula and as Ma-laysia has no legal mechanisms to deal with refugees,like other refugee groups in the country they have no

basic rights. They have limited access to jobs, hous-

ing, education and health facilities; and to remedyand justice. Much of the problems they face in their daily lives are usually referred to their local com-munity leaders who may or may not be able to helpthem.

The workshop was designed to provide a platform for the Rohingya local and national leaders to meet eachother ; and for them to interface with related state of-

cials and researchers from the local universities to

discuss their common problems and to seek ways toresolve them. Four of their local and national leaderswere invited to talk on pressing community issueswhich include problems of getting registered withUnited Nations High Commissioner for Refugees(UNHCR), the lack of educational facilities amongthe Rohingya children, economic issues covering

jobs and housing; problems related to registration of marriage and divorce and its implication on the fam-ily and status of children. A fth paper, presented bythe head of the research team from IKMAS, providesan overview of the Rohingya problems as seen by anon-Rohingya researcher. In the discussion that fol-lowed, local level leaders were given the opportunity

to express the daily challenges faced in their respec-tive community and subsequently several proposalswere made to their national leaders who will bringthem to the attention of related agencies such as theUNHCR in Kuala Lumpur. The discussions providedimportant inputs to the research carried out by theIKMAS research team.

The one day seminar was by invitations only andwas attended by 56 participants, comprising mainlyRohingya leaders from all over the Peninsula. Apartfrom them there were also representatives from the

National Security Council, researchers from UiTM,Trengganu; UUM, Kedah; and higher degree stu-dents working on issues of migration from Univer-siti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia.

Mr. Abdul Hamid, President of RohingyaSociety in Malaysia (RSM), delivering his

paper at the Workshop

Some of the Rohingya leaders at the Workshop



Research Seminar 1

Title of Seminar : Pekerja Asing dan Pendatang AsingTanpa Izin Di Malaysia: Dasar, Pelaksanaan SertaRespon Perekrut, Majikan dan Pekerja

Day/Date : Thursday, 5 May 2011Venue : Puri Pujangga, UKM.

By: Ragayah Haji Mat Zin

IKMAS organized a one day seminar on irregular migrants to ful ll one of the requirements of a

research project entitled “Policy on Irregular Migrantsin Malaysia: An analysis of its Implementation andEffectiveness” undertaken by two of IKMAS PrincipalResearch Fellows, Prof. Dr. Azizah Kassim and Prof.Dr. Ragayah Haji Mat Zin. This research project is

part of a larger ASEAN level research endeavour entitled “Managing International Labor Migration

In Asean” coordinated by the Philippines Instituteof Development Studies (PIDS) and funded byInternational Development Research Centre (IDRC),Canada, which also funded this seminar. The projectrequires that the various stakeholders are consulted and

provide inputs and suggestions as well as discuss andverify the ndings. Participation in this seminar was byinvitation only.

The topic of the seminar was Pekerja Asing danPendatang Asing Tanpa Izin Di Malaysia: Dasar,

Pelaksanaan Serta Respon Perekrut, Majikan danPekerja (Foreign Workers and Illegal Migrants inMalaysia: Policy, Implementation and the Response

of Recruiters, Employers and Workers). The Seminar aimed at providing a platform for the various relevant

parties to discuss the issues and problems caused byforeign workers, especially by irregular migrantsor Pendatang Asing Tanpa Izin (PATI), to the policymakers and implementers. It also sought the views of employers’ and workers’ representatives, recruiters of foreign workers, researchers and others interested inthis issue. Information from this seminar would be usedwhen the two researchers write up their research report. The Seminar began with four presentations in themorning. Prof. Ragayah moderated the rst two

presentations. The rst presentation was Dasar Mengenai Pekerja Asing di Malaysia: Peranan Kementerian Dalam Negeri dan Jabatan Imigresen (Foreign Workers’ Policy in Malaysia: the Role of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Department of

Immigration) by Tuan Haji Abdul Wahap Bin AbdulHamid, Assistant Secretary, Foreign Workers Division,Ministry of Home Affairs, Malaysia. The secondwas on Dasar Mengenai Pekerja Asing Di Malaysia:

Pelaksanaan Dasar Dan Cabarannya Dari Perspektif Jabatan Tenaga Kerja (Foreign Workers’ Policy inMalaysia: Policy Implementation and Challengesfrom the Perspective of the Labour Department) byEncik Yusoff Bin Harun, Director of Foreign WorkersDivision, Labour Department, Peninsular Malaysia.

Prof. Azizah moderated the next two presentations. Thethird was on Pendatang Asing Tanpa Izin (PATI): Dasar

Dan Pelaksanaannya (Irregular Migrants: Policy andImplementation) by Tuan Haji Mohd Zamberi bin AbdulAziz, Director of Enforcement Division, ImmigrationDepartment Malaysia. The fourth presentation was on

Pengurusan Depot Kementerian Dalam Negeri Dan Permasalahannya (Management of Ministry HomeAffairs Depot and its Challenges) by Yg. Bhg. Dato’Mohamed Asri Bin Yusof, Director General, DepotManagement Division, Ministry of Home Affairs.

In the afternoon, a forum on the illegal immigrantswas held, chaired by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Abdul RahmanEmbong, an IKMAS Principal Research Fellow.Panelists include Mr. A. Balasubramaniam, VicePresident, Malaysian Trade Union Congress (MTUC);Tuan Haji Shamsuddin Bardan, Executive Director,Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF); Mr. JeffreyFoo, Deputy President, Malaysian Association of Foreign Maid Agencies (PAPA); and Prof. Dr. AzizahKassim. The rst three speakers gave their views onillegal immigrants from their own perspectives whileProf. Azizah spoke on how PATI managed to circumventthe law to work in this country.

