Tuesday, August 16, 2005

Impak Pembangunan Terhadap Masyarakat Desa

Oleh:
Habsah Hashim
Fakulti Senibina, Perancangan dan Ukur
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam
habsah99@hotmail.com / habsah99@yahoo.com

Dibentangkan di
Seminar Kebangsaan Perancangan Bandar & Wilayah UTM 2004
”Ke Arah Pembangunan Luar Bandar Mampan”
28 -29 September 2004, di Dewan Senat,
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Skudai, Johor


PENGENALAN

Bidang perancangan bandar memainkan peranan penting dalam usaha Malaysia mencapai taraf negara maju menjelang tahun 2020. Bidang inilah yang memandu serta mengawal pembangunan gunatanah dan merancang penempatan bagi penduduk sesebuah kawasan. Sebagaimana kita sedia maklum, selain aspek fizikal dan ekonomi, amalan perancangan perlu memberi penekenan terhadap aspek sosial masyarakat. Doktrin Perancangan dan Pembangunan Sejagat yang dihasilkan pada tahun 1995 menggariskan prinsip-prinsip kepada amalan perancangan yang lebih seimbang. Cabaran perancangan bandar dalam abad ke 21 ini adalah untuk “memastikan setiap jenis perancangan menjamin kesejahteraan masyarakatnya, mengambil ingatan terhadap sumber-sumber negara yang semakin terhad serta keperluan bagi pembangunan berketerusan” (Dato’ Zainuddin, 1995: 8). Penekanan terhadap aspek sosial masyarakat ini disokong oleh dasar sosial negara yang dilancarkan pada tahun 2003. Objektif umum dasar ini adalah untuk “Menjamin setiap individu, keluarga dan komuniti tanpa mengira kumpulan etnik, agama, budaya, gender dan fahaman politik serta wilayah dapat menyertai dan memberi sumbangan kepada arus pembangunan negara serta menikmati kesejahteraan hidup secara berterusan” (Kementerian Perpaduan Negara dan Pembangunan Masyarakat, 2003:9)

Pembangunan (development) perlu dibezakan dengan pertumbuhan (growth). Pertumbuhan sering dikaitkan dengan sistem ekonomi dan perkembangan secara kuantitatif sementara pembangunan pula lebih bersifat kualitatif, “incorporating notions of improvement and progress and including cultural and social, as well as economic dimensions”. Salah satu tujuan pembangunan lestari adalah untuk menjamin kesaksamaan sosial, iaitu “to prevent any development that increases the gap between rich and poor and to encourage development that reduces social inequality” (Blowers, 1993: 3-7). Oleh itu setiap pembangunan yang dirancang dan dilaksanakan harus lebih menyeluruh dan menjangkau lebih dari dimensi material semata-mata. “... pembangunan mestilah bertujuan untuk mencapai segala ideal hak asasi manusia yang boleh dirumus sebagai kemakmuran, kesejahteraan, kedaulatan, kebebasan, keadilan, kesempurnaan dan keamanan untuk sekarang dan masa akan datang dalam semua aspek kemanusiaan” (Rahimah, 2001: 284).

Kertaskerja ini membincangkan mengenai beberapa projek utama yang dirancang serta dilaksanakan di daerah Kinta, Perak dan menilai kesannya terhadap masyarakat setempat. Penemuan dari kajian ini menunjukkan perlunya kepada satu anjakan paradigma dalam amalan perancangan semasa di negara kita, Malaysia. Mereka yang terlibat dalam perancangan dan perlaksanaan pembangunan perlu memahami masyarakat setempat, mengambilkira pandangan mereka serta menghormati tatasusila, budaya dan warisan setempat. Bahan yang dibentangkan ini adalah sebahagian daripada hasil kajian yang dijalankan dalam penyediaan Rancangan Tempatan Daerah (RTD) Kinta 2002-2015.


LATARBELAKANG KAJIAN

Kajian Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Kinta (RTD Kinta) telah dimulakan pada 1 Mac 2002 dan ia merupakan peringkat kedua di dalam Sistem Rancangan Pemajuan yang diperuntukkan di bawah Akta Perancangan Bandar Dan Desa (Akta 172) serta pindaan-pindaannya (Akta A933 dan Akta A1129). Kawasan RTD Kinta merangkumi seluruh Daerah Kinta kecuali kawasan Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh (MBI) dan terdiri daripada gabungan 7 buah mukim iaitu Hulu Kinta, Sungai Raia, Teja, Kampar, Sungai Terap, Tanjung Tualang dan Belanja. Kawasan RTD Kinta mempunyai keluasan 160,566.00 hektar dan daerah ini terkenal dengan jolokan sebagai “District With A Thousand Ponds” kerana terdapat banyak kawasan bekas lombong. Kawasan Rancangan Tempatan ini disempadani oleh Daerah Kuala Kangsar di bahagian utara, Daerah Perak Tengah di bahagian barat dan Daerah Batang Padang di bahagian selatannya serta Pahang di sebelah timur. Kawasan Rancangan Tempatan ini juga direntasi oleh Lebuh raya Utara Selatan di bahagian tengahnya.

Terdapat dua Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan di kawasan RTD Kinta iaitu Majlis Daerah Kinta Barat (MDKB) yang berpusat di Batu Gajah dan Majlis Daerah Kinta Selatan (MDKS) yang berpusat di Kampar. Pusat penempatan lain yang terdapat di sini adalah Gopeng, Mambang Di Awan, Malim Nawar, Jeram, Sungai Siput Selatan, Kota Baharu, Tanjung Tualang, Tronoh dan Pusing. Jumlah penduduk Kawasan RTD Kinta pada tahun 2000 adalah seramai 163,360 orang, iaitu 8.28 peratus dari keseluruhan penduduk negeri Perak dan 23.22 peratus dari keseluruhan penduduk Daerah Kinta.


RINGKASAN PROJEK PEMBANGUNAN UTAMA

Terdapat beberapa projek pembangunan utama yang dirancang dan yang sedang dalam pembinaan semasa kajian dijalankan. Secara ringkasnya, projek-projek berkenaan dibincangkan di bawah.

a. Naik taraf Laluan Persekutuan 1 Jalan Tapah Gopeng

Projek menaiktarafkan Laluan Persekutuan 1 Jalan Tapah Gopeng merupakan projek Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR) – Bahagian Jalan. Projek ini merentasi Kawasan RTD Kinta bermula dari sempadan daerah, melalui Bandar Kampar hinggalah ke Bandar Gopeng. Projek yang sedang berjalan ini melibatkan pelebaran jalan menjadi empat laluan di beberapa tempat. Walaupun hanya tiga puluh lapan lot tanah milik sahaja yang terlibat dengan pengambilan balik tanah, status tanah pusaka bagi kebanyakan tanah milik berkenaan mengakibatkan ramai pewaris-pewaris juga turut terlibat. Ini telah merumitkan lagi proses pengambilan balik dan pembayaran pampasan. Semua pihak yang berkepentingan telah dipanggil untuk bicara pada bulan Julai 2001 yang lalu. Pengambilan balik tanah yang paling banyak adalah setakat 10 meter di kiri atau kanan jalan. Ada penduduk yang terpaksa berpindah dan rumah mereka dirobohkan. Selain pemilik tanah, penduduk yang tinggal di sepanjang laluan tersebut juga merasa tidak puas hati kerana pelbagai kerugian dan kesulitan yang timbul akibat dari pembinaan yang sedang berlaku.


b. Pembinaan Landasan Kereta api Berkembar

Pembinaan landasan kereta api berkembar merupakan projek Kereta api Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) yang telah melantik DRB-Hicom sebagai kontraktor utamanya. Keseluruhan projek yang bernilai RM4 ribu juta ini melibatkan pembinaan landasan kembar berelektrik (electrified double tracking) di sepanjang 174 km di antara Rawang ke Ipoh. Projek ini merentasi Kawasan RTD Kinta dan pembinaan infrastruktur telah bermula sejak Julai 2000 dan keseluruhan projek dijangka siap pada akhir tahun 2004. Selain pembinaan landasan, projek ini juga melibatkan pembinaan tiga flyover di Kota Baharu, Malim Nawar dan Bandar Baru Kampar serta satu underpass di Jalan Stesen. Pemilik tanah yang terlibat dengan pengambilan balik tanah telah diberi pampasan. Terdapat juga peniaga serta penyewa dan mereka yang menjalankan aktiviti di tanah TOL yang terpaksa berpindah. Selain tanah milik, projek ini juga melibatkan beberapa kemudahan awam seperti balai polis, klinik, padang bola, masjid, kuil serta tanah perkuburan.

c. Pembinaan Jalan Simpang Pulai – Pos Slim – Blue Valley

Projek pembinaan jalan Simpang Pulai – Pos Slim – Kampung Raja (Cameron Highlands) merupakan projek JKR -Bahagian Jalan. Projek yang terletak di Mukim Sungai Raia ini telah bermula sejak tahun 1997. Walaupun telah tergendala disebabkan masalah tanah runtuh dan hakisan, projek ini telah pun siap sekarang. Projek ini tidak melibatkan pengambilan balik tanah atau pun perpindahan penduduk. Kawasan penempatan penduduk di sekitar projek ini adalah penempatan-penempatan orang asli seperti Kg. Kerawat Lama, Kg. Kerawat Baru, Pos Raya, Pos Slim dan lain-lain.


d. Pembangunan Pelancongan di Gua Tempurong

Gua Tempurong merupakan aset semula jadi yang menjadi tarikan pelancong yang terkenal di Daerah Kinta. Kawasan Gua Tempurong dan sekitarnya adalah di bawah pengurusan Unit Perancang Ekonomi Negeri (UPEN) Perak (Bahagian Pelancongan). Antara kampung-kampung tradisional yang terdapat di sekitar kawasan ini adalah Kg. Jeram dan Kg. Gunung Mesah Hilir di Mukim Kampar serta Kg. Jahang, Kg. Chulek, Kg. Pisang, dan Kg. Baru Sg. Siput Selatan di Mukim Teja.


