Abstract
The Malaysia Agreement, and the process of establishing the Malaysian Federation in 1963, are increasing being debated by Sarawakians and Sabahans. This has led to the rise of state nationalism in both states. Putrajaya responded by appointing more East Malaysians to the cabinet, adopting September 16 as Malaysia Day, creating a committee to deal with ‘devolution of powers’ to Sabah and Sarawak and in the past month, the Sarawak state government sent a team to London to look at the original documents relating to the Malaysia Agreement.
In this public lecture, Professor James Chin will discuss the process that led to the formation of the Malaysian Federation and related issues as seen from the viewpoint of Kuching and Kota Kinabalu.
Professor James Chin is Director, Asia Institute, University of Tasmania and a Senior Fellow at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia, Sunway University. He is the leading scholar on the political developments in Sabah and Sarawak. His most recent publications include: Malaysia Post-Mahathir: A Decade of Change? (2016), 50 Years of Malaysia: Federalism Revisited (2014) and Awakening: The Abdullah Badawi Years in Malaysia (2013).