IKMAS Director, Prof. Dr. K.S. Nathan delivering his Welcome Address



Azizah Kassim presenting her views at the Forum

Ragayah Hj. Mat Zin chairing the 1st session. On her left is Mr. Yusof Harun from the Labour Department and Tn. Hj Abdul Wahab Abdul Hamid from the Ministry of Hime Affairs

Abdul Rahman Embong chairing the forum. With him are Tn. Hj. Shamsudin Bardan(MEF),Sdr. Balasubramaniam(MTUC), Sdr. Jeffry Foo (PAPA) & Azizah Kassim

Some of the participants at the seminar

A total of 51 participants were at the seminar. They were of cers from the various relevant government departments,representatives of trade and employers’ unions, representatives from the Institute of Strategic and InternationalStudies (ISIS), researchers, lecturers and students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Universiti Pertahanan

Nasional Malaysia, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Universiti Utara Malaysia and of course from the various facultiesand institutes of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.



Research Seminar 2Title of Seminar : Policy on Irregular Migrants: AnAnalysis of its Implementation and Effectiveness.Day/Date : Wednesday, 9 June 2011.Venue : Palm Garden Hotel, Putrajaya.

By: Azizah Kassim

T his is the second national seminar for the researchon Policy on Irregular Migrants in Malaysia: An

Analysis of its Implementation and Effectivenessundertaken by two of IKMAS Principal Research Fellows,

Prof. Dr. Azizah Kassim and Prof. Dr. Ragayah Haji MatZin. The seminar had two main objectives. Firstly, tosolicit information on the management of migrants andirregular workers in Sabah and Sarawak; and secondly,to present the ndings of IKMAS research on the policyon irregular migrants to major stake holders in theMalaysian transnational migration and foreign workers’industry in the government, trade unions, private sector,non-government organization as well as students andresearchers on the subject.

Three papers were presented in the morning session. Therst was by the Deputy Director of the Special FederalTask, Sabah En. Malai Fazlan Azwad bin Malai Mustaphawho spoke on “The Special Federal Task Force (S/L):Its Role in Managing Illegal Immigrants in Sabah andLabuan”. The second presentation was by the Director of Immigration Sarawak, Datu Robert Lian on “ManagingForeign Workers and illegal Immigrants in Sarawak“.Both papers which provided up-to-date accounts of howirregular migrants and foreign workers are managed in

both states were well received by the participants as it israre that high ranking state of cials from both states aregiven a common platform to address and interface withmajor stake holders on the subject in the Peninsula. Their deliberations were very useful in clarifying certain issuesand problems of migrant workers and irregular migrants

in the two Malaysian states where immigration mattersare under the purview of the state administration.

The third paper in the morning session and the fourth inthe afternoon were joint presentations by Prof. Dr. AzizahKassim and Prof. Dr. Ragayah Haji Mat Zin who sharedtheir research ndings with the participants. The third paper was on the “The Socio-Economic Status and Migration

Patterns of Irregular Migrants in Malaysia” while thefourth on “Implications of Research Findings on PolicyImplementation: Some Suggestions for Considerations.”Four commentators were appointed for each paper onresearch ndings to determine data accuracy and tosolicit further data and suggestions. They were from theMalaysian Marine Enforcement Agency (MMEA), MarineOperation Force (MOF), the Royal Malaysian Police inBukit Aman; Enforcement Division in the ImmigrationDepartment, Putrajaya; the Department of KDN Depot;Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS); the

Division for Foreign Workers, Ministry of Home Affairsand Institute of Malaysian and International Studies.Criticisms, comments and suggestions offered by thecommentators and participants through the question andanswer sessions at the end of each session were indeed

bene cial in writing the nal report of the research project.

Apart from those mentioned above, participants atthe seminar include of cers from the various relevantgovernment departments, such as the LembagaPenduduk dan Pembangunan Keluarga Negara(LPPKN); representatives of trade and employers’unions, representatives from the Institute of Strategic andInternational Studies, Migrant Care, researchers, lecturersand students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris,

Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia, UniversitiMalaya, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Universiti TeknologiMara (UiTM) and from some faculties and institutes inUniversiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Assoc. Prof. Ruhanas Haron dari Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malysia (UPNM) chairing a session where Azizah Kassim & Ragayah Hj. Mat Zin presented their papers

K. S. Nathan with some of the participantsat the seminar. Dato’ Dr. Mohd Yusof Ahmad (Director, Institute of ASEAN Studies & Global

Affairs (INSPAG), UiTM Shah Alam (far left)and representative from the Embassy of Nepal,

Labor Attache Mr. Surya Prasad Bhandari at the seminar



Some of the commentators at the Seminar Some of the commentators at the Seminar

Datu Robert Lian, Director of Dept. of Immigration Sarawak delivering his paper. Withhim are Director of Special Federal Task ForceSabah and Labuan, Mr. Mohd. Ariff Baharom &

Mr. Halim Ali, chair of the session

Some of the participants at the Seminar

MTUC Vice President, Mr. Balasubramaniamexpressing his views

K.S. Nathan (right) and Dato Isa Bin Munir, Senior Assistant Commissioner II, Marine Operations Force, Malaysia



KAMERA-IKMAS-MAAS Dinner Talk /Seminar

Title of Seminar :“The Current Political Crisis in the Middle East: Implications for U.S. Foreign Policy”Date/Day : Monday, 25 April 2011Venue : Rumah Universiti, University of Malaya, KualaLumpur

By: Prof. Dr. K.S. Nathan, Head of the Centre for AmericanStudies (KAMERA) in Institute of Occidental (IKON),UKM

Summary of Proceedings

T he ongoing political crisis in the Middle East triggered by the “Tunisian Wave” since 25th January 2011 and

the implications for American policy in that region wasthe subject of discussion, participated by between 40-50

persons comprising MAAS members and other invited participants. The Chair, Prof. K.S. Nathan (President of MAAS) brie y introduced the panel of speakers and setthe stage for a lively presentation. He said that severalfactors could be at play as to why there has been a suddenimplosion of emotion and demands for political reformincluding regime change, not the least of which was thewhole issue of governance and the apparent growingdisconnect between the governors and the governed.Below is the edited version of excerpts of the presentations

by the four panelists.