Satu pelan pembangunan di kawasan seluas lebih kurang 3000 ekar di sekitar Gua Tempurong telah dicadangkan oleh Yayasan Perak yang akan membangunkan kawasan ini secara usaha sama dengan Syarikat Heritage Acres Sdn. Bhd. Antara komponen yang terdapat dalam cadangan adalah taman tema air, tapak “ caravan” dan perkhemahan, taman safari, dusun buah-buahan, taman warisan, taman tropika, taman anggerik, “arboretum”, rumah dusun, padang golf dan lain-lain. Sebahagian tapak yang dicadangkan ini melibatkan aktiviti tanaman dan ternakan masyarakat kampung di tapak bekas lombong.

e. Pembangunan Pusat Matrikulasi Perak

Pusat Matrikulasi Perak ini terletak di Batu 3 ½ Jalan Gopeng – Kota Baharu di Mukim Teja. Kawasan sekitarnya merupakan estet kelapa sawit dan kawasan belukar serta tanah bekas lombong. Kawasan penempatan yang terdekat adalah lebih kurang dua kilometer dari tapak pembangunan ini. Pusat Matrikulasi ini telah dibuka pada awal tahun 2002. Kewujudannya telah membawa migrasi masuk ke Kawasan RTD Kinta iaitu terdiri dari penuntut yang mengikuti pengajian dan kakitangan yang berkhidmat.


f. Cadangan Pemindahan Pengkalan Tentera Batu Cantonment

Kerajaan Negeri Perak Darul Ridzuan telah mengenal pasti tapak seluas 680 hektar di Jalan Gopeng – Kota Baharu untuk pemindahan pengkalan tentera Batu Cantonment yang kini terletak di Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur. Tapak yang dicadangkan ini terletak berhampiran dengan Pusat Matrikulasi Perak. Keadaan sedia ada tapak terdiri dari kawasan belukar serta tapak bekas lombong. Tidak terdapat kawasan penempatan atau kampung berhampiran dengan tapak kajian. Penempatan yang paling hampir adalah lebih kurang dua kilometer dari tapak yang dicadangkan. Guna tanah yang berhampiran tapak cadangan adalah kawasan ladang kelapa sawit. Semasa kajian lapangan, dapat dilihat kerja meratakan tanah sedang dilakukan di sekitar kawasan tapak cadangan.


g. Cadangan Pembangunan Kampus UTAR

Tapak seluas lebih kurang 1000 ekar di Mukim Kampar telah diluluskan untuk pembinaan kampus Universiti Tuanku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). Tapak kampus UTAR ini disempadani oleh Bandar Baru Kampar di bahagian Selatan dan Timur, Kampung Tersusun Batu Karang di bahagian Utara dan Kampung Tualang Sekah di bahagian Barat. Tapak kampus UTAR ini terdiri dari tanah kerajaan dan kawasan bekas lombong yang kini diberi Lesen Menduduki Sementara (TOL). Ternakan ikan dan itik diusahakan di kolam-kolam bekas lombong yang meliputi lebih kurang 35 peratus daripada tapak cadangan. Selain itu, keadaan sedia ada tapak cadangan adalah belukar dan semak-samun. Pembangunan kampus UTAR ini merupakan satu pelaburan besar yang akan menjadi mercu tanda penting di Kampar. Selain migrasi masuk penduduk dari luar, lain-lain implikasi sosial juga akan timbul.


h. Cadangan Pemindahan Pelabuhan Darat/ Depot KTMB dari Ipoh ke Batu Gajah

Tapak seluas 160 hektar di Mukim Batu Gajah telah dikenal pasti untuk pemindahan pelabuhan darat dari Ipoh. Pembangunan yang dicadangkan ini juga akan melibatkan pembinaan bangunan stesen kereta api / komuter baru bagi Batu Gajah. Tapak yang dicadangkan ini merupakan tanah kerajaan dan terletak berdekatan dengan kawasan penempatan. Antara kampung yang berdekatan adalah Kampung, Pisang, Kampung Ara Payung dan Kampung Pasir. Semasa kajian lapangan, kerja-kerja pembinaan sudah pun bermula.


i. Pembangunan di Seri Iskandar dan Cadangan Bandar Ilmu di Tronoh

Pembangunan yang dirancang dan yang akan dimajukan di Daerah Perak Tengah juga akan memberi kesan ke atas masyarakat desa di Kawasan RTD Kinta, terutamanya di Mukim Belanja, Pekan Tronoh sehinggalah ke Bandar Batu Gajah. Antara pembangunan yang telah ada dan dalam perancangan di Bandar Seri Iskandar adalah kampus cawangan UiTM, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Institut Perdagangan MARA, Institut Latihan Belia dan Taman Farmaseutikal. Sementara itu pembangunan bandar ilmu di Tronoh meliputi pelbagai institusi seperti Institut Kemahiran MARA, Institut Kemahiran Bina negara (IKBN), Kolej Komuniti dan Pusat Latihan Bomba Wilayah Utara. Perlaksanaan projek-projek seperti ini pastinya membawa migrasi masuk penduduk yang akan meningkatkan permintaan terhadap barangan pengguna dan perkhidmatan.


IMPAK PEMBANGUNAN

Terdapat beberapa impak terhadap masyarakat setempat yang diakibatkan dari perlaksanaan beberapa projek utama yang telah dihuraikan. Maklumat telah dikumpulkan melalui beberapa kaedah seperti “focus group discussion”, kaji selidik “key informant” dan pengamatan.

a. Cara Perlaksanaan Projek Pembangunan

Terdapat rungutan dan keluhan daripada penduduk dan pemimpin tempatan (ketua kampung, ahli JKKK) mengenai cara perlaksanaan projek. Secara umumnya, masyarakat menyokong dan menyambut baik usaha pelbagai agensi kerajaan yang merancang dan membawa pembangunan ke kawasan mereka. Seorang ketua kampung yang tanahnya terlibat dengan urusan pengambilan balik tanah menyatakan,

“kita tidak menghalang projek pembangunan yang dilaksanakan... bahkan kita menggalakkan... sekurang-kurangnya kawasan kita akan berubah, tetapi apa yang kita kesalkan sedikit cara pengambilan tidak dirunding terlebih awal, itu yang kita kesal sedikit”.

Seorang pemilik tanah pula menyuarakan,

“...memang sudah jelaslah kita perlukan pembangunan dan juga ‘double-track‘ ni tidak pernah kita dengar dahulu...dan sekarang sudah menjadi kenyataan....daripada zaman kita kecik dulu, saya kecik, saudara semua pun kecik-kecik memang pembangunan bila-bila pun akan berlaku....pembangunan akan terus berjalan, tapi dalam masa itu, janganlah pula geografi tempat kita ni habis dipinda terus hingga hilang identiti...Jadi tempat ni, tempat lama, bak kata Tuan Syed tadi, tempat bersejarah...memang betul tempat bersejarah, sejak zaman British dulu dan zaman kesultanan Perak . Jadi perlulah kita jaga identiti, iaitu, janganlah ia berubah sangat disebabkan dek pembangunan. Jadi pembangunan itu perlu, tapi fikirkanlah orang yang ada di sini, penduduk yang ada di sini ... juga fikirkanlah identiti tempat ini....tanpa rumah-rumah kutai, rumah-rumah lama, tradisional, hilanglah.. .kalau ia jadi ‘tight’ dengan bangunan-bangunan batu, serupa macam tempat lain, hilang identitinya”.

Berikut adalah petikan daripada responden dalam perbincangan focus group mengenai cara perlaksanaan projek yang kurang disenangi dan ibarat mengabaikan kebajikan dan pandangan penduduk setempat.

