COMPARATIVE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

(BRUNEI, CAMBODIA, INDONESIA, LAOS, MALAYSIA,

MYANMAR, PHILIPPINES, SINGAPORE, THAILAND, TIMOR
LESTE AND VIETNAM)

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This report focused mainly on the comparison of South
East Asian Countries on the following points:

 National Government;

 Structure of Local Government; and

 Election

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  National Government

A national government is a government,

or political authority, that controls a nation. At
minimum, it requires a national army, enough
power over its states or provinces to set and
maintain foreign policy, and the ability to
collect taxes.

Reference: Flint Johnson https://study.com/academy/lesson/national-government-definition-responsibilities-powers.html 3

 Form of
Country Type of Government
Legislature
BRUNEI Constitutional Monarchy Unicameral

CAMBODIA Constitutional Monarchy Bicameral

THAILAND Constitutional Monarchy Bicameral

Parliamentary Democratic with
MALAYSIA Constitutional Monarchy
Bicameral

INDONESIA Democratic Republic Unicameral

LAOS Democratic Republic Unicameral

PHILIPPINES Constitutional Republic Bicameral

SINGAPORE Constitutional Republic Unicameral

MYANMAR Unitary Parliamentary Republic Unicameral

TIMOR LESTE Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic Unicameral

VIETNAM Communist Unicameral4

 UNICAMERAL BICAMERAL

The form of government that consist of The legislative system of the country,
only one legislative house or assembly comprising of two-tier assemblies.

Powers: Powers:
Concentrated Shared

System of Government: System of Government:

Unitary Federal

Decision on Policies: Decision on Policies:

Quick Decision-Making Consumes Time

Suitable for: Suitable for:

Small Countries Large Countries

5
 Country Type of Government
BRUNEI Constitutional Monarchy

CAMBODIA Constitutional Monarchy

THAILAND Constitutional Monarchy

Constitutional Monarchy

In which a monarch inherits the right to rule but

is limited by laws and a law-making body elected by
the body.

6
Reference: http://www.thomas.k12.ga.us/userfiles/530/Classes/6078/Canadas%20Government.pdf
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government
His Majesty the Sultan and
BRUNEI Yang Di-Pertuan

CAMBODIA Prime Minister King

THAILAND Prime Minister King

7
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government
His Majesty the Sultan and
BRUNEI Yang Di-Pertuan

Role of Head of Government:

Under the 1959 Constitution, the Sultan is the Head of State,

appointed by the Council of Succession, with full executive
authority and is assisted and advised by five (5) councils:

 Privy Council
 Council of Minister
 Legislative Council
 Council of Succession
 Council of Islamic Religion

Reference: https://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/brunei-darussalam/constitution-politics
http://www.clgf.org.uk/default/assets/File/Country_profiles/Brunei_Darussalam.pdf 8
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

CAMBODIA Prime Minister King

Role of Head of Government:

Prime Minister is also the chairman of the Cabinet and leads

the executive branch of the Royal Cambodian Government. The
PM is a member of parliament, and is appointed by the monarch
for a term of five (5) years.

Role of Head of State:

Cambodia as a Constitutional Monarchy, the King reigns

but does not rule (has no political power). It is officially the Head of
State and is a symbol of unity and “perpetuity” of the nation, per
definition of Cambodia’s Constitution.
9
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Cambodia
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

THAILAND Prime Minister King

Role of Head of Government:

Prime Minister also is the chair of the Cabinet of Thailand. It must

be a member of the House of Representatives, thus, qualifications for the
office of prime minister are the same as the qualifications of membership in
the house. The nominee and eventual prime minister is always the leader of
the largest political party in the lower house of the leader of the majority
coalition formed an election.

Role of Head of State:

The constitution stipulates that although the sovereignty of the

state is vested in the people, the King will exercise such powers through the
three (3) branches of the Thai Government. The figure head of the Thai
nation and the head of the armed forces.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Thailand 10
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Thailand
 Country Type of Government
Parliament Democracy with Constitutional
MALAYSIA Monarchy

Parliament Democracy

Is a system of democratic governance of a

state where the executive derives its democratic
legitimacy from its ability to command the
confidence of the legislature, typically a parliament,
and is also held accountable to that parliament.

Reference:
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNRMABzFTaQhO3XHn6cladpHMqhdnw%3A1580970353959&source=hp&e
i=cbE7XonrN9LFmAWt94nwAw&q=parliamentary+democracy+meaning&oq=parliament+democra&gs_l=psy-
ab.1.1.0i67j0i10l8j0.728.4629..8010...2.0..0.237.2886.0j18j1......0....1..gws-
wiz.......35i39i70i251j35i39j0i131j0i131i67j0i10i67j0i67i70i249j0i20i263j0i13.GWZzmJbt44M 11
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

MALAYSIA Prime Minister King

Role of Head of Government:

Heads the Cabinet. The Prime Minister’s Office (sometimes

referred to as the Prime Minister’s Office) is the body and ministry in
which the Prime Minister exercises its functions and powers.

