When the mix is right, NGOs can go a long way.

Byline: Chok Suat Ling

MALAYSIAN non-governmental organisations with a multiracial composition have been found to be more effective, writes CHOK SUAT LING.

When a decision was made to build a waste incinerator in Broga, a small town about 40km southeast of Kuala Lumpur in 2002, residents from the town and surrounding areas protested the move.

They fought a five-year-long battle against the decision until the project was finally called off. What piqued the interest of a German academic about this case was not the fact that a group of people came together to make themselves heard, but the composition of those who did. The group was made up of different races. The leading organiser was Chinese, while other committee members were Malays and Indians. The social background of participants was mixed as well, ranging from farmers and rubber tappers to teachers, engineers and university lecturers.

They …