“Mereka datang tunjuk kad, dan, dah habis tunjuk kad, bagi notis pengambilan... dan seterusnya meletakkan harga. Jadi di sinilah kita tidak dapat nak buat, kata orang nak ubah, buat perhitunganlah... Perancangan itu sudah tetap, kita tidak boleh nak bangkang, kalau kita bantah, tak setuju.... pergi mahkamah!”.

(Pemilik tanah yang terlibat dengan pengambilan balik tanah).

“Saya sewa rumah di sinilah ... kira-kira dah tiga puluh tahun lebih dah saya sewa. Tiba-tiba datang orang, dia bagi surat,.....kamu kena keluar 24 jam, eh..bukan, dia bagi masa dua minggu... dua minggu dia bagi masa. Pampasan satu sen saya tak dapat. Lepas tu dia kata dia bagi surat... dia kata kalau kamu tak keluar lagi dua minggu ini maka denda 10,000 ringgit. Saya takde 10,000, mana saya nak cari 10,000 ringgit saya kata... Ada ke undang-undang kerajaan macam ni? ...Yang saya tau kan, undang-undang kerajaan... macam mana pun dia mesti bagi tiga bulan tempoh. Ni takde, dia bagi dua minggu aje”.

(Peniaga dan penyewa berbangsa Cina yang terpaksa berpindah).

“...cara pengambilan... cara tu dengan mengejut aje... tengok-tengok dia datang ukur... lepas tu tebas... takde langsung berbincang dengan orang kampung... takde bagitahu ketua kampung pun... Kalau ada perbincangan tuu.. kalau ada komunikasi orang kata kan... komunikasi antara dua pihak kan... ini sebelah aje.. .tengok-tengok kita dah tak boleh nak buat apa dah”.
(Pemilik tanah)

“...Yang saya tahu, bila projek membina jalan raya ini, kami, orang-orang kampung tak diberitahu, tak dibawa berunding, jadi tiba-tiba... datang..apa? Buldozer datang, excavator datang... datang dengan cara kurang ajar, dia suruh kami alih pokok-pokok tanaman, pokok-pokok bunga...dia mula dari dekat surau.. .jadi dia mula ‘ngap’ dengan korek-korek... jadi kami marah”.

(Penduduk dan juga pemilik tanah yang tinggal berhampiran tebing yang dikorek, telah bercucuk tanam di tanah rizab jalan).

“... memang kita cuba cari penyelesaian untuk berunding, tapi sikap kurang ajar kontraktor itu sendiri, maknanya dia tak nak berunding langsung... bila timbul masalah baru dia nak refer pada kita balik, untuk kita pula memujuk orang kampung... mana boleh macam tu!”.

(Setiausaha JKKK, pemilik tanah yang terlibat dengan pengambilan balik tanah).

b. Nilai Pampasan dan Bayaran Ganti rugi

Selain kurang senang dengan cara kontraktor serta pihak yang menjalankan pembinaan, kebanyakan pemilik tanah juga tidak berpuas hati dengan nilai pampasan dan bayaran ganti rugi yang mereka terima. Ada yang mengatakan bahawa nilai pampasan tidak selaras di antara agensi seperti petikan di bawah:

“ Kemudian, dari segi pampasan begitu juga... tak begitu memuaskan. Kalau kita bandingkan projek KTM dengan projek JKR... kebetulan pada masa yang sama, JKR membuat jalan daripada Kota Bharu ini menghala ke Kg. Changkat Tualang,.. sama pengambilan, dan temuduga sama, pejabat yang sama, urusan penilaian di pejabat yang sama... tapi harga tak sama.... banyaklah keluhan orang yang terlibat.”.
(Pemilik tanah).

Ramai yang merasakan nilai pampasan atau bayaran ganti rugi yang mereka terima adalah terlalu rendah dan tidak berpatutan. Berikut adalah petikan dari beberapa responden dalam perbincangan focus group:

“...saya tanya orang pejabat tanah tu kan....dia rangkum semua sekali, banyak tulah, katanya... pokok-pokok rambutan rumah saya, pagar-pagar rumah tu kan.. tapi saya tengok, nilai pagar tu cuma 1000 ringgit sahaja. Mak saya dulu pun, buat pagar tu 2000 ringgit... tu tiga puluh tahun yang lepas...ha..bayangkanlah!
(Pesara guru, yang mewarisi tanah)

“ ...saya buat penilaian yang sama... satu pejabat jugak... bangunan Seri Kinta tu jugak... saya dah pergi dah situ heey...seghopa (serupa) jugak. Itu yang buat saya terkilan. Bayangkanlah..., ganti rugi untuk elektrik dan air, dia orang hanya sponsor 1500 ringgit... bayangkanlah! ... Apa 1500 ringgit nak buat... wayering dengan paip air”.

(Pemilik tanah yang bekerja sebagai pemborong kontraktor)

“Tapi saya tak puas hati jugak sebab pokok saya satu sen pun dia tak bayar...pokok durian dah berbuah..petai dah berbuah...pokok langsat dah ada buah...pokok tu kan, kalau dinilai, setahun boleh dapat 500 ringgit.”.

(Pemilik tanah yang bertugas sebagai pembantu tadbir, dan ketua perkumpulan wanita).

“.. .tapi saya mintak ganti pokok... pokok nyior yang tujuh tu, pendapatan saya 300 sebulan, sebulan, bukannya setahun.... pokok nyior tu tujuh,... aahhh..pokok petai sepokok, duku dua, durian dua...habis dah... tunggul pun dah tak ada... semua dah korek dah... semalam dia angkat sepuluh lori...”.
(Suri rumah dan pemilik tanah)

“ ...jadi duit tuu.... pada kami 25,000 ringgit takde makna”.

(Penduduk yang rumah dirobohkan)

c. Kesulitan Semasa Pembinaan

Bagi projek-projek pembangunan yang sedang berjalan, berbagai masalah timbul. Ini mengakibatkan kesulitan dan gangguan kepada masyarakat setempat. Antara kesulitan yang timbul adalah gangguan bekalan elektrik, air, jalan / laluan masuk terputus, banjir kilat dan sebagainya. Berikut adalah keluhan daripada responden perbincangan focus group.

“... Arahan saya pada kontraktor tu, setiap kali lori keluar-masuk, dia mesti ratakan balik tanah tu... macam depan rumah, kita nak parking kereta pun tak buleh... kereta nak keluar masuk pun tak buleh... tambah lagi musim hujan kan, jalan tu berlopaklah...”.

“ ...saluran air kami yang keluar tu... dia buat kecik... dia kata membesarkan parit, ... tapi mengecilkan parit ”.

“ Sekarang, dia macam ni... kalau hujan dua tiga hari, memang dia (air) naik . Macam orang bawah tu, kenalah... tapi macam kami atas bukit takpe lah”.

“ ...dan yang kita alami sekarang, baru tiga, empat hari ini adalah berkenaan dengan lampu jalan. Tiang ada, lampu ada, tapi tidak berfungsi. Ini kesan daripada projek ini. Jadi, sampai bilakah kami akan menanggung?”.

“ ... paip air tadi, gali-gali... tinggal. Siapa yang tanggung, tak tau. Begitu jugak api,... tengok jalan tu berlubang-lubang tu banyak.... depan kedai Ah Kaw ni ... kita tahulah berlubang-lubang...”.

d. Ancaman Kesihatan dan Keselamatan

Selain dari kesulitan dan gangguan terhadap masyarakat, projek-projek pembinaan juga mengakibatkan masalah pencemaran udara dan bunyi. Ini menjejaskan tahap kesihatan dan kesejahteraan penduduk yang berhampiran dengan tapak projek yang sedang berjalan. Berikut adalah antara pengalaman yang diutarakan semasa perbincangan focus group.

“ Semenjak orang buat jalan tuu lah... habuk ... saya pergi klinik,... kemudian saya batuk, selesema. Saya makan ubat, batuk tak hilang juga... Sekarang ni, dia buat tambun pulak tanah... lepas tu terbiar begitu saja. Satu hari, saya tergolek.... bila hujan ni kan, saya nak pergi ke tembok depan tu, entah macam mana, tergolek... Sekarang ni, lutut kaki saya sakit”.

“ tambah lagi dengan masalah kesihatan kanak-kanak di Tadika, cikgu pun batuk ... penyakit apa ... batuk, demam, lelah. Anak saya, lelahlah... sakit mata...”.

