Strongmen-politicians and strategies of domination : politics among the Muslim bumiputera in Sarawak, 1970-2006
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Date
2008-09
Authors
Abdol Hazis, Mohd Faisal Syam
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Abstract
By applying the "state-in-society" theory that was developed by Joel Migdal
(1988), this thesis analyzes the domination of the Muslim Bumiputera in Sarawak since
more than three decades ago. Utilizing several research methods, namely content
analysis, interviews and survey, this thesis with a total of eight chapters is structured
according to three level of analysis; national, regional and community. The first level of
analysis attempts to locate Sarawak politics within the larger context of Malaysia's
political system. In this analysis, it is argued that the central state's agenda of
dominating Sarawak's society in particular the Muslim Bumiputera has been made
possible through its use of the accommodative strategy. At the crux of this strategy is
the co-optation of Sarawak's social forces, the Muslim Bumiputera intelligentsia, who
have become the central state's tool of domination in the negeri. The second level of
analysis focuses on the inter-play of Sarawak politics at the negeri level. This thesis
argues that the dual roles played by the Muslim Bumiputera intelligentsia, as the central
state's representative and as local strongman-politician, have effectively contributed to
the central state's agenda of dominating Sarawak's society, in particular the Muslim
Bumiputera. In playing the role of a state representative, strongmen-politicians
religiously abide to five basic demands of the state leaders; safeguarding national
interest, maintaining Malay political dominance, ensuring the BN's continued
dominance in the elections, granting the right to extract Sarawak's natural resources to
the central state and providing political stability. In return, the central state accords a
certain degree of autonomy to strongmen-politicians in administering the negeri.
Although the leadership of strongmen-politicians received the endorsement of central state leaders, they still faced great difficulties in dominating the people of Sarawak
including the Muslim Bumiputera. Hence, the strongmen-politicians employed a
combination of repressive (using repressive laws such as the ISA, issuing threat of
expulsion against dissenting government officers, weakening the strength of SBN
component parties through the policy of divide and rule) and accommodative measures
(co-opting opposition assemblymen, dispersing timber licenses and other state resources
as a mean of patronage, unifYing the heterogeneous Muslim Burniputera through the
process of Islamisation, penetrating the community through Sarawak civil service)
which proved to be effective in dominating the Muslim Burniputera. Finally, the third
level of analysis discusses the strategies adopted by the state in dominating the coastal
Malays in South-West Sarawak. This case study aims to reinforce our understanding of
the roles played by the state and society in leading to the political domination of the
Muslim Bumiputera in Sarawak.
Description
Keywords
Masyarakat Bumiputera Islam di Sarawak