China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a flagship programme under President Xi Jinping, has rapidly become one of the world’s most influential drivers of global infrastructure development. While the UK is not currently a primary destination for BRI projects, its stakes remain high due to the initiative’s impact on key strategic partners and the broader geopolitical landscape.

In a post-Brexit context, this policy brief outlines how the UK government can engage proactively with the BRI by promoting debt sustainability, fostering collaboration with international partners, and safeguarding against undue political influence while positioning the initiative as a global public good.

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Malaysia is the world’s largest producer of rubber gloves, with most exports going to the United States and the European Union. During the COVID-19 pandemic, surging global demand accelerated production, raising concerns over labour conditions and recruitment practices. By February 2023, the United States had banned imports from six Malaysian manufacturers over indicators of forced labour.

Focusing on smallholder farms, processors, and manufacturers, this study examines decent work challenges and opportunities across employment, workers’ rights, social protection, and social dialogue within the rubber glove supply chain.

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Selangor remains the largest contributor to Malaysia’s GDP, but its rapid economic growth is accompanied by significant demographic shifts. Rising education levels and workforce participation among women have contributed to delayed marriage and smaller family sizes, resulting in a declining fertility rate of 1.4, below the replacement level.

With an ageing population and shrinking household sizes, these trends pose long-term implications for the labour market and social structures. The Selangor State Population Seminar 2024 (SKNS 2024) brings together policymakers, academics, and stakeholders to address these challenges, exploring strategies across socioeconomic development, healthcare, policy, and shared responsibility to better prepare the state for its demographic future.

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This publication examines the state of education in Malaysia through the lens of the country’s wider economic challenges. Drawing on New Naratif’s The Citizens’ Agenda 2022 survey, it highlights how public concerns around the economy, jobs, wages, and education are closely connected, showing the important role education plays in improving livelihoods, employability, and national progress.

It also explores key structural issues affecting Malaysia’s public education system, including child poverty, excessive bureaucracy, corruption, and the lack of open data. The article then considers possible pathways for urgent education reform, with a particular focus on inclusivity, and calls on civil society and the wider public to take an active role in shaping a fairer and more effective education system.

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Malaysia’s federalism, once highly centralised and politically subdued, began to re-emerge as a key policy discussion following the 2008 general election, when several states came under opposition control. Over the next decade, demands for greater state autonomy intensified, ranging from natural resource rights to control over local service delivery, signalling a shift in federal–state dynamics.

The 2018 change in government renewed commitments to “revive the true spirit of federalism,” including reforms to strengthen East Malaysia’s position under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the formation of a Parliamentary Select Committee on Federal-State Relations. However, evolving political tensions and uneven resource allocations highlight the ongoing challenges in achieving balanced and equitable federal governance.

This paper examines Malaysia’s federal history and proposes pathways to strengthen fair, inclusive, and sustainable federal–state relations.

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This is the second in a series of policy papers examining contemporary challenges in Malaysia’s federalism. Building on Policy Ideas No. 59, it focuses on the influence of the federal government on state fiscal governance and explores pathways toward a more sustainable and well-functioning federal–state system.

The paper traces how Malaysia’s evolving political landscape has shaped resource allocation and federal control through party-aligned administrations, administrative mechanisms, legal frameworks, and the politico-bureaucratic system. It also examines recent shifts following the formation of Perikatan Nasional in 2020, which reshaped state-level political alignments and introduced unprecedented diversity in coalition control across states.

Against this backdrop, the paper analyses the implications of fragmented political governance on federal–state relations and proposes recommendations to strengthen fairness, stability, and long-term institutional balance.

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The Pakatan Harapan-aligned Sabah state government, led by Parti Warisan Sabah, collapsed in July 2020 following the defection of 13 state assembly members. This political realignment paved the way for the Sabah state election on 26 September 2020, an important prelude to broader national electoral developments.

The situation highlights the growing complexity of Malaysia’s state-level politics, where federal alignment, party loyalty, and leadership negotiations increasingly shape outcomes. At the same time, the role of state Rulers remains significant, as they exercise constitutional discretion in appointing Chief Ministers or dissolving state legislatures.

Amid a fragmented and fluid political landscape, these dynamics underscore the evolving nature of electoral strategy and governance at both state and federal levels.

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Since the 2020 “Sheraton Move,” Malaysia’s federal–state relations have become increasingly complex, with states often holding separate elections and coalitions forming in varying configurations across the federation. This has resulted in a dynamic political landscape, with seven states currently governed by the PH–BN grand coalition, four under Perikatan Nasional, and Sabah and Sarawak led by their own state-based coalitions.

Over recent years, states have intensified calls for greater policy autonomy and improved fiscal arrangements, particularly in revenue-sharing with the federal government. While progress has been made through initiatives such as the Malaysia Agreement 1963 Implementation Action Council, significant gaps remain in addressing broader federal–state tensions beyond East Malaysia.

With upcoming state elections in Sabah (2025), Sarawak (2026), and Melaka (2026), pressures on federal–state relations are expected to increase, underscoring the need for stronger and more structured negotiation mechanisms under Malaysia’s evolving political landscape.

