This paper examines how communication functions as a locus of power, inequality, and postcolonial dependency within Malaysia’s public housing governance. Drawing on Paulo Freire’s notion of dialogical participation, Michel Foucault’s power/knowledge nexus, Albert Memmi’s theory of colonial dependency, and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic capital, it explores how state–citizen interactions in policymaking both enable and constrain democratic engagement. Using the Program Perumahan Rakyat (PPR)—Malaysia’s flagship low-cost housing scheme—as a case study, the research adopts a qualitative interpretivist approach involving forty-two semi-structured interviews with lawmakers, policymakers, industry actors, academicians, think-tank representatives, media practitioners, and PPR residents. NVivo-assisted thematic analysis reveals six interrelated themes: fear and retaliation, participation by proxy, infrastructures of dignity, affordability as a moving target, governance friction, and the moral economy of help. The findings show that participatory communication is constrained by bureaucratic hierarchies and symbolic violence that reproduce postcolonial dependence, yet moments of reflexive dialogue and citizen resistance persist. The study argues for re-centring communication as a critical dimension of policymaking and offers a Southeast Asian perspective that links development, power, and decolonial agency.

Authors:
Saiful Azhar Shaharun, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Malaysia

About the Presenter(s)
Saiful Azhar Shaharun, Doctoral Researcher at the University of Nottingham Malaysia, explores participatory communication, power, and inequality in housing policy. His public service background informs his critical approach to inclusive governance.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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