Friday 29 Mar 2024
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This article first appeared in Forum, The Edge Malaysia Weekly on October 7, 2019 - October 13, 2019

As MP for Setiawangsa, I represent an urban Kuala Lumpur constituency. Before this, I was the state assemblyman for Seri Setia in Petaling Jaya for two terms. And I have learnt from my experience that social integration is one of the greatest challenges facing our generation of Malaysians.

Urban spaces are becoming increasingly important. The UN has forecast that 77.2% of Malaysians will live in urban areas by 2020 and by 2030, this will increase to 81.8%. The stereotype of the average Malay living in the kampung does not hold true anymore. Indeed, the majority of Malays, just like the Chinese and Indians, live in urban areas.

We probably do not have enough truly public urban spaces here in Malaysia. We love our malls but these are just places where we go to spend our money. Our cities and towns lack places that everyone can call their own and use regardless of how much money they make.

 

Who are our cities for?

I believe this is the crux of all urban problems. Answer this question and the way forward becomes clear. If you believe cities are places for certain ethnic or income groups or places for countries to attract trade, investment and business to, then it is clear enough what kind of cities they will turn out to be: segregated, unequal and invidious.

But if you believe that cities are meant to nurture everyone, that they are meant to showcase the best of the country and its values, then, as Pericles of Athens said, “All the good things of the earth flow into our city because of its greatness”. Then, the kind of cities and urban spaces we should build also becomes obvious.

 

Our cities should be for our people and be inclusive

You have leaders who talk piously about the need for better public transport but they behave only like car owners. You have T20 and M40 leaders calling for reform but they neglect the needs of the B40. And there have been too many demagogues inciting the B40s against the rest or one race against another.

There is no way Malaysia can close its racial and religious segregation — in its cities or elsewhere — without ending the economic inequalities festering on our shores. They feed off each other.

 

Local knowledge is important

The 11th Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) of the UN calls for countries to “make cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. The government should not let up on achieving the SDGs, supported by both the private sector and civil society. Fulfilling them will go a long way towards addressing the inequities in our cities.

But even as we forge ahead with the SDGs, we should not lose sight of the human element of development.

Truly achieving them will require local knowledge. All cities are different and so are the neighbourhoods within them. One-size-fits-all will not work. It is this approach that has made real progress very difficult in Malaysia.

Recently, there was a controversy over the comment by UN Special Rapporteur Professor Philip Alston that, among other things, our government’s claim that Malaysia’s poverty rate is 0.4% is

unrealistic. This is true in my own constituency. Setiawangsa is so close to KLCC and the city’s golden triangle business centre but for many here, life is a struggle. And yet, some leaders cling to the official figure.

 

Political will

Political will matters a lot. What does it tell you when it took a change of government for DBKL to ratify the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020?

It was the right of the government to do so. But lately, there have been calls for the plan to be degazetted to allow KL citizens to effectively protest against allegedly dubious future developments. This is because the current plan does not include the objections and feedback that was in the original 2008 draft.

Without political will, even the best-laid plans for cities will come to naught. Reform will not happen if governments remain beholden to vested interests. And reform will also fail if it does not put the people first.

 

Let us not forget about climate change

Anyone who tries to challenge the power of Nature will quickly be humbled. The annual flooding and haze we face are the immediate manifestations of our failure to develop our land in a sustainable manner.

We do not talk enough about climate change. Other countries are already working on it. Indonesia, for example, is planning to move its capital city in order to take the pressure off Jakarta while Bangkok is looking at using mangroves to build natural barriers against rising sea levels.

So, there is an urgent need for us to climateproof our cities and urban spaces. The problem is real and there is little point in having fancy infrastructure if we do not address the woes of climate change.

 

The youth must lead

Finally, we must listen to the young and let them take the lead. It is their future, after all. They will inherit the cities we leave them. We must make sure that our cities are not only friendly to the young, in terms of having things for them to do, but also that they are affordable and full of opportunities.

Everywhere in Malaysia, we hear of young people not being able to find jobs, afford housing or access healthcare. These problems must be addressed and the way our cities are planned plays a role in solving them.

Local councils must consider the needs and aspirations of young Malaysians. Harnessing their energy and ideas will be crucial for the future.

The youth, if nurtured in the right environment through targeted programmes, can flourish. I share here my personal experience through the Mentari Project in Desa Mentari, Petaling Jaya, which began in 2007. We have managed to provide a holistic educational programme to schoolchildren that offers them learning opportunities and develops their character.

Mentari Project is now working with community football club Setiawangsa Rangers in my new constituency under a programme called Tunas Mentari in PPR Kg Baru Air Panas. Boys are given free football training provided they attend basic educational classes — combining the discipline and passion of sport with the importance of basic academic standards in a high-risk environment.

Politicians must care about what happens to our cities. This will require an active citizenry holding their leaders to account.

Our cities can yet do justice to the people and become places that all can call their home. The task is difficult but it can and must be done.


Nik Nazmi Nik Amad is Keadilan chief organising secretary and Member of Parliament for Setiawangsa. He has authored several books, including 9 May 2018: Notes from the Frontline and Moving Forward: Malays for the 21st Century.

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