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The United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) was Malaysia’s dominant ruling party for over six decades following independence in 1957. Its loss of federal power in 2018 triggered a major realignment of political coalitions, followed by its return to government in 2020 and continued participation in the unity government formed after the 15th General Election in 2023 alongside Pakatan Harapan and other regional parties.

The formation of this coalition was driven by the absence of a clear parliamentary majority, leading to the establishment of a broad “unity government” supported by 151 of 222 seats in Parliament. While this arrangement has been viewed as a pragmatic solution to ensure political stability, it also reflects significant ideological compromises among long-standing political rivals.

Within this evolving landscape, UMNO’s participation in government has reinforced access to institutional influence and political resources, continuing long-standing patterns of patronage within Malaysia’s political system. This paper examines the implications of UMNO’s role in the unity government, its organisational strength, and the impact of coalition dynamics, with a focus on developments in Selangor and Melaka.

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Improving educational outcomes for Orang Asli students has long been a key policy priority in Malaysia, as the community continues to experience persistent disparities within the national education system. While initiatives such as the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013–2025 have introduced targeted measures to improve access, retention, and achievement, significant gaps remain between policy intent and implementation at the grassroots level.

In response, the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) launched the Inclusive Education for Orang Asli Children project to better understand these challenges and strengthen evidence-based solutions. Building on earlier research, this final report consolidates key lessons from programme implementation, highlighting challenges, stakeholder experiences, and recommendations to support more inclusive, culturally responsive, and effective education initiatives for Orang Asli communities.

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Voices from the Ground is a participatory research initiative led by the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) that seeks to address educational challenges faced by the Orang Asli communities in Peninsular Malaysia. By amplifying the perspectives of students, parents, teachers, and civil society organisations, the project aims to inform more inclusive and culturally responsive education policies. Using Indigenous methodologies such as photovoice and sharing circles, the study engaged communities in Kelantan to better understand barriers to education, including limited access to resources, cultural misunderstandings, and socioeconomic constraints.

Key findings highlight the importance of strengthening trust between Orang Asli communities, schools, and agencies such as JAKOA, as well as shifting towards strength-based and culturally integrated approaches to learning. The study recommends embedding Indigenous knowledge into education, enhancing multi-stakeholder collaboration, and addressing structural issues such as poverty and infrastructure gaps. Ultimately, the project underscores the need to centre Orang Asli voices in education policy and practice to support more equitable and sustainable outcomes.

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Carbon Emissions Pinch Analysis (CEPA) offers a clear, visual approach for policymakers to understand the energy–climate nexus and identify pathways to reduce emissions. Using the Philippines as a case study, this policy brief demonstrates how CEPA can support more informed decision-making by simplifying complex energy data and highlighting the balance between energy demand, emissions, and technology choices.

Aligned with global climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, the study emphasises the need for developing countries to reconcile economic growth with deep emissions cuts. CEPA provides a “big picture” view to guide the adoption of low, zero, and emerging negative emissions technologies, enabling policymakers to make balanced, evidence-based decisions across economic, environmental, and societal priorities.

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Peatlands in Southeast Asia are critical carbon-rich ecosystems that support biodiversity, sustain local livelihoods, and play an important role in global climate regulation. However, land-use change, drainage, and agribusiness expansion have significantly degraded these ecosystems, making them highly vulnerable to fires that contribute to transboundary haze, air pollution, and substantial economic and public health impacts. At the same time, degraded peatlands are major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, further accelerating climate change across the region, particularly in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

In response, peatland policy has evolved from a focus on conservation and fire mitigation to broader integration within national climate and biodiversity strategies aligned with global frameworks such as the Paris Agreement and the Global Biodiversity Framework. Despite this progress, evidence-based policymaking remains constrained by limited, fragmented, and sometimes contradictory data on tropical peatlands, which undermines effective governance. Strengthening the scientific evidence base is therefore essential to support nature-based solutions and inform more effective, climate-resilient peatland management in Southeast Asia.

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Methane is increasingly recognised as a critical driver of near-term global warming. Although its atmospheric concentration is far lower than carbon dioxide, methane has a significantly higher warming impact over a 20-year period, making it the second-largest contributor to global temperature rise after CO₂. Despite its importance, methane emissions are often underemphasised or communicated in complex ways, limiting clear understanding and policy prioritisation.

Methane reduction is widely viewed as a cost-effective and technically achievable “low-hanging fruit” in climate mitigation efforts, particularly compared to more complex long-term decarbonisation pathways. In response, the Global Methane Pledge, launched at COP26, sets an international target to reduce anthropogenic methane emissions by at least 30% by 2030 relative to 2020 levels. While not legally binding, it signals growing global momentum for urgent and targeted methane action.

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Haze pollution poses a significant environmental, social, and economic burden in Malaysia, with the 2013 haze event alone estimated to have cost the economy RM1.5 billion. In response, Malaysia has developed comprehensive whole-of-government action plans to address haze episodes and mitigate their impacts on public health and daily life.

Despite these measures, there are ongoing calls to strengthen government communication with the public both during haze events and in periods of preparedness. Research led by the University of Nottingham Malaysia highlights gaps in public knowledge, attitudes, and behavioural responses to haze, underscoring the need for clearer, more consistent communication strategies. This policy brief offers recommendations to enhance public awareness, improve crisis communication, and strengthen consumer understanding to support more effective haze management.

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