The rst speaker, Dr. Sean Foley began by suggesting thatfew nations outside of the Middle East were more invested

in the Arab nizam than the United States. Washington haddif culty determining how to use U.S. power. ShouldU.S. of cials support demonstrators espousing Americanvalues and seeking Washington’s support against Arableaders who had opposed al-Qaeda and Iran?. They hadalready seen that the opinion of U.S. of cials could haveunexpected and unintended consequences. For instance,the website Wikileaks’ unauthorized release of U.S.

diplomatic cables about Tunisia had helped to convincemany Tunisians that Washington did not respect TunisianPresident Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and his governmentand would not intervene to protect either in a politicalcrisis. Ironically, that realization would play a powerfulrole in the Tunisian revolution.He concluded by sayingthat the U.S. strategic position is better in spring 2011than it was at the end of 2010. The peaceful protestorsin Egypt and elsewhere eviscerated the core argumentof Al-Qaeda i.e. that extremist Islam and terrorism werethe only way for Arabs to free themselves of autocratic

governments and regain their dignity. Iran’s positionhas also been weakened by the Arab democratic politicalmovements. Although Bahrain and Tunisia demonstratethe dangers of a regional dynamic in which U.S. power canhave limited direct in uence, we should not lose sight of America’s cultural in uence in the region. In the long run,that cultural or soft power may prove to be longer lastingand more capable of producing better results for Americathan traditional diplomatic tools. It is now up to Americandiplomats to harness their nation’s cultural power in theMiddle East to secure a better future for both America andthe rest of the world.

The second speaker, Mr. James Wong observed thatthe upheavals in the Middle East since January 2011interestingly have revealed inter alia the reality that thePalestine-Israel issue is only one of the many problems inthe region. The other major problems that have contributedto the outbreak of the upheavals include: (a) The wide gap

between rich elites and poor masses within the countriesin the region and this is highlighted by the fact that theunemployment rate in oil-rich Saudi Arabia was about10% at the end of 2010; (b) The unful lled aspirations of

a large number of youths who now form the vanguardsof the street protests for change of the status quo; (c) Thedeep sectarian divide between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims;(d) The marginalization or even institutional oppression of women who have now decided to participate actively onthe streets for political change, especially in Bahrain; and(e) The inter-state distrust and rivalry like in the Saudi-Iranrelations.

Taking a holistic view, it would appear to be inappropriateto blame the United States for all the woes in the Middle

Eastern and North African societies. The United Stateshave other allies in other parts of the world, such as Japan

Prof. K.S. Nathan (Head of KAMERA), and also President of MAAS delivering his Welcome Address and Introductory

Remarks. The seated panel members are from left to right: Dr. Wahabuddin Ra’ees (IIUM), Mr. James Wong (MAAS), Dr. Sean Foley (ISTAC), and Mr. Brian McFeeters (U.S. Embassy)



and South Korea, but the societies of these U.S.-alliedstates have been able to reform and modernize themselvesand rise from the ruins of World War II. There is no fear of revolutionary upheavals breaking out in Japan or SouthKorea now. Seen in the larger context, he concluded thatthe causes that have triggered the upheavals in the MiddleEast and North Africa are domestic and not external andthat the U.S. engagement in the region can continue to

provide a certain degree of security guarantee against theforces of militant and/or extremist Islam that could haltor even reverse the march of modernity in the regionalsocieties.

The third speaker, Mr. Brian McFeeters began byoutlining the existing conditions before the current crisis.he cited U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech at“Forum for the Future Seminar” held in Doha in January2011: “... one of the problems about the Middle East and

North Africa is that this region of the world did not growand prosper during the last 50 years, when all of the rest of the world did...[I]n many of the countries there was further and deeper poverty, and there was no real effort to chart acourse of development that would move people upwardon the scale of accomplishment, educational attainment,and the like....So you’re looking at a part of the world thatthe Arab Development Reports started saying in 2002 wasreally being left out...So it’s been a long time coming. Thefrustration has now come through very loudly and clearly”.McFeeters expanded on the of cial view by further citingthe U.S. State Department’s Under Secretary for PoliticalAffairs, William J. Burns who in March explained thatthe U.S. government tried to balance the maintenance of stable relationships with governments in the Middle East

with the need for reform. Burns said: “We recognized thetinder that was accumulating in the region, the combustiblemix of closed systems and corruption and alienation andindignity documented so eloquently in the Arab HumanDevelopment Reports. We tried to drive home that concernto leaderships in the region, but we didn’t always try hardenough. So it’s good to apply a little humility as we enter this new era unfolding before us”. McFeeters concludedthat In terms of the individual countries in the region,it is important to note that the U.S. Government callsfor peaceful dialogue everywhere and abhors violence

against citizens. In Libya, the United States joined a broad international coalition, including the Arab League,in supporting UN Security Council Resolution 1973 to

protect Libyan civilians.

The fourth speaker, Dr. Wahabuddin Ra’ees claimedthat the Middle East is experiencing a democratic wavethat is both unprecedented and untraditional. It is homegrown and suggestive of the Arab empowerment andrevival of con dence. The people across the Arab Worldhave broken borders of fear to demand civil liberties,greater freedom and emancipation from the rulingauthoritarian regimes in the region. Corrupt, oppressive

and extra-judicial practices of the regimes in the MiddleEast inspired millions of people to peacefully march onthe streets in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan and Syria.There are several implications of the democratic wavefor U.S. Middle East policy in pursuit of its interests inthe region. Washington is fully cognizant of the MiddlesEast’s strategic and economic signi cance, the need tomaintain friendly regimes, ensure the security of the Stateof Israel, and to a lesser extent promote democratic valuesin the region. The democratic wave appears to entail elitetransformation in the Middle East, challenging the U.S.

alliance with regimes that traditionally lacked democraticexperience or credentials. Policy makers in Washingtonare under increasing pressure to look for new allies whoare democratic and believe in accountability. While thismight diminish the effectiveness of the State of Israel cardas the only democratic state, it could, however, sweepinto power ideologically-inclined groups and parties.Domestically, the Arab nationalists and the Islamists couldalso bene t from the democratic wave shaping the politicsof the Middle East. Externally, the main bene ciary would

be Iran. Iran appears to be promoting sectarian violence between the Sunni and shi’ite sects within the regionto thwart America’s strategic and economic interests.The constructive approach the U.S. could adopt entails

ensuring that the emerging democratic states in the MiddleEast are inclusive and engage all segments of society— the secularists, the nationalists and the Islamists—andintegrate them into the democratic process. It would serveAmerica’s long-term interests to ensure that these statesare committed to the development of an open and viablecivil society. Evidently, the American model of democracyseems to be appealing to the reformists and revolutionariesin the emerging democracies in the Middle East region.

