When the Pakatan Harapan (PH) federal government fell in February 2020, PH also lost control over the states of Johor, Malacca, Perak and Kedah. In Sabah, PH-aligned Warisan was replaced by the PN-aligned United Alliance of Sabah. PH maintained its hold on three states—Selangor, Penang and Negeri Sembilan. Selangor’s position is of unique interest, given the largest share of PH assemblypersons comprising members from the People’s Justice Party (Parti Keadilan Rakyat, or PKR), the party which has faced significant elite splits in 2020. The present stability of PH’s survival in Selangor can be accounted for by the sheer majority it possesses within the legislative assembly, comprising forty-one out of fifty-six state seats. Unless a significant share of assemblypersons were to defect, the change in state government would be highly unlikely. PH built a strong base in Selangor during its time in power over more than a decade, securing performative legitimacy and rooting itself strongly within the community. PH has benefited from the highly urbanized and educated demographic profile of Selangor. However, the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has likely changed the landscape, which may in turn affect how constituents will now respond to goodies offered by the federal government. Although PH in Selangor has survived the national storm, its future performance remains uncertain. This year’s political realignment, public opinion towards PN and the 2018 redelineation exercise where the number of Malay-majority seats has grown may hamper PH’s ability to maintain its strong margin. The political fragmentation that continues to unfold will see further party and coalitional realignment, which will invariably impact PH’s strength in Selangor.

Watersheds have been widely recognized as the best scale at which to govern water. At the geographic scale of the watersheds, stakeholders are able to make decisions on how to manage water resources in a setting more conducive to participation. Through coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources, economic and social welfare can be optimized without compromising sustainability of vital environmental systems. Sungai Selangor is an important water resource for the state of Selangor. It is the major contributor in meeting water demand to the Selangor State and Kuala Lumpur. Since early days, Sungai Selangor has played a central role in the development of settlements in northern Selangor. Theresearch described here is an attempt to understand the development forces operating in the Sungai Selangor watershed. The approach taken is intentionally multi-disciplinary, as it attempts to paint a broad brush picture of the current situation within the Sungai Selangor watershed. Increasing pressures on land development is a major factor that causes land use conflicts in the watershed. Spatial-environmental governance should improve collaboration and connections between citizens and decision-makers at the watershed scale. Many issues within the economic, social or environmental realm necessitate an understanding of the spatial context within which such forces operate. The book is organized in ten chapters, each chapter being devoted towards addressing particular issues considered prevalent or outstanding within the community living within the watershed. Although the book has been written in an academic manner, it should also appeal to the general public and students in higher education institutions as it relates to topical issues. Beginner researchers may find that the discussion of various issues within a location-specific context might spark off their interest to begin their own research on particular aspects that appeal to their own area of expertise.