“Pekan kecik, orang tak ramai, tapi kesusahannya... ya Allah! Tak taulah nak mengatakan...”.

e. Menjejaskan Punca Mata Pencarian

Projek-projek pembangunan yang sedang dalam pembinaan dan juga yang dalam perancangan juga menjejaskan punca mata pencarian segelintir masyarakat. Antara mereka yang terlibat dari segi ini adalah:

• Peniaga yang terpaksa berpindah kerana ruang niaga diambil untuk projek.
• Pemilik tanah yang mendapat hasil dari tanaman yang diusahakan, dan tanah mereka terlibat dengan urusan pengambilan balik tanah.
• Pengusaha – petani, penternak dan pengilang yang melakukan berbagai usaha seperti bercucuk-tanam, memelihara ikan hiasan, itik dan sebagainya. Di atas tanah TOL yang diambil untuk projek pembangunan.
• Peniaga yang kerugian akibat dari masalah banjir kilat akibat dari sistem saliran yang tersekat akibat pembinaan yang sedang berjalan.
Rumusannya, penekanan terhadap aspek sosial amat kurang di setiap peringkat projek, iaitu sama ada di peringkat perancangan, pembinaan dan juga semasa peringkat operasi. Ini berpunca daripada keghairahan mengejar keuntungan dan sikap mendefinisikan pembangunan dari sudut ekonomi dan fizikal semata-mata. Masyarakat setempat tidak mendapat perhatian sewajarnya dari pihak yang melaksanakan projek. Pandangan, rungutan serta keluhan mereka diabai dan tidak dipertimbangkan.


CADANGAN

Cadangan yang diutarakan ini adalah berteraskan kepada empat nilai-nilai yang terkandung dalam Doktrin Perancangan dan Pembangunan Sejagat (DPPS) (JPBD, 1997) iaitu adil dan saksama, keamanan dan keselamatan, menghormati hak asasi dan perundingan.

a. Adil dan Saksama

Prinsip ini menghendaki agar keputusan dan tindakan yang dibuat dapat diterima oleh masyarakat dengan tenang dan dengan hati yang terbuka. Jika keputusan dan tindakan tidak berasaskan keadilan, akan terjadilah bantahan dan penentangan. Dalam memastikan prinsip adil dan saksama ini dipenuhi, setiap perancangan dan perlaksanaan projek hendaklah mengambilkira kepentingan setiap golongan masyarakat terutamanya golongan yang lemah. Pihak yang merancang dan melaksanakan projek perlu tahu ciri serta struktur masyarakat yang tinggal di sekitar kawasan yang dirancang. Pegawai serta kakitangan jabatan dan agensi kerajaan yang dipertanggung jawabkan untuk sesuatu projek perlu “turun ke padang” dan mengenali tempat serta masyarakat yang terlibat. Perancangan hendaklah dibuat secara bottom-up dan berbentuk consultative agar keperluan setiap golongan masyarakat dapat diambilkira terutamanya golongan yang lemah dalam sesebuah masyarakat seperti golongan miskin, kaum pribumi, ibu tunggal, warga tua, orang kurang upaya dsb.

Setiap golongan masyarakat perlu diambilkira dalam perancangan dan perlaksanaan projek


b. Keamanan dan keselamatan

Perancangan dan perlaksanaan projek pembangunan mesti meletakkan keselamatan dan kesejahteraan masyarakat setempat sebagai aspek penting yang tidak boleh diabaikan. Perancangan sebarang projek pembangunan hendaklah mengambilkira penduduk yang tinggal disekitar tapak yang dirancang. Penilaian Impak Sosial perlu dibuat sebelum projek diluluskan. Pihakberkuasa tempatan, Pejabat Daerah dan agensi pelaksana lain hendaklah memantau dan memastikan kontraktor yang dilantik untuk setiap projek pembangunan mengambil langkah berjaga-jaga (precautionary measures) dalam kerja pembinaan agar pencemaran dapat dikurangkan serta gangguan kepada penduduk dapat diminimakan.


PBT dan Pejabat Daerah perlu memantau kontraktor yang melaksanakan projek


c. Menghormati Hak Asasi

Pihak yang merancang dan melaksanakan projek hendaklah memahami dan mengenalpasti ciri masyarakat setempat. Pegawai kerajaan serta swasta yang terlibat dengan perancangan dan perlaksanaan projek hendaklah bersikap terbuka dan memahami kehendak masyarakat. Mereka juga harus menerima hakikat bahawa masyarakat setempat lebih tahu mengenai kampung / penempatan mereka dan kawasan sekitarnya kerana telah sekian lama tinggal di sesuatu tempat itu.


d. Perundingan

Perbincangan dan perundingan dengan wakil dan kumpulan-kumpulan masyarakat hendaklah dijadikan amalan diperingkat perancangan dan perlaksanaan projek. Sesi dialog dengan pemimpin tempatan, pertubuhan setempat dan kumpulan masyarakat umumnya hendaklah dibuat dari peringkat perancangan projek lagi supaya masyarakat lebih tahu (informed society). Usaha sebegini bukan saja dapat mengurangkan bantahan dan resistance terhadap perlaksanaan projek yang dirancang, tetapi juga berupaya meraih sokongan dan kerjasama masyarakat setempat.


RUMUSAN

Daerah Kinta dianugerahi berbagai sumber dan aset yang tidak ternilai. Ia juga kaya dengan khazanah warisan bangsa yang perlu dipelihara. Lokasi yang strategik membuatkan daerah ini amat berpotensi untuk pelbagai projek pembangunan. Wujudnya projek-projek utama sebagaimana yang telah dihuraikan menjadi bukti kepada potensi dan prospek masa depan yang amat cerah bagi daerah ini.

Pembangunan semestinya memberi penekanan kepada aspek sosial dan kemanusiaan. Berdasarkan kepada kajian di daerah Kinta ini, jelaslah bahawa aset sumber manusia sedia ada berpotensi untuk digembeling bagi menjayakan lagi setiap projek yang dirancang dan dilaksanakan. Masyarakat yang kian peka terhadap isu semasa, mengambil tahu dan bersedia untuk berubah dan mempertingkatkan diri serta komuniti setempat merupakan aset yang harus dimanfaatkan sepenuhnya. Pemimpin-pemimpin berwawasan, matang dan beretika mampu menggerakkan kumpulan sasaran dalam mencapai sesuatu objektif pembangunan. Pegawai-pegawai di peringkat daerah yang berpengetahuan, berkemahiran dan ikhlas dalam menjalankan tugas seharusnya boleh merancang, mengawasi dan melaksanakan projek-projek untuk kebaikan masyarakat setempat, rakyat dan negara umumnya.


Rujukan

Blowers, Andrew (ed) (1993), Planning for a Sustainable Environment (A Report by Town and Country Planning Association), London: Earthscan Publications Ltd.

Jabatan Perancangan Bandar dan Desa Semenanjung Malaysia (JPBD) (1997), Garis Panduan Perancangan dan pembangunan Sejagat, Kuala Lumpur: JPBD.

Jabatan Perancangan Bandar dan Desa Semenanjung Malaysia (JPBD) (Pejabat Projek Kuala Lumpur) (2003), Laporan Teknikal Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Kinta, Perak Darul Ridzuan 2002 – 2015 (tidak diterbitkan).

Kementerian Pembangunan Negara dan Pembangunan Masyarakat (2003), Dasar Sosial Negara, Kuala Lumpur: Kementerian Pembangunan Negara dan Pembangunan Masyarakat.

Rahimah Abdul Aziz (2001), Pengantar Sosiologi Pembangunan (edisi kedua), Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.

Zainuddin B. Muhammad (Dato’) (1995), Menangani Cabaran Abad ke 21, ucaptama Mesyuarat Pegawai-Pegawai Kanan Perancang Bandar dan Desa Malaysia ke X, 15-18 Jun 1995, Hyatt Kinabalu, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Note: Due to incompatible formatting, figures and photos have been removed from the text

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Urbanization and Women: A Case of Middle Class Malay In Shah Alam

By:
Habsah Hashim
Lecturer
Faculty of Architecture, Planning and Surveying
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam

First Presented in the
JSPS-VCC Environnmental Planning Group, IIUM’s
National Seminar on
Sustainable Environment for Future Generation:
Generating a Model for Better Community Living
16th & 17th April 2002, at the KAED Auditorium
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), Kuala Lumpur

Later Published in the
Malaysian Journal of Social Policy and Society,
Volume 1, 2005, pp. 139-152
A journal published by Institut Sosial Malaysia,
Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, Malaysia.

Abstract

Vision 2020 of the Malaysian government is aimed at transforming the nation and its society into a developed status by the year 2020. Policies and programmes geared towards this vision had brought about tremendous changes in many socioeconomic indicators including demography, health, education, income etc. For women, literacy rate has increased and there is greater involvement in the labour force.

