14th NOVERMBER 2008 SEMINAR ON LAND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, UNIVERSITI PUTRA MALAYSIA

Today I attended seminar Seminar on Land Resource Management organised by Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) cooperation with University of Cambridge. The seminar is conjuction with 10 years annivesary of Master of Science in Land Resource Management (Ms LARM). The purpose of seminar is concerns with sustainable land use that worried everyone because of the limited land resources for food production and the increased trend towards urbanization. Accelerated land degradation and limiting water resources further aggravates the situation. As land belongs to the past, present and future generations, it is not only a useful and tradable commodity but also a valuable natural resource that must be conserved and protected for the common good of all. Unconstrained land developments have an impact on the climate, environment and public safety. Thus, the need to increase knowledge and appreciation on soil and land matters among the professionals involved with land development becomes very urgent.

Background

MS LARM offered by the Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia in collaboration with The University of Cambridge since May 1997 , is part of a conscious effort to fulfill this need. This programme is the only one of its kind in Southeast Asia. The programme covers the theory, methodology and current practices in managing land resources, particularly in the tropical region. At the end of the programme, students would have the fundamental knowledge and understanding of soil science and land resource as a tool to solve issues related to land.

The programme is offered to candidates with working experience from within the country and abroad. The curriculum is specially designed for government and private sector employees at the professional and managerial level in ministries, departments, agencies and corporations dealing with soil and land-related matters such as land use planning, land development in rural and urban setting, agricultural development, land administration, land economics, soil survey and land evaluation, soil/land quality and environmental monitoring. Though largely based on the Malaysia and Western Europe experiences, the programme will also be suitable and of great benefit to candidates from other countries, particularly those in Asia, the Americas and Africa.

The programme consists of a minimum of 36 credit hours (31 credit hours of compulsory courses plus 5 credit hours of elective courses) to be taken in not less than two (2) semesters or modules plus a mandatory technical trip to UK/Western Europe. The programme does not require preparation of a thesis, nevertheless, candidates will be required to submit a project paper based on their technical trip (SST 5901 Course).

Courses in Module 1: Land Evaluation, Soil and Water Conservation, Land Contamination and Pollution, Land Development and Environment, and Elective Courses.

Courses in Module 2: Sustainable Land Development, Land Use Planning and Management, Land Resource Management and Urban Development, Land Economics and Land Laws Administration, Natural Resource Policy, and Elective Courses.

Elective Courses: GIS for Forest Resource Management, Agroforestry Management, Remote Sensing, Precision Agriculture, Management Information System or other related 5000 series courses as approved by the Programme Coordinator. Technical Trip to U.K./Western Europe:

A two and a half (2 ½) week technical trip to UK and Western Europe (SST 5901) organized by the University of Cambridge and UPM will expose students to balanced land management in accordance with current trends of modernization. The itinerary for the visit differ each year but usually participants will visit England, Holland, Belgium and France. Lectures will be conducted either in the classroom or at the visit sites by the experts in the fields. The course will be completed with a project report on comparative land management between those in England/W. Europe and Malaysia. Individuals who would like to join this technical trip as non-student participants are welcomed. However, being a technical trip, we would prefer participants who are working professionals either in private or government sectors so that they can participate during the lectures and discussions.

Certificate of attendance will be jointly conferred by the University of Cambridge and Universiti Putra Malaysia for each participant including the non-student participant upon successful completion of this technical trip. The fees for non-student participant for this technical trip is RM 16,000.00 which will cover lodging, visits and lectures, breakfast plus one meal per day, and inclusive of airfare K.L. – London – K.L. The fees for the whole MS LARM programme is RM 25,000.00 inclusive of the Technical Trip to England and W. Europe (SST 5901 course) which covers everything mentioned above except the airfare K.L. – London – K.L.

Entrance requirements for the programme are as set by the UPM Graduate Studies Committee for taught masters degree. For admission, candidates must have a Bachelors degree (Cumulative Grade Point Average: 2.25) in relevant disciplines. For registration and further information please contact:DeanFaculty of AgricultureUniversiti Putra Malaysia43400 UPM SerdangSelangor, MalaysiaTel:(+603) – 8946 6991Fax: (+603) – 8943 3097/ 4419

Today seminar participated with interesting papers such as:

Seminar 1 – ‘Land Law and Policy in Malaysia’ by Prof. Dato’ Dr. Nik Zain Nik Yusoff, UPM

Seminar 2 - ‘Land Resource Management – Public/Private Partnership’ by Dr . Derek Nicholls, University of Cambridge

Seminar 3 - ‘Comparative study on Land Resource Development between UK/ Western Europe and Malaysia’ by LARM students.

