Assessing public participation initiatives in local governments decisions making in Malaysia

• Main Authors: Abdul Manaf, Halimah, Mohamed, Ahmad Martadha
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: JS Local government Municipal government
• Online Access: http://repo.uum.edu.my/13928/1/e.PDF; http://repo.uum.edu.my/13928/; http://www.kaps.or.kr/en/src/event/view.php?no=78&year=2013

It is widely argued that increased public participation in government decision making brings many important benefits and among the most significant contribution is the enhancement of grass-roots democracy.This paper, therefore, attempts to assess the level of involvement among local citizens in local government decisions.The public participation initiatives were assessed using a set of Validated questionnaires.The questionnaires sought information on the range and extent of public participation initiatives used by local government.The questionnaires also probed citizens' perception towards these initiatives and their expectations for greater citizen empowerment.The questionnaires were administered to 205 local citizens randomly, selected from six local authorities in the northern region of Malaysia.The findings reveal that local governments consistently utilize conventional citizen participate methods to encourage the public to get involved in local government decision making.The findings also reveal the participatory initiatives that are highly preferred by the respondents.The paper concludes by recommending a more comprehensive model of participatory decision making which strives to fulfill the community needs and aspirations.