Nevertheless, it is of course premature to forecast theexact course of political development in that region— whether it would pursue a democratic course, revert toauthoritarianism, or produce hybrid political systems thatcharacterize other parts of the Developing World.

Some of the participants at the seminar

During question and answer session - Dr. John Gurusamy(MAAS) sharing his views with the participants



Siri Seminar SiswazahOleh: Norinah Mohd Ali

Empat Siri Seminar Siswazah IKMAS telah diadakandalam tempoh laporan ini bertempat di Bilik Mesyuarat

IKMAS.

Siri Seminar Siswazah pada tahun 2011 telah dimulakan pada 31 Januari 2011 yang dibentangkan oleh Sdr.Leow Wei Yi pelajar Sarjana Falsafah. Ini merupakan

pembentangan Percubaan Peperiksaan Lisan (Mock VivaVoce) beliau. Pembentangan beliau bertajuk “Scienti cResearch in British Malaya: 1900-1941”. Saudara LeowWei Yi diselia oleh Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Abdul RahmanEmbong dan Prof. Norani Othman.

Seminar seterusnya diadakan pada 24 Februari 2011.Pembentang kali ini ialah Sdr. Muhammad Febriansyah

pelajar Doktor Falsafah yang menulis tesis bertajuk “Politik Budaya dan Seni Penentangan Pada Masa Orde Baru diIndonesia: Satu Kajian Kes Terhadap Aktiviti dan Politik Penyair Wiji Thukul”. Ini merupakan pembentangan tahapketiga beliau. Beliau diselia oleh Prof. Madya Dr. SumitK. Mandal dan Prof. Emeritus Dato’ Dr. Abdul Rahman

Embong.

IKMAS sekali lagi menganjurkan Siri Seminar Siswazah pada 28 Mac 2011. Saudara Asmawi Noor Saarani,calon Doktor Falsafah, telah membentangkan cadangan

penyelidikan berjudul “Implikasi Struktur Modal danReputasi Korporat Ke Atas Prestasi Enterpris Kecil danSederhana (EKS): Kajian Ke Atas EKS E50”. Beliaudiselia oleh Prof. Madya Dr. Faridah Shahadan. Inimerupakan pembentangan tahap pertama beliau.

Dalam Siri Seminar Siswazah bagi bulan Mei dua orang pelajar telah membuat pembentangan. Pembentang pertama ialah Sdr. Baso Iwang, pelajar Doktor Falsafah,yang diselia oleh Prof. Madya Dr. Faridah Shahadan danProf. Dr. Ragayah Haji Mat Zin. Tajuk pembentangan

beliau ialah “Analisis Pembangunan Industri PembuatanSerta Impaknya Terhadap Pembangunan EkonomiTempatan di Sulawesi Selatan, Indonesia”. Ini merupakan

pembentangan tahap pertama beliau. Pembentang keduaPn. Sitti Nadiah, adalah juga pelajar Doktor Falsafah, di

bawah penyeliaan Prof. Dr. Ragayah Haji Mat Zin danProf Madya Dr. Faridah Shahadan. Ini juga merupakan

pembentangan tahap pertama beliau dengan tajuk “Implikasi Dasar Pengembangan Sumber Daya Manusia(PDSM) kepada Masyarakat Miskin Melalui Pendidikan

Non Formal dan Memperkasakan Masyarakat”.

Muhammad Febriansyah

Baso Iwang

Leow Wei Yi

Asmawi Noor Saarani

Sitti Nadiah



Aktiviti PersatuanPelajar SiswazahIKMASOleh: Asmawi Noor

Sesi Ulasan BukuAktiviti pelajar IKMAS untuk tahun ini dimulakandengan sesi ulasan buku “The Sociological Imagination”karya C. Wright Mills pada 5 Januari 2011. Pemudahcara

bagi sesi ini ialah Sdr. Abdul Halim Ali. Seramai 15orang pelajar siswazah IKMAS turut serta dalamsesi ini. Tujuan aktiviti ini adalah untuk memupuk kemahiran dalam membuat sisntesis pemahamanmelalui pembacaan dan meningkatkan keyakinan

pelajar dengan perbincangan secara kritis dan analitikal.

Pada 23 Mei sekali lagi sesi ulasan buku telahdianjurkan dan pada kali ini buku yang di bincangkanialah “Development as Freedom” karya Amartya Sen.

Pra-Pembentangan Cadangan KajianPada 9 Februari, 16 Mac dan 6 April 2011, aktiviti

pra-pembentangan cadangan kajian juga telah

diadakan oleh persatuan pelajar siswazah IKMAS.Aktiviti ini berfungsi sebagai latihan kepada pelajar sebelum pembentangan sebenar dilakukan, di sampingmendapatkan input dan idea yang boleh digunakan untuk memperkemaskan cadangan kajian. Pelajar-Pelajar yang telah membentang cadangan kajian ialah Asmawi

Noor Saarani dengan tajuk kajian “Implikasi Struktur Modal Ke Atas Pencapaian EKS E50 Malaysia”, BasoIwang dengan tajuk “Analisis Pembangunan IndustriPembuatan Serta Impaknya Terhadap PembangunanEkonomi Tempatan di Sulawesi Selatan” dan Sitti

Nadiah dengan tajuk “Implikasi Dasar PengembanganSumber Daya Manusia kepada Masyarakat Miskinmelalui Pendidikan Non Formal”.