WILL THE NEW POLITIC SCENARIO IN MALAYSIA ENCHANCE EFFICIENT URBAN GOVERNANCE?

Since the advent of New Public Management (NPM), public service innovations and policy transfers have become increasingly popular around the world as a strategy for improving governance and scaling up service quality. The Malaysian government has also shown considerable interests in policy learning and consequently introduced important innovations and reforms akin to those introduced in other contexts. This major innovations and changes that the Malaysian public service has witnessed since the early 1980sand comments on their impact. Although public service innovations and reforms have been quite comprehensive and generally, viewed favourably, they have so far produced positive but yet limited impact. Despite gains in several areas as a result of innovations and changes public governance, Malaysia continues to suffer from a number of problems and challenges including high incidence of corruption, inefficiency, procedural complications/delays in service provision and lack of professionalism.

Though the term ‘governance’ has gained currency fairly recently, attempts at improving governance are by no means new. As the public bureaucracy has generally attracted increasing criticisms for poor performance and failure on its part to meet the rising expectations of the citizenry, government leaders have always sought to address such situations by devising and introducing innovative policy measures. In this respect, they have also shown growing interests in learning from other contexts and in imitating policy models that have apparently produced better results. Thus administrative innovations and policy learning and/or transfers have been a key feature of drives for upgrading the quality of governance in both developed and developing countries. In recent years, such drives seem to have received fresh impetus especially since the advent of the NPM as a model of public sector governance.

The NPM refers to a range of reforms in the public sector aimed at making it more efficient, economic and effective. At the heart of these reforms is the shift from government by control to government by contract, which typically involves the introduction of market logic in the government, changes in organisational structures and redefinition of the government’s roles and functions in the society. Since the NPM has offered better solutions to many of the perennial problems of the public sector, the new model has soon become widely popular. By early 1990s it has assumed a global character and ignited the process of radical transformation of the public service around the world. The countries in the Asia Pacific region are no exceptions to this world-wide trend. During the past decades, political and administrative leaders of this region have demonstrated growing interests in the idea of governance innovation and introduced major reforms in an attempt to streamline the management of the public sector.

Broadly aimed at improving governance, these reforms are largely consistent with those introduced elsewhere, although there are significant variations between individual countries in terms of the levels of implementation and the strategies involved. Consequently, the countries have recorded varied experiences with reforms initiated and results achieved. In Malaysia, the government has introduced a wide range of reforms especially since the 1980s in order to upgrade governance and the quality of services provided to its citizens. The recent reforms represent a major departure in that they are far more significant and comprehensive in both depth and coverage than those introduced in the past. Taken together, they have brought about profound changes in the public service and the way it operates in providing goods and services to the people. The present paper provides an overview of public service reform in Malaysia focussing on aspects of innovation and policy transfer. It begins with the identification of some key factors that have provided the impetus for reforms and innovations. Then it outlines some of the contemporary reform initiatives and assesses their impacts on public governance in general.

THE ROLES OF URBAN GOVERNANCE IN CORRIDOR ECONOMIC REGIONS DEVELOPMENT OF MALAYSIA

In line with Malaysia’s vision of becoming a developed nation by the year 2020, the time has come for us to accelerate the regional development plans that have been put in place. The most important objective of regional development is to achieve a balanced, focused regional growth by spreading economic development to embrace all states and regions. In 2007, we have witnessed the birth of 3 corridor development master plans in Peninsular Malaysia i.e Iskandar Development Region (IRDA), Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and East Corridor Economic Region (ECER). The master plans are long term plans and are aimed to unleashed the economic potential of the corridors and enhances the people's quality of life and their income level.This was partly the resultant of the identification of growth conurbations in the National Physical Plan and the call for a more balanced development growth in the country. All three corridors of the Peninsular Malaysia will bring about great change to development and allocation of funds and budget is based on these master plans projects.

