Public engagement in biosafety decision-making process: Appraising the law in Malaysia

The integration of public engagement in the biosafety regulatory processes through analytically sound research is an important step toward the good governance of modern biotechnology. Yet questions remain about the extent to which decision-makers have actually transformed their policy practice to embrace democratic governance of biosafety decision-making. Despite the inclusion of a provision on public participation in the Biosafety Act 2007 (“the 2007 Act”) that has been created to govern the biotechnology industry in Malaysia, the said Act lacks the force in addressing this issue. Drawn from an ongoing research, the paper attempts to examine not only the justification for engaging the public and its extent in any biosafety decision-making but also the challenges that might be encountered in achieving this participatory practices. Towards this end, this paper will highlight the concept of public participation in such decision-making process. Also the paper will examine the role of the 2007 Act and its adequacy in Malaysia in promoting public participation in biosafety decision-making. The paper concludes that public participation at all stages in any biosafety decision-making is critical for the effectiveness of the biosafety regulatory frameworks and in promoting informed policy and decisions.