Urbanization certainly brought about tremendous challenges and conflicts for urban women. It is more crucial for the Malay women because they tend to have more children. The impersonal nature of social contacts in the urban areas deprived urban families from kinship support that rural families enjoy. Employers do not seem to pay much attention to the plight of their employees whom are parents at home and are responsible for raising children, the future generation. Governmental policies and strategies on family, women and children did not receive much attention before. To make matters worse, the private sector are taking advantage of the situation. As such, urban families are seriously affected; families suffer as parents, especially mothers, struggle to help develop the nation. The conflicts and tensions coupled with lack of knowledge and awareness resulting in inability to perform the multiple roles – reproductive role, productive role and community organizing role. As such, urbanization must not neglect the needs and requirements of the households and community at large. This is important if the vision of a developed society is to be realized.


Introduction

This paper is written based on a sample survey done among middle class Malay households in Shah Alam. The study area covers sections 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9,10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 24. The sample of the study consists of 200 households living in the middle-class neighborhoods in Central Shah Alam. The data were gathered from the women who made up the sample. Information about the husbands or head of households was also collected. Other than the quantitative data, information is also gathered qualitatively through focus group discussion sessions.


Urbanization

Throughout the history of human population, urbanization is an important phenomenon that has happened in the developed world and would continue to happen throughout the rest of the world. Davis (1965) states that urbanized societies represent a new and fundamental step in man’s social evolution. In 1950, only 16.2 percent of the world’s population lived in cities; by 1970 it was increased to 23.7 percent (Davis, 1973). In 1999, the urban population constitutes 46.5 percent of the world’s population (UNDP, 2001).

There are various definitions and descriptions of urbanization stated by different scholars. Hauser (1965, pp.8-9) not only gives the demographic conception of urbanization, i.e “the proportion of the population resident in urban places”; but also goes further to describe urbanization as “a social process which has brought about great transformations in man’s way of life”. Davis (1965) views urbanization in economic terms. He states that, “urbanization is a finite process, a cycle through which nations go in their transition from agrarian to industrial society”. Based on the various descriptions of urbanization, it can be concluded that urbanization brought about changes in three different forms i.e. physical, economic and social.

The percentage of urban population in Malaysia has increased from 37.7 percent in 1975 to 53 percent in 1994 and 56.7 percent in 1999 (UNDP, 1997 and 2001). In the effort to achieve Vision 2020 and attaining a developed nation status, urbanization would certainly be an important agenda. Taking the rate of urbanization as the major indicator for a developed society, we have to raise the percentage of urban population from 56.7 percent in 1999 to about 78.7 percent (i.e. the average percentage of urban population in the industrialized countries).

In comparing the three major ethnic groups, the Chinese and Indians are more urbanized compared to the Malays. Nevertheless, the urban Malay population is also increasing. Table 1 shows the percentage distribution of population by ethnicity and stratum.

As for the the Malays in the study area, they are considered as urban population by virtue of living in Shah Alam, the capital city of Selangor. However, from the survey, it is found that the respondents and their husbands have a more varied background. 53.4 percent came from the villages and were brought up in a rural setting and currently, 61.9 percent of their parents still live in the rural areas. Table 2 summarizes the information on this aspect. The average length of stay in Shah Alam is 11.9 years. 26.6 percent of the respondents had stayed in Shah Alam between 10 to 14 years. (Refer to Table 3 on the next page).

Table 4 below shows the place of origin of the respondents and their husbands (head of household). Majority of them were migrants from other states in Malaysia. Since Shah Alam is a planned new city, only 6.3 percent of the 398 respondents and husbands are Shah Alam residents. A further 25 percent came from parts of Selangor. The rest of the respondents and their husbands are all migrants from other states in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak (2 persons) and Singapore (3 persons). People from all the states in Peninsular Malaysia made up the Shah Alam middle class population. From a total of 169 respondents and their husbands who state their place of origin, the three highest percentages of migrants are from Perak (21%), Kelantan (20%) and Johor (18%).

The sample depicts precisely, the description of an urban area where its inhabitants came from different places, cultural backgrounds and walks of life. Wirth (1964, p. 66) defines a city for sociological purposes as “…a relatively large, dense, and permanent settlement of socially heterogeneous individuals”.

Family, Career and Community

In terms of women’s role, Moser (1993) had divided it into three types of work. First is the reproductive role “which comprises the childbearing / rearing responsibilities and domestic tasks undertaken by women, required to guarantee the maintenance and reproduction of the labour force”. Second is the productive role which “comprises work done by both women and men for payment in cash or kind” and finally the community managing role which is defined as “the work undertaken at the community level, around the allocation, provisioning and managing of items of collective consumption”.

Industrialization and economic prosperity has changed women’s role tremendously. In Malaysia, the literacy rate of the female population has increased from 77.5 percent in 1994 to 82.8 percent in 1999 (UNDP, 1997 and 2001). More and more girls are getting better education and more and more women are joining the formal employment sector. Labour force participation rate for women has increased from 35 percent in 1988 to 44.6 percent in 1999 (Department of Statistics, 2000).

From the sample, 64.5 percent of the women are working. Labour force participation rate of the Malay women in the middle class urban households are therefore much higher than the national rate of 44.6 percent in 1999. Only 71 respondents (35.5 percent) are full time mothers and homemakers. Table 5 shows the occupation of the respondents and their husbands. More than 70 percent of the sample works as professionals, semi-professionals, administrators and managers. The average monthly income for the respondents is RM 2,400, the average income of the head of household is RM 3,900 per month and the average household income is RM 5500 per month.

When asked their opinion about whether a woman should work, respondents in the focus group discussion sessions have mixed reaction. There are some women who say they need to work in order to supplement the household income. Below are the quotations from the focus group discussions:

Saya bekerja untuk membantulah…. Sebab anak-anak I kecil-kecil lagi…empat orang. Kalau tak bantu maknanya terlampau membebankan sangat dia. Laki-laki, pengalaman saya, bila dia rasa terbeban sangat, dia punya pressure lain macam, temperature naik atas ………………… kita kena saling membantu.

Saya kerja nak bantu suami… lepas tu, saya penat training dua tahun setengah, penat! … sebab tu kerja……….

Saya bekerja untuk membantu menambah pendapatan.

Saya bekerja memang untuk membantulah. Dulu saya kerja lapan – lima ….. suami saya suruh berhenti sebab masalah anak … dalam tempoh empat bulan, saya hadapi masalah kewangan, terus terang saya cakap. …………. So, saya buat kerja sambil jaga anak …….. saya kerja, walaupun pendapatan tak banyak, tapi membantu.


Some say they just have to work, there’s no choice, not only for the income, but also for some other reason, like the quotations below:

Kalau macam I, memang kena…. Sebab kalau duduk dekat town ni, kalau seorang saja yang bekerja, tak boleh…. Tak cukup!

If you are talking about income, yes! You memang kena…. You have to!

What I can say is terpaksa …………… everything means cost.

Banyak kerja rumah ni, you use energy… letih! …and then takes up all of your time, letih! Dan last sekali you end up nak tidur dulu lah….. kita makin lama makin tua, makin letih. So, I think in that sense, you probably have to work to get out of that situation. ……………….. I have to get out of that situation to meet people, in order to talk to people. That’s why besides the money, the social aspect….. why I choose to work…. And I think I need to work.

Patut (bekerja)…… sebab tenaga dia, kemahiran dia ada, kena guna pakailah kemahiran kita kan?

Besides the money, is also the thinking. When you work, your mind works.


However, there are respondents who would prefer to stay home if they have the choice. Below are some quotations from them:
Kalau saya diberi pilihan, saya tak nak kerja. Kalau boleh saya nak jaga anak-anak saya…. Dan apa pengetahuan yang saya ada, saya nak cuba ajar dia……. Saya lebih suka, saya buat sendiri. Dan terus terang cakap, kalau ada chance, saya nak berhenti kerja. That’s my opinion …. Itu yang kadang rasa terpaksa.

So, I, kalau suami I berkemampuan dari segi kewangan, better I suka duduk rumah lagi, I want to be an educated mother, I want to be a loving wife. So, husband I balik, I ada kat rumah, tersenyum girang…

So, for me, kalau diberi kesempatan, memang I duduk rumah, take care of my family.


Reproductive Role Versus Productive Role

Even though majority of the women are performing the productive work, just like the men, they are still responsible for the reproductive work at home. From this study, the total fertility rate (TFR) of the middle class Malay women in the sample is 3.5, However, looking at TFR for women over 40 years old, the rate of 4.2 is higher that the national rate for Malay women in 1996 which is 3.9. TFR for the Chinese and Indian are 2.5 and 2.7 respectively and the TFR for Peninsular Malaysia is 3.3 in 1996 (NPFDB, 1999). For the developed countries, TFR is 1.7 in 2000 (UNDP, 2001). Data on the number of children for all the respondents is shown in Table 6. Almost half of the households have three or four children.