This is especially true for the Corridor Economic Regions where tremendous opportunities await. The states of Malaysia are endowed with a wealth of natural resources. Thus far, the nation has benefited tremendously from the optimal use of the oil and gas resources which the region is blessed with. However, the region’s other natural assets have gone relatively untapped. With its beautiful islands, pristine beaches, and unique culture and heritage, the tourism potential in this region remains enormous. Strategically located in Malaysia, facing towards the East Asian countries, the region has an excellent prospect to become the Eastern Gateway to serve the vast Far East markets in terms of trade, resource-based manufacturing, logistics and services.

Agriculture, the mainstay of the region’s economy, is gradually taking on a new face thanks to commercialisation and integration, while human capital development is gradually taking centre stage with the establishment of new tertiary institutions.Hence, the formation of the Corridor Economic Regions Development Council to spearhead the implementation of the plan in the region is a positive move which will fast track the socio-economic development for the states of Malaysia. While the Government will spearhead major infrastructural initiatives in this region, the private sector must play its role to drive the investment in this region, and at the same time cultivate smaller businesses and entrepreneurs.

Potential investors can look forward to an attractive package of incentives, tailor-made especially for this region, with the aim of transforming the Corridor Economic Regions into a cost-competitive and vibrant business hub, poised for future growth. The Government, on its part will ensure that the physical infrastructure will be in place to provide a sound foundation for future growth. The new and enhanced land, sea and air transportation projects as outlined in the Corridor Economic Regions Master Plan will significantly improve the connectivity and linkages between the region and the Kuala Lumpur Conurbation and other demand centres locally and internationally.With the full commitment of both the public and private sectors, the Government is confident that we can all work together to realise the vision of Corridor Economic Regions to become a developed region by the year 2020.

The urban governance plays a leading role in setting the direction, policies and strategies in relation to the Region’s development. It also plays the coordinating role between Government entities in the promotion of trade, investment, tourism and development activities in the Corridor Economic Regions . Among others, the Council acts on behalf of the Government agencies within the Corridor Economic Regions to receive, process and expedite approvals for trade, investment and development in the Corridor Economic Regions . The Council also promotes and stimulates economic and social development in the Region, as well as private sector investment. The urban governance also establishes policies, direction, strategies and initiatives in relation to sustainable development, including environmental protection, management and conservation in the Corridor Economic Regions .

Function of Urban Governance

· Sets direction, policies and strategies in relation to the Corridor Economic Regions 's development

· Coordinates role between Government entities in the promotion of trade, investment, tourism and development activities

· Acts on behalf of Government agencies with the Corridor Economic Regions to receive, process and expedite approvals for trade, investment and development in the Corridor Economic Regions

· Promotes and stimulates economic, social development and private sector investments in the Region

Establishes policies, direction, strategies and initiatives for sustainable development. An Implementation and Coordination Committee (ICC) for each of the state of Malaysia will be established by the Corridor Economic Regions. Among others, the ICCs will identify major or strategic development and investment in the Corridor Economic Regions with regard to their respective states, monitor the status of all related applications and coordinate the roles and activities of relevant government entities to expedite the implementation of such identified major or strategic development and investment in the Corridor Economic Regions .

LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN MALAYSIA : TOWNS AND CITIES ARE GOVERNED BY APPOINTED MAYORS

Malaysia is a federation of 13 largely autonomous states. The federation emerged as the post-colonial solution to demands for Malayan independence as well as the struggles taking place elsewhere in the region among British colonies. Having achieved independence within the British Commonwealth in 1957, Malaya expanded to become Malaysia in 1963, though Singapore left the federation in 1965. In addition to the 13 states, nine of which are sultanates, there are three federal territories. The states exercise considerable power over local affairs, even appointing councils and mayors. Like neighbouring Indonesia and some regions of the Philippines, the influence of Islam remains strong in Malaysian society and governance. During the period of British rule, Malaya’s sultans were allowed to continue their dominance of local affairs and effectively governed on Britain’s behalf.

