Ayami Kan, Maria Brockhaus, Gordon John, Helena Varkkey, Grace Wong
5th International Forest Policy Meeting
Panel 4.4b
11 April 2024
University of Helsinki, Finland
Contestations around forests and lands have a long history in Sabah, and the divergent interests of the ruling State, private business and indigenous and local peoples have played out in narratives in policies and media since colonial times. Coalition building among actors is one avenue of influencing policy and securing benefits from policy outcomes.
In this paper we examine policy coalitions related to the Nature Conservation Agreement, a controversial carbon credit trading scheme in Sabah, Malaysia, by identifying joint narratives about development and forests/lands as put forth by both state and non-state actors featured in print media. This analysis enables us to identify discourse coalitions, but also to advance our understanding of argumentation shared by particular actors, and the narratives that are constructed and employed by actors. Relevant articles from October 2021 to January 2023 were coded to identify the media frames, actors, and their arguments. Using discourse network analyser (DNA), three coalitions were identified: 1) Local rights defenders; 2) NCA promoters; 3) Process sceptics. Actors for or against the NCA both emphasise the importance of managing forests and local development within Sabah, but closer examination of arguments reveal that coalitions have different visions of who is to be included for decision-making and who will benefit from it. Discourses on development and resource management in Sabah are not without contestation, even though alternative options for more just development are still absent. The NCA is an ongoing case, and new events have unfolded since January 2023—where coalitions have adopted new strategies to (de)legitimize the case for NCA, including attempts to bring in new allies to expand their coalition.
The way in which carbon trade is framed as a triple-win solution for economic development, climate change and local autonomy also reveals the persistence of neoliberal ideologies that have shaped much of the development polices in the state. While the coalitions identified from this case may not be new or surprising, they are important to consider, as they forge path dependencies for future development pathways and policies in Sabah.