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This paper seeks to answer the question of how the sultanates of Malaysia maintained their authority in the current nation-state era as almost all of Indonesia's hundreds of sultanates (except for the Sultanate of Yogyakarta in Java) lost formal power. It proposes three findings. First, Dutch and British colonialism had different legacies in Indonesia and Malaysia, respectively. Second, following their independence, Indonesia and Malaysia adopted different government systems, with the former becoming a unitary republic and the latter becoming a federal state; consequently, the sultanates of Indonesia had to submit themselves to the central government in Indonesia, whereas those in Malaysia were given broader space to exercise their authority within a federal state. Third, the sultanates of Malaysia have a two-layered identity, resulting from the convergence of ethnic Malay and Islamic identities that eventually strengthened the Sultanate's authority and legitimacy in the eyes of the people and the federal state; conversely, convergence between ethnic and religious identity was limited in Indonesia's sultanates, subsequently undermining the sultans' ability to uphold authority and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corruption is a serious concern all over the world. Due to the limited amount of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research on specific issues such as bribery, this paper aims to determine the extent of anti-corruption information disclosure in annual reports that demonstrate organizational commitment towards combatting corruption. The index consists of 40 items developed from an analysis of past literature and several organizations' published reports. The input data was based on observation of several organizations' annual reports, CSR and sustainability reports, past literature and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) reporting indicators. The sample consists of 24 companies that participated in the ACCA Malaysia Sustainability Reporting Awards (MaSRA) and 34 Indonesian companies that participated in the Indonesia Sustainability Reporting Award (ISRA). The disclosure of anti-corruption practices (ACP) is still in its infancy in both countries. This study shows that the disclosure of anti-corruption codes of conduct and whistle-blowing practices was the most reported item. Interestingly, Indonesian companies disclosed higher amounts of ACP information compared to Malaysian companies. This is possibly because there is a higher level of coercive pressure to disclose ACP information in Indonesia compared to Malaysia. Further, there are several challenges to curbing corruption in Malaysia which potentially contribute to the low disclosure level of ACP information. This research contributes to CSR studies with a focus on anti-corruption practice, particularly in emerging economies. Some implications to improve the level of anti-corruption disclosure are also presented in the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores dominant discourses on 'illegal' migrants in the context of contemporary Indonesian labour migration to Malaysia. By focusing on the particular case of migrant domestic workers, it discusses recent political moves undertaken by both nation-states to regularise migratory movements. These state-induced efforts at regularising transnational migration have been promoted as combating trafficking and 'illegal' migration, but they have led to the legitimisation of a migration scheme that has much in common with colonial indentured labour. Hence, the paper argues that this 'legal,' state-sanctioned migration scheme gradually leads domestic workers into 'legal' - but bonded - labour arrangements and that the labour contract, as such, needs to be analysed as an instrument of subordination. Through the counter-narrative of Arum, an Indonesian domestic worker performing her work 'illegally' in Malaysia, the paper then goes on to argue that to migrate through 'illegal' migration channels can be interpreted as an act of voluntarily circumventing the 'legal,' state-sanctioned migration scheme. Thus, 'illegal' migration can be equated with deliberately resisting a coercive system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Implementation of large Chinese projects overseas is uneven, with the dynamic more complex than often portrayed. • Projects are rolled out more expeditiously in host states with a highly centralized political structure and vice versa. • Malaysia's power concentration has facilitated elite consensus and quickened the East Coast Rail Link's rollout. • Indonesia's implementation of the Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Rail has been checked by multiple influential stakeholders. • This paper's findings have important implications for future South-South cooperation in railway development. This paper focuses on two of the most prominent Chinese railway projects in Southeast Asia since the 2013 inception of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – Malaysia's East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) and Indonesia's Jakarta-Bandung High Speed Rail (HSR). Adding non-economic considerations and political contestation between central state organs into Sinha's (2005) framework on central-state/province interactions and their impact on economic development, it argues that the implementation of large, capital-intensive BRI projects is more complex than often portrayed. The ECRL is implemented considerably faster than the HSR primarily because, relative to Indonesia, Malaysia possesses a more centralized political structure. Malaysia's power concentration at two levels – between central and subnational players and amongst central players – has facilitated elite consensus and accelerated the ECRL's rollout. In contrast, Indonesia's decentralization exercise since the late 1990s, both at the spatial level and within the executive arm of the central government, has encouraged plurality of opinions and complicated project implementation. Despite President Joko Widodo's clear intentions to expedite the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, he has been checked by multiple influential stakeholders, resulting in delays. The Indonesians, relative to the Malaysians, appear to have negotiated a somewhat better deal from the Chinese railway consortium. However, these tentative gains are offset by the HSR's slow implementation, which in turn is undergirded by Indonesia's fragmented institutional arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines the use of Acehnese among Acehnese descendants living in Kampung Aceh (KA), in the district of Yan, Kedah, northwest of Peninsular Malaysia. The data were collected by interviewing 57 residents from different generations about their use of Acehnese, and how they identify themselves as a group, given that they were born and bred in Malaysia. The findings indicate that Acehnese is still used in KA, albeit decreasingly by the youngest generation. Nevertheless, the respondents who generally regard themselves as ureueng Acèh, consider Acehnese as an important aspect of their identity and their perceived ties with the Aceh province in Indonesia. