Malaysia's Counter-Terrorism Strategy: A Top-Down Policy Analysis of Legislative, Rehabilitative, and Educational Approaches

Abstract

This paper examines Malaysia’s bureaucratic perspective on implementing the Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE) policy. It takes a top-down approach and focuses on the ability of policymakers to design clear and practical policy objectives and manage the implementation phase. Interviews were conducted with eight prominent figures and stakeholders who are involved in the implementation of this policy from various fields, including the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, the Special Branch (E8) of the Royal Malaysia Police, Members of Malaysian Parliament and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly Caucus (AIPA Caucus), experts, and academics. The study results indicate that the PCVE policy is implemented centrally, with power passing from the first tier of government to the second tier and the third tier playing a less active role. The implementation consists of three phases: before, during, and after detention, with distinct stakeholders for each phase. These findings are helpful for Malaysian law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and non-governmental organizations tasked with preventing and detecting terrorist acts.