Role of Head of State:

The Supreme King of Malaysia. The head of the state who in

His Majesty’s judgement is to command the confidence of the
majority of the members of the House of Representatives. Head of
the Islam in Malaysia. Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Malaysia 12
 Country Type of Government
INDONESIA Democratic Republic

LAOS Democratic Republic

Democratic Republic

A form of government operating on principles

adopted from a republic and a democracy that may
function on principles shared by both democracies
and republics

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_republic
Ashley Robinson, October 6, 2019. What Is a Republic vs a Democracy? Understanding the Difference.
https://blog.prepscholar.com/republic-vs-democracy-difference 13
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

INDONESIA President President

LAOS Prime Minister President

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 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

INDONESIA President President

Role of the Head of State and Government:

 Head of State and Head of Government and multi-party system

(political system)
 Lead the Executive Branch of Indonesian Government
 Commander in Chief of Indonesian Armed Forces

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_Indonesia 15
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

LAOS Prime Minister President

Role of the Head of Government:

 Nominated by the President to the National Assembly

and is responsible to the national Assembly.
 Second-ranked in the Political Bureau

Role of the Head of State:

 Head of the three (3) branches

 General Secretary of Lao People’s Revolutionary Party

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Laos 16
 Country Type of Government
PHILIPPINES Constitutional Republic

SINGAPORE Constitutional Republic

Constitutional Republic

A government limited by laws established by a

formal constitution, which is secular in nature. The
government runs by elected officials who are voted
by the population, and those officials are required to
follow the rules of government laid out by that
country’s constitution.

Reference: Ashley Robinson, October 6, 2019. What Is a Republic vs a Democracy?

Understanding thehttps://blog.prepscholar.com/republic-vs-democracy-difference 17
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

PHILIPPINES President President

Role of the Head of Government and State:

 Chief Executive
 Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the
Philippines

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_of_the_Philippines 18
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

SINGAPORE Prime Minister President

Role of the Head of Government:

 The country’s most powerful political figure

 Leader of the majority party in the legislature
 Lead the Cabinet in which it exercise the executive authority.
Role of the Head of State:

 The public persona who officially embodies a state

 The power of the President of Singapore are divided into those which
the President may exercise in his or her own discretion, and those he
or she must exercise in accordance with the advice of the Cabinet of
Singapore or of a Minister acting under general authority of the
Cabinet.
 Appoints as Prime Minister a Member of Parliament (MP) who in his
personal judgement, is likely to command the confidence of a
majority of MPs 19
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Singapore
 Country Type of Government
MYANMAR Unitary Parliamentary Republic

Unitary Parliamentary Republic

In this type of government, the heads of the

Cabinet are responsible for carrying out the laws set
forth by Parliament

Reference: https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-type-of-government-does-myanmar-have.html 20
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

MYANMAR President President

Role of the Head of Government and State:

 Oversees the Cabinet of Myanmar

 Elected through highest combined houses votes for
three candidates for upper, lower and military blocks.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Myanmar 21
 Country Type of Government
TIMOR LESTE Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic

Unitary Semi-Presidential Republic (dual executive

system)

A system of government in which a President

exist alongside a Prime Minister and a Cabinet, with
the latter being responsible to the legislature of the
state.

22
Reference: http://timor-leste.gov.tl/?lang=en
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

TIMOR LESTE Prime Minister President

Role of the Head of Government:

 Preside over the council of ministries

 To direct and guide the general policy of the
government and all governmental actions.
Role of the Head of State:

 Directly elected by popular vote for a five-year term,

and whose executive powers are somewhat limited by
the constitution, through this official is able to veto
legislation, which action can be overridden by the
parliament.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics_of_Myanmar 23
 Country Type of Government
VIETNAM Communist

Communist

A state whose constitution claims to follow the

principles of communism. Its form of government has
only a single political party, the communist party.

