Challenges of the Multinational Federation: The Case of Malaysia, 2008-2020

Abstract

Creating stability in Malaysia’s multinational federation is a
challenging process. This is because Malaysia still faces the problem of
developmental imbalance between regions, disharmony of race relations and
the threat of separation. Using the concept of multinational federation as an
analytical tool and primary source through interviews as well as secondary
sources such as books, journals and newspapers as the research data, this article
discusses Malaysia’s challenges as a multinational federal state with its scope
from 2008 to 2020. The challenges identified in this article were the rise of
racial and religious sentiments, the existence of separatist movements in Sabah
and Sarawak, the ambiguity of consociational politics and the weakening of
national unity and integration. Even so, Malaysia was still able to control its
ethnic conflicts owing to the constitutional power of federal government, use of
security apparatus and the attitude of the people who respect the constitution.
These findings showed that federalism still remains relevant as a unifying
mechanism of ethnic pluralism, but needs to be improved in terms of its
implementation in a responsive, efficient and fair manner to all citizens.