When asked about the ideal number of children among the couples, on the average they state that four is ideal. Table 7 depicts the data on ideal number of children. The ideal number of children from this study does not vary much from earlier studies. A study done by Fatimah (1994) on Middle Class Malay in Kuala Lumpur showed that 70 percent of the respondents would like to have three and more children. Abdul Rahman (1999) who studied Middle Class Malay in Kota Bahru, Kuala Terengganu and Klang Valley, found that the overall mean for the total preferred number of children among his respondents was 4.9. It is expected that the fertility trends among the Malay women would not change much in the future, especially with the greater influence of Islamic values on present day lifestyle. Malay women would continue to have more children. Leete (1996, pp. 119-120) noted that “…despite an increasingly educated female population, increased rates of urbanization, modern sector employment, and greatly increased infant and child survival, there has not been widespread adoption of a small family norm among the Malays”.

All the advancement that women has made and their contribution to economic growth and nation building has not relieved them from their traditional or reproductive role. Women still shoulder the burden of housework and childcare even if they are in full-time employment. A study done by Fatimah (1994) on middle class Malay households states that “……..It is still the working wives / women in such families who bear the main burden of conducting and managing the household”. Data from the sample also reflects the same situation. However, the data shows greater involvement from the men with regards to playing with children, teaching them and in sending / fetching them to and from school. (Refer to Table 8)

The day-to-day chores of housework and childcare are still mainly the women’s responsibility. This often results in conflicts, tension and stress as stated by Feinstein (1979), “The clash of traditional mores and attitudes, which assign homemaking and childrearing responsibilities to wives, with increased labour force participation by women has placed enormous physical and emotional burden on women workers with families”. Difficulty to get husband’s involvement is brought up by some respondents in the focus group discussions. A young nurse with a baby has this to say:

Kerjanya (housework) tak susah. Al least kita kerja, dia jaga anak. Tolong sidai kain pun boleh. Kita buat kerja, dia pun buat kerja …. Bukan kita duduk relax, dia buat kerja. Kalau kita masak, dia tolong jaga anak … lipat kain ke..macam tu. Jangan kita kena suruh, baru dia nak buat. Kita boleh buat dua kerja dalam satu masa……

A 47 years old administrative assistant with four grown children has this to say about her husband:

I, kalau nak kira agaknya, satu peratus sahaja (husband’s help). I tak nampak mana dia tolong. Biasalah, kalau basuh kereta tu, dia basuhlah… tapi kalau housework ke, jaga anak ke, NO! My husband even dia tak buat air sendiri pun, tak pernah senduk nasi sendiri. I feel so upset, geram, tapi dia selalu kata, kalau kita tak hidang nasi, tak layan, nanti suami lari .. so, always gertak kita tau……… being a ( an east coast state ) punya husband memang pemalas. They are very lazy …… yang rajin ada juga, tapi rare, memang jarang……..

A 45 years old midwife with 3 children aged 6 – 17 finds difficulty in moulding the children and has this to say:

Ini ada kaitan dengan suami juga, kadang-kadang I kena force my kids, my boys juga. …. Kadang I blame my husband…character dia …because dia sendiri tak help….. macam mana anak-anak nak ikut. I always blame my husband sebab my husband kata I don’t discipline them. Macam mana nak displin, sebab bapak dia pun tak menolong, I kata saja macam tu

To many women, whether working or not, family is the priority. A 35 years old Uniten Engineering lecturer with five children, aged 1 – 11 sums it up:

But then, family is priority. Anak sakit, meeting, tak meeting, cancel! Anak is everything.

Many women experience tensions and conflicts. For those working, balancing the two roles (productive and reproductive roles) are the greatest challenge, while for those not working, finding time for their own self proves difficult. Some of the quotations gathered through the focus group discussions are as follows:

I pula, kadang-kadang kena pandai cari masa… curi-curi masa… kita minat buat sesuatu benda kan ………kadang-kadang rasa nak menjerit pun ada, …. Kadang-kadang kita nak buat perkara yang kita suka, contohnya saya suka menjahit…. Bila kita pegang benang, anak kita semua datang. (37 years old housewife with five children aged 4 – 14)

Kadang-kadang bila geram sangat, I pukul anak-anak I sebab dia orang degil. Tapi bila pukul tu, datanglah penyesalan… sebab kita memang tak ada intention nak pukul dia orang… tapi sebab penat, terpukul lah! After sometime, dia orang dah dewasa, I start talking to them. (46 years old executive, single-mother with three children aged 18 – 23).

Anak I, kalau I naik angin, I ambil rotan ke, hanger baju ke, I pukul pintu. Bunyinya kuatlah.. tapi tak apa, anak kita tak sakit. Dia tahu mama dia naik angin, so dia diamlah. I fikir, kalau kita pukul budak, dia tak akan serik.. masa tu saja dia menangis, lepas tu dia buat lagi. Kita pun kesian dan sayang anak kita, kan? …………. Macam saya anak empat orang laki-laki, saya kira anak rapat-rapatlah…. Cuma I cakap saja, kemudian bila dia degil, I ambil rotan, rotan dekat pintu … kemudian dia diamlah….. pukul tu, kena pukul jugalah. (40 years old clerk with four children aged 12 – 20)


Involvement in Community Work

The study found that women’s involvement in community work is very poor. Though the men are more involved compared to the women, the percentage of those involved is still low. Refer to Table 9.

The general finding from the focus group discussion shows a negative attitude towards community work, such as the following quotations:

I malas ……..even PIBG, I tak join pun.

I, anak kecil-kecil lagi, I tak minatlah.

Kadang-kadang … macam PIBG, I rasa bagilah orang lain contribute. I have this kind of attitude……….. I rasa, bila lagi I nak kat rumah, dahlah kerja !

Sekarang, saya mengajar mengaji Al_Quran saja di rumah, pagi sibuk dengan rumahtangga, persatuan ni saya tak berapa berminat.

Lagi satu, macam seksyen area, tak ada somebody yang betul-betul in-charge untuk ajak you. Macam dekat kampong-kampong, mak-mak kita ada WI kan, ada orang in-charge. Tapi kat Bandar don’t have. Kalau ada pun, datang rumah I, baca yasin.. that’s it, tu saja, lepas tu habis dah..buat hal masing-masing.

However, there also a few who are interested in community work, but are not able to spare their time.
Saya berminat, tapi always nak cari masa.

No, I tak involve in those things…… nantilah, bila anak-anak dah besar, maybe bolehlah……. At the moment. Tak ada.

It can thus be concluded that the main reason for this low involvement is due to lack of awareness and the support system to allow parents especially mothers some time to contribute to community work.

Types of Support

In terms of hiring maids to help out with housework and childcare, only 25.3 percent of the households are currently having maids. Based on 53 households who currently have maids, 80 percent of the maids are Indonesian. The various types of childcare that had been used by the respondents in this study are shown in Table 10 below. The most popular childcare is hiring maids, sending to child-minders or baby-sitters and sending to nurseries or daycare centers. 22.5 percent of the respondents had resort to sending their children to the kampongs to be cared for by their mother or mother-in-law. This arrangement may work out if the grandparents are healthy and able to care for the grandchildren, though it may weaken the parent-child relationship. Having parents, especially mother or mother-in-law coming over may provide short-term support for some of the families. Unlike the good old days, help from siblings and relatives are not easily available nowadays.

The respondents were also asked about the various types of support from their employers. Based on Table 11, majority of the employers are sympathetic to their workers only when they need to look after a sick child. 75% of the 125 respondents state that they will get time-off for this purpose. Setting up childcare centers at work place is still not being given priority by employers though the government has urged for this for a long time. Flexible working hours for both men and women would help ease the responsibilities at home, is only available to 32.4 percent of the respondents.

Conclusion and Recommendations

Yahya (1995) discusses some social implications of urbanization that includes less cohesive relationships, greater individual freedom, breakdown of traditional values, problems of adjustment, differences in family relationship and increase in social distance. From the case study of the urban middle class Malay households in Shah Alam, it can be concluded that bringing up children in an urban setting is a great challenge for parents especially if both are working. The impersonal nature of social contacts in the urban areas deprived urban families of kinship support that rural families enjoy. Employers do not seem to pay much attention to the plight of their workers. Childcare means big business to nursery and daycare operators. Tuition centers and motivational courses for children are in great demand. Employment agencies are gaining profit by bringing foreign maids.

Childrearing and children upbringing should not be taken lightly, since the success of Vision 2020 is in their hands. Parents of today are the ones responsible for moulding this future generation. Therefore, parents need to be equipped with proper skills and knowledge about parenting, so that the job would be manageable and becomes much easier. Cooperation from various governmental agencies, NGO’s and the private sector is needed to provide the content, expertise and the training. To ensure success, these courses have to be affordable and easily accessible to the general public. Existing social facilities like community centers, schools, mosques and suraus can be adapted to become community training and resource centers to cater for the local residents. Employers may also provide these courses at the work place. After completing certain modules, a certificate would be awarded. Incentives can be work out in terms of income tax rebate or rewards in cash or kind for those participating in this program. It is timely to give the job of childrearing and children upbringing the recognition it deserved.