Reference: https://www.parlimen.gov.my/pengenalan.html?&uweb=p&view=235&lang=en 24
 Head of
Country Head of State
Government

VIETNAM Prime Minister President

Role of the Head of Government :

 Presides over the meeting of the Central Government

 Directs the works of the government members and any deputy prime
ministers to the National Assembly
 The PM is the only member of government who must be a member of the
National Assembly.
 The PM issues directives and supervises the implementation of formal
orders given by the President, the National Assembly or the Standing
Committee.
Role of the Head of State:

 Acts as Commander-in-Chief of the Vietnam People’s Armed Forces and

Chairman of the Council for Defence and Security
 The President appoints the Vice President, Prime Minister, Ministers and
other officials with the consent of the National Assembly.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_Minister_of_Vietnam 25
 Local Government

A form of public administration (province,

counties, municipalities, cities/towns/villages
and districts) which, in majority context as the
lowest tier of administration within a given state.

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 Country Local Government Tiers
BRUNEI No Local Government

CAMBODIA Provinces, Districts, Municipalities, Sections

City Municipalities, Town Municipalities, Subdistrict
THAILAND Municipalities
Cities, Municipalities, Districts, Special or modified local
MALAYSIA councils
INDONESIA Provinces, District, Municipality, Subdistrict, village

LAOS Provinces, Districts, Townships, Villages

Local Government Unit: Provinces & Independent Cities,
PHILIPPINES Component Cities & Municipalities, Barangays
SINGAPORE No Local Government

MYANMAR Districts, Town, Villages/Ward

TIMOR LESTE Municipalities, Administrative Posts (Villages & Hamlets

VIETNAM Provinces, Municipalities, Districts, Towns, Villages 27

 Country Local Government Tiers
BRUNEI No Local Government

SINGAPORE No Local Government

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 Country Local Government Tiers
BRUNEI No Local Government

A Constitutional Monarchy with no Local Government. The

Sultan of Brunei is appointed by the Council of Succession which is
appointed by and presided over by the Sultan.

No local government in Brunei but there are four (4)

administrative districts. Government is centrally controlled. But
allowance is made for local tribal customs. Districts offers responsible
to the ministers of home affairs administer each district.

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 Country Local Government Tiers
SINGAPORE No Local Government

There is no local government and no local election in

Singapore. The community development council, headed by a
Mayor, administer certain community and social services delegated
by government ministries.

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 Local Government of Cambodia have changes because of
CAMBODIA decentralization, new regime and over power of new system
and administration

To assure political loyalty to the regime, most of the appointed

heads of local governments, from the provinces down to
kelurahan, were from the military services (mainly the army) and
INDONESIA police force. The regional heads were also assigned to
eradicate communism from the village level and the rural
sector.

The president appoints provincial governors and mayors of

LAOS municipalities. The prime minister appoints deputy provincial
governors and deputy mayors and district chiefs.

11 states and 2 federal territories are located on the Malay

Peninsula, collectively called Peninsular Malaysia (Semenanjung
Malaysia) or West Malaysia. 2 states are on the island of Borneo,
MALAYSIA and the remaining one federal territory consists of islands
offshore of Borneo; they are collectively referred to as East
Malaysia or Malaysian Borneo. Out of the 13 states in Malaysia,
9 are hereditary monarchies. 31
 Law and Order Restoration Councils (LORCs) serve as local
administration, although regional army commanders control
MYANMAR the actual decision making process. A LORC was formed for
each State, Division, Township Sector and Ward/Village Sector.

In one area, above provinces and independent cities, is an

autonomous region, the Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao. Below barangays in some cities and municipalities
PHILIPPINES are sitios and puroks. All of these, with the exception of sitios
and puroks, elect their own executives and legislatures. Sitios
and puroks are often led by elected barangay councillors.

Old form under the Local Government Act, Buddhist Era 2457 (1914) –
Under this form, the subdistricts (tambon) are established in the districts
and minor districts. Each subdistrict is led by a subdistrict chief
kamnan) and is divided into villages ( mu ban). Each village is led by a
village chief (phu yai ban; literally "village elder")
THAILAND
New form under the Municipalities Act, BE 2496 (1953), the Subdistrict
Councils and Subdistrict Administrative Organisations Act, BE 2537
(1995) and the Provincial Administrative Organisations Act, BE 2540
(1997) – The local government under this form is adopted in every
province
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 The Asia Foundation has been implementing programs aimed
at strengthening local governance in Timor-Leste since 2009.
These programs endeavor to increase the capacity of local
leaders and help build ties between community members,
local leadership, and municipal and national level
TIMOR LESTE government. The Foundation’s local governance programs
recognize the importance of community knowledge and
expertise in addressing local needs, and adopt a ‘bottom-up’
approach to foster participation and empower communities in
the process of their own development.

