ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the formal and informal mechanisms of the collusive agency in Malaysia. Previous studies have focused exclusively on coercive and conflictive aspects, such as the punitive exclusion of opposition states and coercive intervention into oppositional states by the federal government. This study argues that they are valid but misleading. By focusing on the BN-affiliated states, this chapter demonstrates that the mutual dependence of central leaders and local elites sustained the collusive agency of politico-bureaucratic networks between the federal and state governments. It also explains the institutional settings and collaborative practices in electoral mobilization and distributive politics.
