Earlier this month, Johor ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar voiced his frustration over what he claimed were the Federal Government's “starkly disproportionate” allocation of federal funds -- saying that Johor has been treated like a "stepchild". He went as far as to suggest that Johor might consider pulling out of the Federation. While secession is not provided for in the Federal Constitution, the last decade has witnessed the rise of state nationalism, most notably from the Territory of Sarawak. Does the Federation need to evolve to accommodate demands from the states and territories, and if so how can this be managed while preserving the interest of citizens? Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan speak to Dr Francis Loh Kok Wah who as Project Leader together with YB Gooi Hsiao Leung and Dato’ Dr Ooi Kee Beng authored the report titled “Enabling Decentralisation and Improving Federal-State Relations in the Federation of Malaysia”.