Three (3) Administrative Tier

• 1st Tier - % Municipalities and 58 Provinces
• 2nd Tier – City under Municipality, Urban District, Provincial
City, Town and Rural District
VIETNAM • 3rd Tier – Ward, Township and Village

A 4th Tier also exist as Hamlets and Village, however this is not
an official tier.
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 Election in Southeast Asia

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VIETNAM ELECTION

 Single-Party Socialist Republic

 Run by one party which represent the people
 The Power is vested in the People
 People vote for national Assembly
 The party chooses a candidate from the National
Assembly, then the national assembly vote one of
them to be President
 National Assembly then chooses the Prime Minister
 The election is organized and supervised by the
National Election Council.
 In Vietnam, any Vietnamese citizen over 18 years old
has the right to vote in the national election.

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BRUNEI ELECTION

 Brunei has not held direct legislative election since

1962
 Election are held for village-level councils that play a
consultative role, though candidates are vetted by
the government.
 There are no national level electoral laws, since there
have no been any national, direct legislative
elections in over five decades
 Although there are no elections, the following legal
parties exist: Brunei National Solidarity Party (PPKB),
Brunei People’s Awareness Party (PAKAR

36
THAILAND ELECTION

 Eighty political parties will compete for 500 seats in

the House of Representatives, while 250 Senators will
be chosen largely by the Military Junta.
 There are 750 seats in parliament but Thailand’s
electorate only vote for the 500 lower houses seats as
the members of the 250 upper house seats appointed
by the military
 Of the 500 seats, 350 are elected using a first-past-
the-post-system, and the remaining 150 MPs are
allocated according to the proportional formula.

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MALAYSIA ELECTION

 Election in Malaysia exist at two levels: Federal level

and State level.
 Federal level elections are those for membership in
the Dewan Rakyat, the lower house of Parliament.
 State level elections are for membership in the various
State Legislative Assemblies.

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CAMBODIA ELECTION

 Cambodia is a one party dominant state with the

Cambodian People’s Party in power.
 Cambodian legislative is chosen through national
election
 The General Election is held every Five (5) years in the
fourth Sunday of July.
 Three main political parties have dominated
Cambodian politics over the last decade;
 Cambodian People’s Party (CPP)
 The United Front for an Independent, Neutral,
Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia
(FUNCINPEC
 Cambodia national Rescue Party (CNRP)

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INDONESIA ELECTION

 History
 Early Elections (1955)
 Beginning of the New Order (1971)
 Election Reforms (1999-present)
 One of the worlds complicated and most expensive
electoral system
 Third biggest democracy in the world
 The Indonesian people did not elect the head of the
state until 2004, since the President elected for a 5-
year term, 575 members of the people representative
council, 136 seats for regional representative council,
provincial and municipal council.

40
LAOS ELECTION

 The Prime minister and Cabinet were responsible to

the national assembly, the main repository of
legislative authority, whose 59 members were elected
every five years by universal adult suffrage.
 With the establishment of the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic in December 1975,
governmental authority passed to a national
congress made up of 264 delegates elected by
newly appointed local authorities.
 The executive branch consist of the President, Prime
Minister and two Deputy Prime Minister, and the
Council of Ministers )Cabinet) which are appointed
by the president with the approval of the National
Assembly.
 The last elections were held on March 20th, 2016
41
MYANMAR ELECTION

 Myanmar is a unitary republic, with elected

representatives at the national and state or region
levels.
 On the national level, the head of the state, the
President, is elected indirectly through an electoral
college. According to 2008 constitution, the term
duration of the legislature, the President, and thr
Cabinet are five years.
 The country has so far had 16 general elections since
1922; the last election was in 2015 and the next is
expected in 2020.
 All elections are regulated by the Union Election
Commission
 Presidency: elected by parliament, not by popular vote
 Cabinet: the President forms a cabinet, but the military
controls three of the most powerful ministries, They are
the interior, defence and border security ministries
42
PHILIPPINES ELECTION

 Presidential elections are held every 6 years

 Congress, Senate and Local Elections are held in the
years of presidential elections and three years before
and after them.

43
SINGAPORE ELECTION

 There are currently two types of elections in

Singapore: parliamentary and presidential elections.
 According to the constitution of Singapore general
elections for parliament must be conducted within 3
months of the dissolution of parliament, which has a
maximum term of 5 years from the first sitting of
parliament.
 Presidential elections are conducted every 6 years
 the People's Action Party has had an overwhelming
majority, and for nearly two decades was the only
party to win any seats, and has always formed
the government of Singapore.

44
TIMOR LESTE ELECTION

 The 65 members of the National Parliament were

elected from a single nationwide constituency
by closed list proportional representation. Parties were
required to have a woman in at least every third
position in their list. Seats were allocated using
the d'Hondt method with an electoral threshold of
four percent.

45