Syarahan dan WacanaPada 28 Mac, Wacanamengenai pembangunan Siri1 telah diadakan. Wacana initelah dibimbing oleh Dato’Profesor Emeritus Dr. AbdulRahman Embong. Tujuanaktiviti ini adalah untuk memberi kefahaman kepada

pelajar-pelajar siswazahIKMAS khususnya mengenai latarbelakang sejarahdan konsep-konsep pembangunan yang utama selarasdengan fokus kajian IKMAS terhadap globalisasi dantransformasi sosial daripada perspektif negara yangsedang membangun.

Pada 27 April 2011, Persatuantelah mengajurkan syarahan yangdisampaikan oleh penyandangKerusi Pok Rafeah IKMAS iaituProf. Dr. Anthony Milner yangtelah membentangkan kertas

bertajuk My Encounter withTheory in Working in Malay and

Regional Studies (Bahagian I). Seramai 30 orang pelajar terdiri daripada pelajar IKMAS dan pelajar siswazahdari Institut Kajian Etnik (KITA) dan Fakulti SainsSosial dan Kemanusiaan telah menghadiri syarahantersebut.

Bengkel NVIVOPada 27 Mei 2011, bengkel mengenai asas mengenai

NVIVO telah diadakan bagi memberi pengetahuan asasmengenai penggunaan software NVIVO terutama bagikajian yang menggunakan kaedah kualitatif. Bengkelini telah dibimbing oleh Puan Maslinawati dari FakultiPendidikan dan telah dihadiri oleh seramai 8 orang

pelajar.

Bengkel Aplikasi Word Mapping

Pada 22 Jun 2011, bengkel mengenai aplikasi word mapping bagi penulisan tesis telah diadakan dan dihadirioleh 15 orang pelajar. Tujuan bengkel ini adalah untuk mendedahkan pengetahuan asas mengenai penggunaanaplikasi word mapping dalam penulisan tesis. Bengkelini telah dibimbing oleh Mohd Shuhaidi dan Wan Fairuzyang pernah menghadiri bengkel penggunaaan aplikasiword mapping anjuran Dr. Othman Talib daripadaFakulti Pendidikan, Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Sdr. Abdul Halim Ali bersama pelajar Siswazah IKMAS



Kakitangan BaruOleh: Norinah Mohd Ali

IKMAS telah menerima kedatangan dua orang kakitangan baru iaitu Dr. Muhammed Abdul Khalid sebagaiFelo bermula pada 1 April 2011 dan Cik Nurul Ain Binti Baydowi, Pembantu Pustakawan (S17) bermula

pada 22 Julai 2011. Dr. Muhammed telah dianugerahkan Ijazah Ph.D di Sciences Po, Paris, Peranchis. Beliau juga memegang Ijazah Sarjana dalam bidang Public Affairs dari Universiti yang sama, Sarjana Ekonomidari Universiti Malaya dan Sarjana Muda (Kewangan) dari Universiti Southern California, Los Angeles. Dr.Muhammed Abdul Khalid dipinjamkan ke Institut Kajian Strategik dan Antarabangsa (ISIS) Malaysia untuk dua tahun dari 1 Jun 2011 sehingga 31 Mei 2013.

Nurul Ain pula ditempatkan di Pusat Sumber IKMAS dan akan membantu membangunkan Pusat Sumber tersebut untuk kegunaan pelajar dan penyelidik dari dalam dan luar UKM.

IKMAS merakamkan ucapan terima kasih kepada Perpustakaan Tun Sri Lanang (PTSL) kerana menyediakanvot jawatan Pembantu Perpustakaan tersebut untuk Institut ini.

IKMAS mengucapkan selamat datang kepada kedua-kedua kakitangan tersebut dan berharap mereka dapatmenyesuaikan diri dengan warga IKMAS dan menjalankan tugas dengan cemerlang.

Prof. Norani Othman (Felo Utama IKMAS) telah jatuh sakit dan sedang menjalani rawatan di hospital.Warga IKMAS berdoa agar beliau cepat sembuh dan dapat menyambung tugas di IKMAS.

Berita Rencam

Dr. Muhammed Bin Abdul Khalid Nurul Aini Bte Baydowi

Prof. Norani Othman

Makluman



The Nippon FoundationFellowships for AsianPublic Intellectuals (APIFellowships)

By: Ms. Dorothy Fernandez Country Programme Coordinatar

Asian Public Intellectuals (API) IKMAS, UKM

T he annual Orientation Ceremony and CountryWorkshop for 2011 were held on 12 & 13 March 2011

at Taylor’s University College, Kuala Lumpur.

The Orientation Ceremony was for ve recipients of fellowships for research projects to be completed duringthe fellowship period July 2011 to July 2012. The recipientsand their fellowships are as follows:1. Dr. Fadzilah Majid Cooke – Mobilization in the

Name of Civil Society: The Unresolved Land Issue inMuslim Thailand and the Philippines.

2. Dr. Kam Suan Pheng – Evaluating Integrative andParticipatory Approaches Lead to Pro-people andSustainable Agriculture Development.

3. Ms. Norhayati binti Kaprawi – Documentary Filmon Progressive Islam in Indonesia and its Impact onMuslim Women.

4. Ms. Susanna George – Upholding Feminist Principlesin the Era of Globalisation: Challenges Faced byWomen Activists in Finding Balance betweenAlternative Organisational Processes.

5. Mr. Toh Chee Hung – Public Performance Art Worksas an Act of Mutual Forgiveness and Understanding of World War 2 and the Atomic Bomb Incidents.

