NeuroCampur AI Global Series · Fireside conversation
Governing AI in Malaysian Local Government
Institutional capacity, democratic accountability and the future of place based public administration
A fireside conversation with Professor Halimah Abdul Manaf of Universiti Utara Malaysia on how councils and public institutions can govern AI with capacity, accountability and a sense of place.
The speaker
Professor Halimah Abdul Manaf
Deputy Director, Asian Research Institute for Corporate Governance (ARICG), Universiti Utara Malaysia
Professor Halimah Abdul Manaf is a distinguished scholar of public management at Universiti Utara Malaysia. She serves as Deputy Director of the Asian Research Institute for Corporate Governance and is the former Dean of the UUM School of Government.
Her academic journey is rooted in British scholarship. She earned her PhD in Public Management at the University of Hull and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Exeter, bringing that grounding home to strengthen how Malaysia governs and serves its communities.
Her research spans strategic public sector administration, governance, digital participation and local government. Beyond the university, she advises at state government level in Malaysia, bridging rigorous research with the practical realities of administering places and serving citizens.
PhD
University of Hull
Postdoc
University of Exeter
ARICG
Deputy Director
UUM
Former Dean, School of Government
- Deputy Director, Asian Research Institute for Corporate Governance (ARICG), UUM
- Former Dean, School of Government, Universiti Utara Malaysia
- Executive Board Member, Asia Pacific Society for Public Affairs (APSPA)
- Editorial board member of several academic journals
- Reviewer for Public Management Review, International Journal of Public Administration and International Journal of Public Sector Management
- Strategic advisor at state government level in Malaysia
Research
Where governance meets the places people live
Strategic public sector administration
How public institutions plan, prioritise and build the capacity to deliver reliable services in a changing world.
Governance and accountability
The structures that keep public decisions transparent, answerable and trusted by the communities they affect.
Digital participation
How digital tools can widen the citizen voice in public decisions rather than narrow it.
Local government
The councils and agencies closest to daily life, where governance becomes tangible for every resident.
Corporate governance
Lessons from boardroom oversight and integrity that strengthen public sector institutions.
Policy into practice
Translating research into advice that state governments can act on for real communities.
Programme
Five questions for the conversation
- 1
Is local government ready for AI?
What institutional capacity, skills and data foundations do Malaysian local authorities need before AI can genuinely improve the services residents rely on every day?
- 2
Who is accountable when the algorithm decides?
When AI shapes licensing, planning or enforcement at council level, how do we keep decisions transparent, contestable and answerable to elected representatives and citizens?
- 3
Digital participation or digital exclusion?
Can AI widen the citizen voice in local decisions, and how do we make sure rural communities, older residents and the less connected are not left behind?
- 4
Place matters
How should AI tools be designed around the distinct needs of each town, district and state rather than imposing one model on every place?
- 5
Lessons across two systems
Drawing on her training at Hull and Exeter, what can Malaysia and the United Kingdom learn from each other about governing AI in public administration?
Register for the conversation
Saturday 19 December 2026 · Online · 10:00 UK time / 18:00 Malaysia time · 60 minutes with Q&A · Free to attend
Only registered participants receive the online joining link. No website account is needed.
All queries: aisyah@neurocampur.ai