Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is often portrayed as a policy measure that can mitigate the environmental influence of corporate and government projects through objective, systematic, and value-free assessment. Simultaneously, however, research has also shown that the larger political context...
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ftmdpi:oai:mdpi.com:/2071-1050/12/24/10467/ 2023-08-20T04:06:34+02:00 Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict Peter Ho Bin Md Saman Nor-Hisham Heng Zhao agris 2020-12-14 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410467 EN eng Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su122410467 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Sustainability; Volume 12; Issue 24; Pages: 10467 environmental and social impact assessment dam and mega-projects forced displacement and resettlement land eviction and expropriation Borneo and Orang Ulu first nations and ethnic minorities Text 2020 ftmdpi https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410467 2023-08-01T00:40:00Z Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is often portrayed as a policy measure that can mitigate the environmental influence of corporate and government projects through objective, systematic, and value-free assessment. Simultaneously, however, research has also shown that the larger political context in which the EIA is embedded is crucial in determining its influence on decision-making. Moreover, particularly in the case of mega-projects, vested economic interests, rent-seeking, and politics may provide them with a momentum in which the EIA risks becoming a mere formality. To substantiate this point, the article examines the EIA of what is reportedly Asia’s largest dam outside China: the Bakun Hydro-electric Project (BHP) in Malaysia. The study is based on mixed methods, particularly, qualitative research (semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and archival study) coupled to a survey conducted in 10 resource-poor, indigenous communities in the resettlement area. It is found that close to 90% of the respondents are dissatisfied with their participation in the EIA, while another 80% stated that the authorities had conducted the EIA without complying to the procedures. The findings do not only shed light on the manner in which the EIA was used to legitimize a project that should ultimately have been halted, but are also testimony to the way that the BHP has disenfranchised the rights of indigenous people to meaningfully participate in the EIA. Text First Nations MDPI Open Access Publishing Eia ENVELOPE(7.755,7.755,63.024,63.024) Sustainability 12 24 10467 |
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Open Polar |
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MDPI Open Access Publishing |
op_collection_id |
ftmdpi |
language |
English |
topic |
environmental and social impact assessment dam and mega-projects forced displacement and resettlement land eviction and expropriation Borneo and Orang Ulu first nations and ethnic minorities |
spellingShingle |
environmental and social impact assessment dam and mega-projects forced displacement and resettlement land eviction and expropriation Borneo and Orang Ulu first nations and ethnic minorities Peter Ho Bin Md Saman Nor-Hisham Heng Zhao Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict |
topic_facet |
environmental and social impact assessment dam and mega-projects forced displacement and resettlement land eviction and expropriation Borneo and Orang Ulu first nations and ethnic minorities |
description |
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is often portrayed as a policy measure that can mitigate the environmental influence of corporate and government projects through objective, systematic, and value-free assessment. Simultaneously, however, research has also shown that the larger political context in which the EIA is embedded is crucial in determining its influence on decision-making. Moreover, particularly in the case of mega-projects, vested economic interests, rent-seeking, and politics may provide them with a momentum in which the EIA risks becoming a mere formality. To substantiate this point, the article examines the EIA of what is reportedly Asia’s largest dam outside China: the Bakun Hydro-electric Project (BHP) in Malaysia. The study is based on mixed methods, particularly, qualitative research (semi-structured interviews, participatory observation, and archival study) coupled to a survey conducted in 10 resource-poor, indigenous communities in the resettlement area. It is found that close to 90% of the respondents are dissatisfied with their participation in the EIA, while another 80% stated that the authorities had conducted the EIA without complying to the procedures. The findings do not only shed light on the manner in which the EIA was used to legitimize a project that should ultimately have been halted, but are also testimony to the way that the BHP has disenfranchised the rights of indigenous people to meaningfully participate in the EIA. |
format |
Text |
author |
Peter Ho Bin Md Saman Nor-Hisham Heng Zhao |
author_facet |
Peter Ho Bin Md Saman Nor-Hisham Heng Zhao |
author_sort |
Peter Ho |
title |
Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict |
title_short |
Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict |
title_full |
Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict |
title_fullStr |
Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict |
title_full_unstemmed |
Limits of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in Malaysia: Dam Politics, Rent-Seeking, and Conflict |
title_sort |
limits of the environmental impact assessment (eia) in malaysia: dam politics, rent-seeking, and conflict |
publisher |
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410467 |
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agris |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(7.755,7.755,63.024,63.024) |
geographic |
Eia |
geographic_facet |
Eia |
genre |
First Nations |
genre_facet |
First Nations |
op_source |
Sustainability; Volume 12; Issue 24; Pages: 10467 |
op_relation |
Economic and Business Aspects of Sustainability https://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su122410467 |
op_rights |
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410467 |
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Sustainability |
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12 |
container_issue |
24 |
container_start_page |
10467 |
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