The rst four are recipients of Senior Fellowships and thelast of an API Fellowship

The Country Workshop had about 30 participants and

concentrated largely on discussing the Regional Project‘Community-Based Initiatives Toward Human-EcologicalBalance’. Two activities of this project were discussed indetail:

i. The details of the site-visit to Tasik Chini from 7 to17 April were reviewed and nalized. This site-visit wassubsequently successfully completed. About 15 MalaysianAPI Fellows and 8 API Fellows from the other participatingcountries participated in this visit.

ii. The Regional Book Product and its contents andscheduling.

In addition, the Workshop discussed and endorsed themembership of the National Coordinating Committee of the API Fellows Community in Malaysia for the period2011/2012.

The Workshop also discussed the progress of work in considering the advantages and disadvantages of

registering the Fellows’ community as a legal entity.It was agreed that the work would continue and a draftrecommendation would be circulated to the community for its consideration.

The Country Workshop was attended by about 30 participants. Present at both the above two activities wererepresentatives from The Nippon Foundation – Mr. TatsuyaTanami, the Executive Director and Mr. Shota Nakayasuthe Project Coordinator of the International ProgrammeDepartment of The Nippon Foundation. Also present

was Prof. Dr. Tham Siew Yean, the out-going Director of IKMAS and of the API Program in Malaysia and Prof. Dr.K.S. Nathan, the in-coming Director of IKMAS and of theAPI Program in Malaysia.

Dorothy delivering introductory remarks at the API Workshop in Taylor’s University College in Subang Jaya,Selangor

Seated from left to right: Tham Siew Yean (4 th ), Mr. TatsuyaTanami, Executive Director, The Nippon Foundation

(5th

), K.S. Nathan (6 th

), Dorothy Fernandez (7 th

) and API participants



Sarjana Tamu Di IKMAS: Dr. Mohamed Salleh Lamry

Oleh: Abdul Rahman Embong

D r. Mohamed Salleh Lamry, mantan Profesor Madya di Jabatan Antroplogi dan Sosiologi UKM yang bersara wajib pada akhir 1990-an, telah dilantik sebagai sarjana tamu di IKMAS selama sembilan bulan

mulai November 2010 hingga 15 Ogos 2011. Beliau diberi tugas untuk mengendalikan projek penulisan biogra Allahyarham Profesor Ishak Shari, seorang pakar ekonomi pembangunan dan intelektual awam, yangmemimpin IKMAS selaku pengarah selama empat tahun dari 1997 sehingga Jun 2001. Ishak menghidap

penyakit kanser lymphoma dan meninggal dunia pada usia yang masih muda, iaitu 53 tahun.

Salleh mengikuti kursus antropologi dan sosiologi pada awal 1970-an apabila beliau menyertai kumpulankedua mahasiswa UKM yang mendaftarkan diri pada Julai 1971. Beliau memperoleh ijazah Sarjana MudaSastera (Kepujian) pada 1975 dan Sarjana Sastera pada 1978, kedua-duanya dari UKM. Pada 1989, beliaumemperoleh ijazah PhD dalam bidang sosiologi politik daripada Universiti Malaya. Tesisnya mengenaigerakan politik kiri Melayu di Temerloh mendapat hadiah tesis terbaik pada tahun 1989, dan mendapat HadiahLongman sebanyak RM2000. Ia diterbitkan oleh Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka pada 1982 dengan tajuk, PayaJejawi: Satu Kajian Antropologi Politik.

Kepakaran Salleh sebagai seorang penyelidik dan penulis yang berwibawa terserlah dalam pelbagai kajiandan penerbitan yang dihasilkannya. Selain kajian ilmiah, beliau juga menulis beberapa buah biogra tokoh

politik sebelum ini. Di kalangan ahli akademik, tidak ramai yang menghasilkan memoir untuk menggarap pengalaman suka duka daripada dunia pengajaran yang diceburi itu. Namun beliau suatu kekecualian. Beliauadalah antara ahli akademik yang menghasilkan memoir, bertajuk Memoir Mohamed Salleh Lamry: GuruMelayu Terakhir yang diterbitkan oleh Penerbit UKM pada 2009.

Pengalaman dan kepakaran beliau sebagai seorang penulis sangat berguna bagi menyempurnakan projek penulisan biogra Allahyarham Ishak Shari. IKMAS mengharapkan projek itu dapat disiapkan tidak lama lagidan kita akan dapat menyaksikan dan membaca memoir Ishak Shari pada tahun hadapan.



IKMAS Publications By: Tham Siew Yean

Abdul Rahman Embong and Tham Siew Yean (eds). 2011. Malaysia At A Crossroads: Can WeMake the Transition? Bangi: Penerbit UKM. ISBN 978-967-942-968-8, soft cover, 215 pages

AbstractThe book examines key issues faced by Malaysia due to signi cant changes and transformation in itssocial structure, politics, economy, culture and mindset of the society after 50 years of Independence.Managing the transition of the state, economy, society, politics and culture in Malaysia is consideredto be crucial for the country to be able to move beyond the current crossroads in its development. Inorder to manage this transition, the book examines the following key questions: First, from the pointof view of historical transformation of the nation, how should Malaysia move forward beyond thecrossroads to build a future for all in the country? Second, what are the social forces and ideas involvedin the contestation for modernization, change and transformation beyond the crossroads? How do thesecontestations manifest themselves and what are their articulations? Third, what are the key factors andwhat kind of new policies and mechanisms need to be put in place in order for Malaysia to make asuccessful transition? The seven chapters in this book responds to the questions above within speci ccontext and issues such as foreign direct investment, income redistribution, foreign workers, changes instate-society relations, issues of institutional reforms and the emergence of a two-party system as well as

the question of Islamization and Islamist identity politics.



Individual Publications

V Abdul Rahman Embong & Tham Siew Yean. 2011. “Introduction: The Question of Crossroads and CriticalTransition”. In Abdul Rahman Embong and Tham, Siew Yean (eds). Malaysia At A Crossroads: Can We Make

the Transition? Bangi: Penerbit UKM. ISBN 978-967-942-968-8, pp. 13-31. V Abdul Rahman Embong. 2011. ‘State-Society Relations in Malaysia: Moving Beyond the Crossroads”. Chapter 5

in Abdul Rahman Embong and Tham, Siew Yean (eds). Malaysia At A Crossroads: Can We Make the Transition?Bangi: Penerbit UKM. ISBN 978-967-942-968-8, pp. 134-153.

