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VICTORIOUS: Perak DAP chairman Ngeh Koo Ham (second from left) speaking to reporters after receiving the election results. With him (from left) are Perak PAS commissioner Ahmad Awang, state PKR chairman Zulkifly Ibrahim and DAP Youth chief Nga Kor Ming. -- PHOTO: THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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THE staggering loss of four more states by the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition goes far beyond a matter of injured pride.
Losing Penang, Selangor, Perak and Kedah is a big blow for the BN as it also means that the federal government loses a great part of control over how these states are run.
Land allocation, local matters and Islamic laws will now fall under opposition parties, as these come under the jurisdiction of state governments - a system enshrined in Malaysia's Constitution.
While the BN federal government retains power over national matters such as defence, diplomacy, criminal law and education, the opposition state governments now enjoy control over important issues such as how much land to earmark for factories, what local laws to enact and how to conduct local religious affairs.
How the new state governments go about doing this can make a big difference to the daily lives of residents of these states.
It will be an extra challenge for DAP (Democratic Action Party) and PKR (Parti Keadilan Rakyat), which unlike PAS (Parti Islam SeMalaysia), lack experience managing entire states.
A hardline Islamic state government could clamp down on religious affairs, while a pro-business one could speed up the approval of business licences.
At the same time, the four states that have gone over to the opposition will face some risks they have never faced before.
It is up to the federal government to give grants for such things as development of infrastructure and running the local civil service.
A possible alienation of these states from the BN federal government could affect the funding they receive.
When Terengganu fell to PAS in 1999, the BN government refused to pay the oil royalties owing to the state - worth about RM1 billion (S$440 million) every year - in cash, preferring instead to pump the money back to the state via infrastructure development.
The BN government could also choose not to promote the opposition-held states when organising investor missions.
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