Professor Chiam (1992) in an inaugural lecture clearly states that, “The mental and economic status of the nation in the year 2000 and beyond depends on the children of today. They will be the ones responsible for building up Malaysia or pulling it down; ………………………. Children are also the transmitters of social and moral values as well as the agents of change and custodians of continuity. In short, they are our future”.

In the effort to improve social relations in urban neighbourhoods, the spirit of community and neighbourliness of the rural areas has to be inculcated among the urban residents. In planning for new housing areas, particular emphasis should be given to the social aspect. Housing layout and design should promote acquaintance, interaction and encourage neighbourly spirit. In existing housing areas, awareness for community organizing and efforts in community development should be introduced and encouraged. The aim is to achieve greater cohesiveness so that the children belong to the community and neighbours would willingly help out during the parents’absence. The local authority and the community should work together to establish a community resource center in every neighborhood. This center is equipped with reading materials, indoor games and ICT facilities, if possible and managed by the community themselves. The elderly and housewives can volunteer their time to be around the center and the older children and youth can spent their time there after school hours while their parents are out at work. As such, there’s always an adult around that can keep and eye on the children.

With adequate social support system, parents especially the women can then have some relief, and can be successful at home, at work and in the community. Social aspects of development should be given greater emphasis if the vision of a developed society is to be realized. Mountjoy (1982, p. 234) noted that, What is becoming disturbingly clear is that while economic growth has been taking place (according to indicators such as GNP, per capita income etc.), the mass of the population in so many countries seems to have received little benefit. Economic growth alone is not development; social improvement in terms of education, health and welfare is an integral part of the modernization process”.



References

Abdul Rahman Hj. Embong (1999), State-Led Modernization and the Malay Middle Class in Malaysia, Thesis, IPSP, University Malaya.

Chiam Heng Keng (1992), Children – Our Heritage, An Inaugural Lecture delivered at the University of Malaya, January 23, 1992.

Davis, Kingsley (1965), The Urbanization of Human Population in Scientific American, September 1965, Volume 213 Number 3.

Davis, Kingsley (1973), Introduction in Cities: Their Origin, Growth and Human Impact, edited by Scientific American Inc., San Francisco: W.H. Freeman Company.

Department of Statistics, Malaysia (2000), Labour Force Survey Report 1999, Kuala Lumpur: Department of Statistics, Malaysia.

Department of Statistics, Malaysia (2001), Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristics, Kuala Lumpur: Department of Statistics, Malaysia.

Fatimah Bt. Abdullah (1994), Urbanisasi dan Kekeluargaan: Satu Kajian Kes Kelas Menengah Melayu di Kuala Lumpur, Thesis, University Malaya.

Feinstein, Karen W. (1979) (editor), Working Women and Families, Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

Hauser, Philip M. (1965), Urbanization: An Overview in The Study of Urbanization, edited by Hauser, Philip M. and Leo F. Schnore, New York: John Wiley and Sons Inc.

Leete, Richard (1996), Malaysia’s Demographic Transition: Rapid Development, Culture and Politics, Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.

Moser, Caroline O. N. (1993), Gender Planning and Development: Theory, Practice and Training, London: Routledge.

Mountjoy, Alan. B. (1982), Industrialization and Developing Countries (5th. Edition), London: Hutchinson.

National Population and Family Development Board Malaysia (NPFDB) (1999), Family Profile,
Kuala Lumpur: NPFDB.

Tey Nai Peng and Liaw Shu Hui (1995), Patterns of Urbanization and Migration in Malaysia, paper presented in Bengkel Maklumat Kependudukan: Ke Arah Perancangan Pembangunan Berkesan organized by LPPKN, Malaysia, 15-17 August 1995, Port Dickson.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (1997), Human Development Report 1997, New York: Oxford University Press.

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (2001), Human Development Report 2001, New York: Oxford University Press.

Wirth, Louis (1964), Urbanism as a Way of Life, in On Cities and Social Life: Selected Papers edited by Reiss, Albert J. Jr., Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.

Yahya Ibrahim (1995), Pembandaran dan Kejiranan, Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.


Note: Due to incompatible formatting, Tables have been removed from the text.

Promoting Awareness for Community Recreation: A Case of Central Shah Alam

By:
Associate Professor Kamarul Bahrain SHUIB
Department of Park and Amenity Management
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam

And: Habsah HASHIM
Department of Town and Regional Planning
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Shah Alam

For IFPRA Asia-Pacific Congress 2002
Parks and Recreation in the Information Age
21st. – 24th. October 2002,
at the Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Singapore



Abstract

This paper attempts to explore the possibility of introducing and promoting community recreation. The study analyzes park and recreational areas within central Shah Alam, covering section 2 until section 24. Community recreation involves positive discrimination i.e. meeting the needs of particular interest groups; decentralization of services; community development and integration of services. Leisure and recreation are viewed not only in terms of sports, but also at the wider scale to cover arts and crafts, cultural heritage, nature and local features etc.


Definition

Community refers to “a group of people living in the same area under the same local government and laws. These people are bound together by a common environment and are held together by psychological as well as economic, social and cultural bonds” (Meyer et al, 1969 p. 185). Community can be defined in two ways i.e. as a descriptive term and as a value term. In descriptive term, community means “a group or network of people who share something in common”. The common aspect may take the form of territory (locality – neighbourhood, village) or in the form of interest (job, religion, ethnicity). As a value, community is characterized with “connectedness, through a sense of membership, through shared activity and decision-making and through a shared understanding of the world”. The emphasis is on sharing, cooperation and social solidarity (Butcher, 1994, pp. 13 – 14).

Recreation comes from the Latin word, recreare which means to create anew, to become refreshed. Recreation is therefore, “a “renewing” experience – a refreshing change from
the workday and the daily routine. …. implies that the participant is recreated physically, psychologically, spiritually, or mentally; that he or she becomes refreshed or enriched; that he or she is revitalized and more ready to cope with the routines and trials of life” (Jensen and Naylor (1986, p. 2). A total recreation experience involves four phases. First is the anticipation phase that occurs prior to the event; enthusiasm develops and often stimulates reading, study and much conversation. Second is the planning phase that involves the actual preparation – equipment, food and clothing, travel etc.; it can be an educational experience. Next is the participation phase that is the actual activity and duration of the event. Finally is the recollection phase that may take the form of thought, expression (written, pictures, slides, movies) and describing the experiences that have occurred.


Central Shah Alam: The Community and Recreation Areas

The development of Shah Alam dated way back in 1963 when the Selangor state government officially agreed to open a new town in Sungai Rengam (later named Shah Alam). This new town is to become the state capital, replacing Kuala Lumpur that had become the national capital. Shah Alam was declared as Selangor state capital on 7th. December 1978 with an area of 41.69 square kilomenters (16.10 square miles). This primarily rubber and palm oil plantation area was developed by the Selangor State Development Corporation. The Shah Alam Municipal Council took over the administration according to Section 3 of the Local Government Act, 1976 on the same day as Shah Alam being declared as the Selangor state capital. On the 10th.of October 2000, Shah Alam was officially declared as a city, the seventh city in Malaysia.

Central Shah Alam is the original designated area covering sections 1 – 24. It covers and area of 6970.63 acres and inhabited by 156,405 population in 1999. The population has increased tremendously from only 20,000 in 1980. To date housing development in this area is almost complete except for parts of Section 7 and 13, and bungalow lots in section 8. Shah Alam is predominantly a Malay city. In 1995, 69 percent of its population are Malays, 18 percent Chinese, 20 percent Indians and 1 percent other races (Town Planning Department, MPSA, 1997). A household sample survey done in 2001 shows that 65 percent of the respondents are in their midlife i.e. between the age of 30 and 44 years and the mean age is 40.3 years old.

In terms of recreation areas and open spaces by residential sections, an analysis of the detail layout plans derived the acreage as shown in Table 1 on the next page. In total, the provision of 9.17 percent open space is slightly short of the requirement 10 percent of the total acreage. Only sections 4, 8, 9,18 and 24 exceed the requirement of 10 percent open space.

Not only are the actual provision of open spaces is less that the 10 percent requirement, a further comparison with the open space standards reveals that the provision of public open space is inadequate in all of the residential sections except in section 4. Refer to Table 2 and 3 for detail data.