V Abdul Rahman Embong. 2011. “Perlunya Pentakrifan Semula Ilmu Pembangunan” (Wacana Pembangunan).Akademika 81 (1) (January-April): 117-118.

V Azizah Kassim. 2011. Transnational Migration and the Contestation for Urban Space: Emerging Problems andPossible Solutions? Chapter 3 in Abdul Rahman Embong and Tham, Siew Yean (eds.), Malaysia At A Crossroads:Can We Make the Transition? Bangi: Penerbit UKM. ISBN 978-967-942-968-8, pp. 86-116.

V Milner, Anthony, 2011. Malaysia’s Dominant Societal Paradigm: Invented, Embedded, Contested. The Pok RafeahChair Series. Bangi: Penerbit UKM. ISBN 978-967-942-961-9, soft cover, 32 pages.

V

Ragayah Haji Mat Zin. 2011. Sharing the Pie: Towards a More Equitable Malaysian Society. Chapter 2 in AbdulRahman Embong and Tham, Siew Yean (eds.): Malaysia at a Crossroads: Can We Make the Transition? Bangi:University Kebangsaan Press, pp. 57 – 85.

V Ragayah Haji Mat Zin. 2011. The New Economic Policy: Growth with Equity. Chapter 15 in Institute of Strategicand International Studies (ISIS): Malaysia: Policies & Issues in Economic Development, pp. 439 – 472.

V Ragayah Haji Mat Zin. 2011. Strategies for Poverty Eradication. Chapter 17 in Institute of Strategic andInternational Studies (ISIS): Malaysia: Policies & Issues in Economic Development, pp. 503 – 530.

V Ragayah Haji Mat Zin. 2011. Poverty and Income Distribution. Chapter 9 in Rajah Rasiah (ed). Malaysia Economy:Unfolding Growth and Social Change. Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press, pp. 213 - 247.

V Ting, Helen. 2011. Institutional Reforms and Bi-party Political System: Beyond ‘Expedient Multiculturalism’, inAbdul Rahman Embong and Tham, Siew Yean (eds). Malaysia at A Crossroads: Can We Make the Transition?,Bangi: UKM Press, pp. 154-180.

V Ong Puay Liu, Helen Ting, et.al.,. 2011. “Education for Intercultural Understanding: The Case for the MalaysianEducation System”, in Sharifah Zaleha Syed Hassan (Compilor). Proceedings of the International Conference“Rethinking Realities, Reimaging Pluralism: Future Landcapes of Pluralism in Democratic Societies”. Bangi:KITA, pp. 252-280.

V Tham Siew Yean. 2011. Transforming Malaysia’s Economy Through Foreign Direct Investment, Chapter 1 inAbdul Rahman Embong and Tham, Siew Yean (eds). Malaysia At A Crossroads: Can We Make the Transition?Bangi: Penerbit UKM. ISBN 978-967-942-968-8, pp. 32-56.

V Tham Siew Yean, Liew Chei Siang & Marziah Mokhtar 2011. Foreign Direct Investment and Spillovers inMalaysia. Chapter 3 in Chalongphob Sussangkarn, Yung Chul Park and Sung Jin Kang (eds.), Foreign DirectInvestment in Asia. Abingdon: Routledge Studies in the Modern Economy. ISBN 978-0-415-61005-6, pp. 51-83.

V Tham Siew Yean. 2011. Exploring Access and Equity in Malaysia’s Private Higher Education. ADBI WorkingPaper Series, No. 280, April 2011. Tokyo: Asian Development Bank Institute. Available: http://www.adbi.org/working-paper/2011/04/19/4513.access.equity.malaysi.higher.educ/



Book Review By: K.S. Nathan

Malaysia’s Foreign Policy – The First FiftyYears: Alignment, Neutralism, Islamism, by JohanSaravanamuttu. Singapore: Institute of Southeast

Asian Studies, 2010. Hard and Soft Cover: 388pp.

T his work by Johan Saravanamuttu covers a totalof 388 pages, and is organized into three major

themes as the author saw t to characterize the thrustof Malaysian foreign policy: Alignment, Neutralism,

and Islamism. The book’s sub-title containing threemajor themes or postures of Malaysian foreign policy, namely alignment, neutralism, and Islamism,quite neatly captures other inter-related elements,characteristics and objectives of Malaysian foreign

policy as it evolved over the half century under discussion, i.e. beginning with the rationale for arather strident anti-Communist posture during theearly phases of the Cold War when Malaysia faceda serious internal threat to its political legitimacy asan independent state. Malaysia’s rst Prime Minister,

Tunku Abdul Rahman pursued a foreign policythat was rmly grounded in ideological pragmatismgiven the prevailing zeitgeist of the 1950s and 1960s(Alagappa 1998, pp. 530-531). The unchallengedsupremacy of the United States in that era offered onlytwo realistic options: either a pro-American or a pro-Soviet foreign policy posture for newly independentcountries. Neutralism in the early stages of the ColdWar in Southeast Asia was a costly enterprise, andgiven also the Islamic disposition of the politicallydominant Malays, a pro-West alignment appeared to

be the only prudent course of action to ensure statesurvival and international legitimacy. In the writer’sview, two primary external sources of Malaysianforeign policy in the rst decade of independence

were British rule and the Cold War, while two primaryinternal sources were the Communist Insurgencyand the communal framework of Malaysian politicsundergirded by Malay political dominance (p. 72).