Furthermore, the influx of Chinese and Indian labour during this period led to a more diverse population than the ethnic Malays alone. Britain’s possession of its Malayan colonies was effectively ended by Japanese occupation during the second world war and although it was keen to embark upon withdrawal within the context of the ailing post-war UK economy, it waged a six-year war against Communist insurgents, who having formed the resistance against the Japanese then viewed independence as their military goal. Malaysia emerged independent against a wider backdrop of British imperial retreat in the early 1960s however.Malaysia is a constitutional elective monarchy, chosen for five years among the nine sultans. Malaysia’s federal government is constituted along the same lines as the Westminster model adopted by many former British colonies, but in practice the executive has come to dominate political affairs.

The parliament, located in the capital Kuala Lumpur, consists of two houses – the Chamber of the Nation and the Chamber of the People. The Chamber of the Nation, or Senate, consists of 69 senators who sit for six year terms, 43 appointed by the king and 26 from the states. The lower house’s 193 representatives are elected from single member divisions for up to five years and by universal adult suffrage (21 years and over). The Prime Minister, who is appointed by the king as the leader of the majority party or coalition, must sit in the lower house. Since independence in 1957, the United Malays National Organisation has dominated its politics and since 1973 governed alongside other parties, though the Prime Minister has always come from the UMNO. Under Article 153 of its constitution, Malays are accorded certain political and civil privileges. Malaysia’s media is also tightly controlled by the government through the issuing of printing licences.

The nine sultanates are each governed by an elected chief minister, in addition to their hereditary ruler. The four states without hereditary rulers are governed by ceremonial governors and executive chief ministers appointed by central government however. The federal territories, including capital Kuala Lumpur, are governed directly by the Ministry of Federal Territories. Local councils, which have not been elected since 1970, but appointed to by the states themselves, fall under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Housing and Local Government, under the 1976 Local Government Act. Elections were suspended following racial disturbances during the 1969 local elections. However, the Malaysian constitution also provides for each state to govern its own arrangements by ordinance.The two main division of local government are rural district councils and urban centres.

There are two types of urban council: city councils and municipalities.All types of local government perform the same functions. Municipalities can be upgraded to cities once they satisfy the required criteria. There are nine city councils, 34 municipal councils and 101 district councils. However, cities are led by mayors, while municipalities and districts are led by presidents. The state governments, elected every five years, appoint mayors, presidents and all councillors. The appointments are for three-year terms, but individuals may be reappointed. This is uniform across the country. The council decision-making process is through a committee structure determined by the local authority, including the committees provided for in legislation.
Executive powers lie with the mayor in the city councils, and presidents in the municipal and district councils.

They are appointed by their state governments on either a part-time or full-time basis. The state government also sets remuneration. The respective state governments establish executive committees, which are chaired by the mayor or president. Councils can establish other general or specific committees at their discretion.Local government is responsible for public health and sanitation, waste removal and management, town planning, environmental protection and building control, social and economic development and general maintenance functions of urban infrastructure.

6th NOVEMBER 2008 FSSK MONTHLY SEMINAR - PHD THESIS RESEARCH AND BEYOND

8th NOVEMBER 2008 - WORLD TOWN PLANNING DAY

World Town Planning Day (WTPD) is celebrated internationally on 8th November to draw attention to the aims, objectives and progress of urban, regional and environmental planning. It also serves to remind future generations of community-wide needs, the need for personal involvement in community policy making and the necessity to consider future impacts in community and regional development. The International Organisation for World Town Planning Day was founded in 1949 by the late Professor Carlos Maria della Paolera of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. In that same year the professor also founded the Instituto Superior de Urbanismo. His aim was to "advance public and professional interest in planning both locally and abroad" and create "a special day to recognise and promote the role of planning in creating livable communities."

WTPD fell into decline after Professor della Paolera died, except in Turkey, which observed it alone for 20 years. It was revived in 1995 by the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISoCaRP) and has been promoted steadily ever since. By its 50th Anniversary in 1999, it was marked in about 30 countries on four continents including Malaysia. Here are three good Reasons to plan a WTPD event on or near November 8:

• Education -- to help educate members of the community about planning's positive impacts on community livability;

• Celebration -- to highlight planning achievements;

• Recognition -- honor people involved in the planning process.

Since 1988, this special day has become an annual event celebrated by the Federal Department of Town and Country Planning, Peninsular Malaysia. WTPD 2008 shall be held on conjunction with the International Year of the Earth 2008. However, in Malaysia a joint seminar and exhibition on Harmonious Cities for World Habitat Day and The Way Forward on Sustainability for World Town Planning Day 2008 will be held on 5th-7 th November 2008 at Putrjaya International Convention Centre (PICC). This year WTPD 2008 theme is Planning for Sustainability.