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Petro diplomacy has played its role in last few decades and that makes energy security a major concern worldwide. Rapid climate change and environmental protection is another vital issue to be addressed in recent energy policies. So an alternative carbon neutral transport fuel is a must in new sustainable energy mix. Biodiesel has immense potentiality to be a part of a sustainable energy mix. In this energy scenario, Brazil''s success is a role model in utilizing its agro-industry for reducing poverty, greenhouse gas emission and petro-dependency simultaneously. Brazil commercialized bioethanol in mass scale by introducing flexible fuel vehicles in market. This dedicated engine idea moralizes a new concept of dedicated biodiesel engine vehicles for Malaysia and Indonesia. Southeast Asian countries, i.e. Malaysia and Indonesia is the largest producer as well as exporter of palm oil. Growing at highest yield rate among other biodiesel feedstock, palm based biodiesel is a top exported product for this region. This paper will quantify the prospects of a dedicated biodiesel engine vehicle for Malaysia and Indonesia that will initiate palm based biodiesel in fuel supply chain by leapfrogging the barriers of biodiesel utilization by boosting local automobile industry simultaneously. This article will also review on energy scenario of Malaysia and Indonesia and their renewable energy policies and challenges for coming decades. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Sustainable ecosystem management of Acacia mangium plantation, the area of which is rapidly increasing in the tropics, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, becomes more and more important. In this context, abundance, biomass and vertical distribution of soil macro-invertebrates were investigated in a mature plantation of A. mangium in Sarawak, Malaysia. In the present paper, in order to reveal the changes in soil macro-fauna caused by conversion of natural forests to A. mangium plantations, the results were compared with those from a nearby primary forest. While total abundance of soil macro-invertebrates was similar, total biomass was much larger in the plantation than in the primary forest. The prominent factor for such a large total biomass in the plantation was the high abundance of earthworms, followed by isopods and harvestmen with much smaller contributions. The common feature of the communities of these three taxa in the plantation was the absolute dominance by single species. The dominant earthworm species was of the endogeic type that was absent from the primary forest and thought to be introduced with A. mangium seedlings from outside. The isopod flushed in the plantation was a pill bug that occurred in the primary forest, too, and might have been pre-adapted to the vegetation change. The dominant harvestman in the plantation was of the life form different from that of the other species found, and was thought to be supported by the explosive increase in biomass of earthworm and/or pill bug. On the other hand, communities of termites, ants, fly larvae, click beetle larvae and other beetle larvae were depressed by the vegetation change. Thus the major consequence of the conversion of natural forest to A. mangium plantation was simplification of community structure in many taxonomic groups. The major points of the simplification in turn were the explosive increase in biomass of the soil processing earthworm and the litter processing pill bug which may accelerate the mineralization processes. The need for a careful monitoring on sustainability of soil fertility was concluded. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents general equilibrium evaluations of forest sector trade for Southeast Asian exporters. The four scenarios examined range from the 1994 Uruguay Round tariff reductions to a complete liberalisation of forest and agricultural products trade. We find that simultaneous reductions in forest and agricultural sector tariffs make Indonesia and Malaysia worse off. For Indonesia, this is due to the fall in forest rent and agricultural tariff revenues. Malaysia has the highest ratio of agricultural imports to total land-based sector imports, the rise in agricultural prices thus hits Malaysian consumers the hardest.We find that terms of trade effect omitted from the partial equilibrium framework may reduce the welfare calculations for Malaysia and Indonesia in the forest sector trade by as much as 106 and 58%, respectively. This points to the importance of general equilibrium modelling in the logging industry. The same applies to other sector specific analyses where trade is concentrated between few countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Consumers are increasingly demanding products containing palm oil produced without harm to the environment. The industry response to this demand has been the creation of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and the development of a certification system to ensure sustainable palm oil production. However, currently there is no scientific evidence of the benefit gained through the RSPO certification schema. This paper quantifies the environmental impacts of RSPO certified and non-certified through a detailed Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of 1 kg of RBD palm oil to factory gate, produced in Indonesia and Malaysia in 2016, to identify potential benefits and trade-offs of RSPO certification. The ISO 14040/14044 compliant LCA is carried out following both a consequential and an attributional LCA approach. The inventory model presents a high level of detail. Primary inventory data describing the certified production system are obtained from RSPO assessment reports, covering 73% (634 estates) of the certified estate, including 111 smallholders, and 58% (165 oil mills) of the certified mills. Data for the total industrial production are drawn from national statistics and scientific literature. The non-certified flows are derived by subtracting the certified flows from the total industry flows. The consequential results show that RSPO certified oil reduces GHG emission by 35% compared to non-certified i.e. 3.41 (2.61–4.48) kg CO 2 eq./kg for certified vs 5.34 (3.34–8.16) kg CO 2 eq./kg for non-certified. Based on a thorough data quality assessment and uncertainty analysis, this result is deemed sufficiently robust and thus conclusive. Certified production achieves the largest GHG emissions reduction because of higher yields, i.e. less land use per unit of product, less oil palm cultivated on peat soil and higher share of palm oil mill effluents treated with biogas capture technologies. We also found that nature occupation is reduced by 20% in certified production while respiratory inorganic is slightly higher (3%) in certified production, due to the larger use of fertilisers. For other impact categories, results are associated with a larger uncertainty and therefore shall be considered as indicative. Similar results are found in attributional modelling. • RSPO certified palm oil emits less GHG emissions than non-certified palm oil. • RSPO certification increases nature conservation in palm oil production. • RSPO certified oil captures a higher share of biogas from palm oil mill effluents than non-certified. • Higher RSPO certified oil palm yields reduce land occupation and indirect land use changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Asia’s largest biofuels producers are currently Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, China and India. This paper first examines the current status of biofuels in these countries, including the national development targets, strategies, incentives and policies. It then identifies the fundamental driving forces behind the development and promotion of these industries and considers their economic, social and environmental impacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]