Towards a More Asymmetrical Federation: Sarawak Regionalism and the Future of Malaysian Federalism
Abstract
This article examines Sarawak's post-2018 regionalism as a structurally significant driver of change in Malaysian federalism. Drawing on qualitative elite interview data from five key participants in the political, legal, and legislative domains, corroborated by official government and primary documentary sources spanning the period 2018 to 2026, the article argues that Sarawak's regionalism is contributing to a gradual shift towards a more negotiated and asymmetrical form of Malaysian federalism, characterised by incremental fiscal, resource, and administrative devolution within the Federation rather than comprehensive decentralisation or separation. Three core findings organise the analysis: first, greater autonomy is being achieved through incremental asymmetrical devolution of fiscal and resource powers; second, negotiation, encompassing federal-state bargaining, coalition leverage, and selective legal action, functions as the primary pathway; and third, the sustainability of these gains is conditioned on constitutional durability, governing capacity, development performance, and a transition beyond grievance-based regionalism. The article advances the concept of 'negotiated centralism' as a theoretically grounded account of how a sub-state region achieves meaningful asymmetrical gains within a formally centralised federal structure, without triggering comprehensive decentralisation or separation. An original 'constitutional covenant' framing of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 is also offered, positioning MA63 as a living constitutional framework for federal-state relations rather than a historical grievance.
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