Malaysia’s international security role through UNPeace-keeping activities starting with the Congo

operation in the 1960s, underscores the continuedcommitment to the role of international lawand organization in maintaining and promotinginternational security through the mechanism of theUnited Nations. That commitment has been evidenced

by a consistent Malaysian participation in numerousUN-led peacekeeping activities stretching fromLebanon, Iran and Iraq, through Somalia, Cambodia,Bosnia, Aceh and East Timor. Malaysian involvementin these UN-led operations was designed to reduce theimpact of power politics and raise the prospect and

potential for involvement by the world community increating a more humane, just, equitable and sustainableinternational order in which participation is measuredmore by ideational goals rather than sheer material

power.

Neutralism, the second impulse in Malaysian foreign policy, became a more visible platform during thetenure of Malaysia’s second Prime Minister, Tun AbdulRazak. The 1971 Kuala Lumpur Declaration creatingZOPFAN was more anticipative of a desired regionalorder than operative in terms of capacity for immediateimplementation. In a Cold War context, Malaysia, likeits ASEAN neighbours, was completely aware of thedistinction between desirability and possibility – termsnormally used in realist literature. Saravanamuttureadily acknowledges that “the proposal for a neutralSoutheast Asia was hardly in the tradition of non-alignment, having perhaps greater af nity to Europeanneutrality” (p. 122). Yet, it was the responsibility of regional states to de ne what they meant by securityand shape the regional order to promote regionalinterests. The Malaysian conception of regionalsecurity was closely intervowen with the dictates anddynamics of national security. The then Minister of Home Affairs, Tan Sri Ghazali Sha e, claimed that aSoutheast Asian Neutrality System would comprisethree essential elements: (a) national cohesiveness andresiliency, (b) regional cohesiveness and resiliency,and (c) a policy of equidistance by Southeast Asianstates towards the major powers (p. 121). Indeed, theseconstitutive elements provided the foundation for the

evolution of the ASEAN Community three decadeslater-to strengthen regional identity, promote regionalempowerment, and accelerate regional integration

pivoted on the three pillars: security, economic, andsocio-cultural.

Book Launch

Date:21 March 2011

Time:10:00 am – 12:00 noon

Venue:Council Room, Level 5Chancellory Building UKM


http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/beritaikmas31 28/28

Johan Saravanamuttu captures the Mahathirian thrustunder his chapter heading (Ch. 7), “ConfrontingGlobalization with Iconoclasm, 1981-1996”. The

pressures arising from Globalization impelled Mahathir towards broadening economic regionalism fromASEAN to ASEAN Plus 3 – a geographic expansionencompassing both Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia.In constructivist terms, Dr. Mahathir can take credit for his 1990 EAEG proposal which has now mushroomedinto ASEAN Plus Six, thereby underscoring the impactof economic globalization on national and regional

policies.

Finally, the author detects a third impulse in Malaysianforeign policy, i.e. Islamism, and traces its originsfrom the Tunku Abdul Rahman era. Saravanamuttusuggests that Malaysian premiers, especially Mahathir

and Abdullah Badawi were quick to see the manyeconomic opportunities of riding the Islamic wave of Globalization by consciously promoting Malaysia asa moderate Muslim-majority state. This posture wasevidently seen as strengthening Malaysia’s role andleadership as a successful Developing Country thatcould apparently harmonize the demands of spiritualityand materiality. Promoting Malaysia as a “halal hub”(p. 314) was certainly in line with the gains arisingfrom Globalization, given Malaysia’s industrializationand rising export capacity, while also furnishing the

necessary tools to manage state-sponsored Islam under the rubric of “Islam Hadhari”.

Nevertheless, despite its Islamic leanings, the politicaleconomy of Malaysian foreign policy tends to suggest

policies, trends, postures and actions that point in thedirection of strong economic and security relationswith the West and the Developed World, i.e. the Non-Muslim World. As Saravanamuttu himself points out,Malaysia’s engagement with the major trading andinvestment partners over the past 50 years reveals a

trajectory grounded in realism and pragmatism. Thecountry’s major trading partners have been, andare ASEAN, the United States, European Union,Japan, South Korea, and more recently, rising Chinaand India. While the importance given to Islam isunderstandable from the perspective of identity politicsand international diplomacy, the stark truth is that theMuslim World’s share in Malaysia’s total trade is stillvery low in comparison to the Developed Countries.In realist power terms, the Muslim World has yet toemerge as a major power centre to warrant the attentionof decision-makers in Putra Jaya to undertake a seriousreview of Malaysia’s hitherto engagement with the

the author to conclude that “Malaysia’s primary andmost important economic relationships in trade andinvestment are with the global economic powerhousesof the United States, European Union and Japan, andincreasingly China (p. 316).

As to whether Malaysia’s foreign policy orientation willremain consistent and stable under the premiership of

Najib Tun Razak since assuming of ce in April 2009,the author implicitly suggests in his Postscript (p. 327),that the answer lies in the analysis of Malaysia’s politicaleconomy. The economic powerhouses of the worldwould still remain Malaysia’s priority engagement.To what extent Prime Minister Najib would prioritize

pragmatism and celebrate diversity while containingdomestic pressures from ethnic and religious quarterstowards Islamism and insularity, remains to be seen.However, Najib’s warming of relations with the West,

especially the United States, points in the direction of a consistent record of Malaysian foreign policy. WouldMalaysia continue its hedging and balancing strategiesto nd its niche in the emerging new global politicaland economic order of the 21st century? Wouldinclusivity as espoused by the “1 Malaysia” concept asopposed to exclusivity serve as the driver of Malaysia’sdomestic and foreign policies in the era of expandingGlobalization? Indeed, Johan Saravanamuttu’s work might well provide the necessary impetus for this newenterprise. I therefore warmly commend this book to

all teachers, researchers, analysts and practitioners of Malaysian foreign policy.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, BangiSelangor, Malaysia

21 March 2011

The author, Dr. Johan Saravanamuttu, Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Institute of Southeast

Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore with Dato’ Ku Jaafar Ku Shaari, Director-General, Institute of Diplomacy & Foreign Relations (IDFR)

Some of the participants at the book launch on

...from page 27

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