Other than open spaces at the neighbourhood level, there are also other recreational facilities in central Shah Alam as shown in Table 4 below. There are also privately managed recreation areas i.e. Wet World Water Theme Park at section 14, Section 11 MBSA Hall, Matsushita Mini Stadium at Section 21, SUK Club at Section 6, Shah Alam Club and the Royal Golf and Country Club at Section 13. There are also a mini stadium and sports complex in University Techology MARA (UiTM) Campus in section 1.
Table 4: Recreational Facilities in Central Shah Alam

Public Policy and Service Provision in Recreation

The local authority is usually responsible for the administration and management of public recreation services in the urban areas. There are various aspects of administration and management of recreation as discussed by Meyer et al. (1969). Recreation areas and facilities have to be developed, maintained and controlled; recreation centers and services must be planned, promoted, operated and managed; personnel have to be employed, trained and supervised; policies, regulations and accountability of public spending must be properly outlined.

There are two distinct approaches in public policy and service provision i.e. the traditional bureau-professional model and the more recent community-practice model (Butcher, 1994). The main characteristics of the two models are outlined in Table 5 below.

Advocates of the community practice model had highlighted the weaknesses of the bureau professional model. Among the weaknesses are that it fails to adequately meet certain needs (especially the disadvantaged); it does not encourage innovation and experimentation; and unable to promote cooperation and integration in service delivery. The community practice model seems to be a better approach in public policy making and recreation service provision.


Recreation Service Provision in Shah Alam

There are ten departments in the Shah Alam City Council. The Landscape department is responsible for park and recreation areas. It has two units i.e. the Landscape unit and the Park and Recreation Maintenance unit. The roles of the department are to maintain parks and recreation areas; planning and management of landscape projects; processing landscape plans and management of nursery and Orchid Park

There are also several committees established by Shah Alam City Council. One of it is the Landscape Planning Committee. The functions of this committee are to recommend to the Council aspects of enhancement and recreational facilities; recommend to the Council steps to improve and maintain the attractiveness of Shah Alam in relation to its role as the state capital and to check, study and suggest to the Council regarding all the landscape plans submitted for planning approvals.

There is also a new department in charge of community in the Shah Alam City Council. There are four units in this department i.e. Public Relation unit, Sports unit, Community Development unit and Culture and Tourism unit. The roles of this department involve public relation matters; handling public complaints, producing press release & organizing events; introducing and marketing of the Council’s activities and coordinating and organizing activities.

The Landscape and the Community departments are important in trying to promote the idea of community recreation in Shah Alam. Though the current management is still very much top-down, bureau professional style, there are efforts to reach out to the local community like the establishment of “1221 Club” for youths in 1994, organizing activities in Laman Budaya since 2000 and the introduction of IT community centers in 2001. There needs to be a more concerted effort and innovative new ideas to be planned and implemented in the effort of promoting community recreation.


Community Recreation

The community recreation program refers to “the total experiences of individuals and groups resulting from community action in providing areas, facilities, leadership, and funds” (Butler, 1976, p. 231). Organization of community forces for recreation includes the establishment of groups such as the community recreation council, community recreation association, neighbourhood recreation clubs etc.

Les Haywood (1994) describes four main characteristics of community recreation. The first and most important feature is the concern to meet the leisure needs of specific groups especially the disadvantaged like the elderly, the disabled, the unemployed, the poor etc. Secondly is the adoption of community-orientated approaches that involve decentralization of services and devolution of responsibility. This approach is able to give greater consideration to local needs and demands and to be more sensitive to local neighbourhood concerns. Community development is the third characteristic of community recreation. Its’ aim is to provide and encourage formation of local community groups to allow for participation and consultation regarding policies affecting their daily lives. The inculcation of a sense of belonging made community development an important tool in promoting community recreation. The final characteristic of community recreation is the use of integrated approach to the provision of public services. The coordination and working together of various agencies resulted in better utilization of limited resources while fulfilling the various needs.

Promoting Community Recreation in Shah Alam

Promoting community recreation in Shah Alam would be very challenging because awareness on community organization is low and there are negative attitudes towards community work. Focus group discussion done among the women in Shah Alam revealed many negative attitudes, for example, “not interested, let others do it, have no time” etc. Based on the current scenario, the task of promoting community recreation would involve changing attitudes and mindsets. This requires creative and innovative programs capable of attracting public interests. The programs would not only be fun, but would also enhance the general well being of the community.

An active community group is the most important determinant of success in any community recreation program. To date, there are 33 community groups registered at the Shah Alam City Council. Mosques’ and suraus’ committee constitute another form of community organization that could also be included. In trying to encourage participation and involvement, a competition in conjunction with some important events like the Independence Day or Celebration of Shah Alam City could be launched. Every participating community group should organize a recreation activity for a certain target population, reflected in the composition in their community. It may be for the children, youths, women, the elderly, the handicapped etc. The winner will be awarded with a development grant to fund any project in their community. This will hopefully ignites some interests among the local residents and community groups and indirectly increases awareness towards community work.

Community recreation should also be seen in a broader sense; it need not only refers to sports and games. Recreation in other forms, like arts and crafts, cultural activities etc. should be introduced. Butler (1976) provides a list of recreation activities. Some of the activities that may be suitable in Shah Alam are as follows:

Social activities Arts and Crafts Nature and Outing Activities
Table / Card Games Basket weaving Camping / Picnicking
Reunions Cake decorating / Cookery Excursion / Trips / Travel
Block gatherings Carving / Ceramics Fishing
Costume party Embroidery / Sewing Gardening/ Flower arranging
Pot-luck get together Papercraft Pet shows
Treasure hunts Toy making Nature studies

Music Drama Literary & Language
Choirs Carnivals/Charades/ Festivals Book Clubs
Action songs Fashion shows Creative writing
Percussion bands Mask making Lectures / Ceramah
Kompang / Hadrah Puppetry
Talent show Wayang Kulit / Kuda Kepang Collecting activities
Concerts & Shows Story telling
Making musical instruments Service activities

In providing for the recreational needs of the local community, the Selangor Development Corporation (PKNS), the developer of central Shah Alam and the Shah Alam City Council have to identify areas that can be utilized for recreational activities. Analysis shows that the current provision is inadequate for the current population in most of the residential sections. Proper sports and games facilities must also be provided, fields and courts must be in good condition and properly maintained. Traditional games must also be popularized among the urban community. Suitable areas for such activities must be identified in each neighbourhood. Some of the games, sports and children’s play are as follows:

Low organized games Gymnastics and stunts Sports
Hide-and-seek Bag punching Bicycle riding
Cat and mouse Rope jumping Jogging
Tag games Trampoline / Tumbling Self-defense
Relays (kejar-kejar) Calisthenics Roller skating / skate board
Police and thief Swimming
Group or team games
Individual and dual games Baseball Traditional games
Badminton Basketball Congkak
Baseball pitching Hockey Marbles
Frisbees Netball Top spinning
Hopscotch Soccer Kite flying
Table-tennis / tennis Volleyball Sepaktakraw
Silat

Finally, there needs to be some kind of integration between the local authority (Shah Alam City Council) and the local community. Shah Alam City Council has to shift its role from the direct provision of services to being an enabler that facilitates programs. The community groups should take over the programming and management responsibilities. The community focus management approach maximizes opportunities for community development and enhancement of the quality of life, with positive discrimination in favour of disadvantaged and deprived groups. Planning and programming of activities should stress on creativity, responsiveness to change and integration of resources.

Conclusion

Community recreation may be new in the Malaysian cities. It may be difficult to introduce given the current situation in the public sector management and also the attitude of the local residents. However, it has tremendous benefits and will enhance community living at the neighbourhood level. Existing recreational facilities would be fully utilized, while the need for further development of new facilities will be justified. A mature and democratic society (one that is consensual and community oriented) and a fully caring society and a caring culture, a social system in which society will come before self are two challenges of Vision 2020 which may be fulfilled by promoting the concept of community recreation.


Reference:

Butcher, Hugh (1994), The Concept of Community Practice in Haywood, Les (editor), Community Leisure and Recreation : Theory and Practice, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd.

Butler, George D. (1976), Introduction to Community Recreation (5th. Edition), New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.

Haywood, Les (1994), Concept and Practice in Community Leisure and Recreation in Haywood, Les (editor), Community Leisure and Recreation : Theory and Practice, Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd.

Jensen, Clayne R. and Jay H. Naylor (1986), Opportunities in Recreation and Leisure, Lincolnwood, Illinois: National Textbook Company.

Majlis Perbandaran Shah Alam (1995), Panduan Permohonan Kelulusan dan Piawaian Perancangan (Jilid III), MPSA, Jun 1995.

Meyer, Harold D., Charles K. Brightbill and H. Douglas Sessoms ( 1969), Community Recreation: A Guide to its Organization, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

Town Planning Department, MPSA (1991), Penerangan Ringkas Bandar Shah Alam, Taklimat kepada Ahli Majlis MPSA, 21st. June 1991.

Town Planning Department, MPSA (1997), MPSA: Perancangan Fizikal dan Pembangunan Shah Alam, October 1997


Note: Due to incompatible formatting, Tables have been removed from this paper.