Public Participation in Malaysia

The notion of Malaysian public involvement in planning can be traced to the Town Board Enactment of the Federated Malay States of 1927. It provides for the general town plan to be displayed to the public to make objections and propose recommendation on how to overcome the objections. Later the Town Board Enactment 1930 (which are still applicable in some parts of the country) provides similar arrangements for public involvement. In all these cases, the public was only allowed to participate after a draft plan has been completed.

The Town and Country Planning Act (TCP ACT), 1976 which succeeded the Town Board Enactment was the only significant planning legislation which covers all local authorities in Peninsular Malaysia. The rationale the TCP Act 1976 was basically to replace the Town Board Enactment which was considered extremely physical in approach and too rigid in accommodation changes in socio-economic needs for a country experience rapid development.

The 1976 Act essentially provide for public participation in these stages:

a) while preparing the structure plan policies

b) objection and representation to the structure plan

c) objection to the local plan

According to Kamalruddin (1994), the public participation exercise in Malaysia relied heavily on the following principles:

a) opportunities should be given to the public to involve themselves at the early stage of study;

b) public participation programme should involve all the people in the society;

c) public participation techniques must be suited to the various types of people directed at;

d) public participation could also be considered as an approach to educate the public concerning town planning based on the 1976 Act

Thus far, public participation in Malaysia has been quite successful in informing the public about the development plan of their respective area. However, more significant contribution from the public is desirable to improve the relationship between the authority and the public which would facilitate better development effort for the country.