FSSK MONTHLY SEMINAR 4th NOVEMBER 2008

 

 

03 - 06 NOVEMBER 2008 - WORLD URBAN FORUM

03 - 06 NOVEMBER 2008 - WORLD URBAN FORUM, NANJING, CHINA. Theme: Harmonious Urbanization: The Challenge of Balanced Territorial Development

The World Urban Forum was established by the United Nations to examine one of the most pressing issues facing the world today: rapid urbanization and its impact on communities, cities, economies and policies. It is projected that in the next fifty years, two-thirds of humanity will be living in towns and cities. A major challenge is to minimize burgeoning poverty in cities, improve the urban poor's access to basic facilities such as shelter, clean water and sanitation and achieve environment-friendly, sustainable urban growth and development. The World Urban Forum is a biennial gathering that is attended by a wide range of partners, from non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, urban professionals, academics, to governments, local authorities and national and international associations of local governments. It gives all these actors a common platform to discuss urban issues in formal and informal ways and come up with action-oriented proposals to create sustainable cities.

The Fourth session of the World Urban Forum (WUF4) will be hosted by the Government of China and will be held in the ancient city of Nanjing from 03-06 November 2008. Situated in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, the city of Nanjing dates back more than 2,000 years and is known as the ancient capital of the Six Dynasties of China. Today, home to 6 million people, it is a rapidly growing modern city and is one of the most dynamic in eastern China. The number of people attending the World Urban Forum has risen sharply from 1,200 at the first World Urban Forum in Nairobi in 2002, to 4,400 at the second World Urban Forum in Barcelona in 2004 and 11,400 at the third session of the World Urban Forum in Vancouver in 2006. The Forum is successful because it differs from UN governing bodies. Since it is not legislative and does not follow the formal rules of procedure that usually govern official UN meetings, the working arrangements of the Forum are kept deliberately simple and relatively informal to generate a healthy and inclusive debate on urban issues. Participation is extremely open to allow effective dialogue between all actors working on urban issues.

GEOHAZARD MAPS AND URBAN PLANNING.... NEW TASK FOR FEDERAL DEPARTMENT TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Q: You said at a recent climate change conference that before 2004, planners lived in a comfort zone. Why is that?
A: Before 2004, it was difficult to compare our country with others like the Philippines where they have strong typhoons. We have our fair share of disasters but not like the floods in Bangladesh. Ours are smaller, or flash floods. We are in a sheltered platform.

Q: Planners always said these were one-off things. Why should we pay attention to them?
A: We went to Aceh after the tsunami. It made us wonder if it could have happened to Malaysia. Sure, about 200,000 people died in Aceh and only 68 in Malaysia, but a life is a life. We have to do something. We've addressed floods to some extent in our planning but have never gone into detail like drawing up flood-risk maps. Then comes climate change and everything goes haywire, like the floods in Johor. With that awareness, we started Lupar (land-use planning for assessment of risk) which was designed to raise awareness among planners and get them to include risk management in their planning. As a result, two new local plans which are coming out soon will be more specialised.

Q: What's different about these plans?
A: The local plans for Kota Kuala Muda in Kedah and Kota Tinggi in Johor will each have a chapter on geo-hazards, with risk maps included. . The Kuala Muda plan will be up for public viewing early next year while the Kota Tinggi plan will be out before year end. We will look at all the measurements of the physical and biological impact of the tsunami and the areas it inundated, and categorise the areas according to the acuity of these risks. For the first time in a local plan, we will have areas marked high, medium or low risk in relation to a hazard. This is required under the Hyogo Framework of Action, of which Malaysia is a signatory. It requires member countries to make disaster planning a concern and to spell out measures to address disasters.

Q: What other new information will the plans have?
A: There are modelling and simulation to see which areas will be affected by floods and the extent of the damage. We don't have much to spend on modelling so we're recommending that this portion be taken up by technical agencies with the expertise and money. Modelling is expensive. It runs into millions. Consultants are now doing it for us, but we feel that isn't the way forward. For these two plans, we've also had focus group discussions with local communities to fill in information gaps, like which areas were inundated during the tsunami or floods and how high the water rose. We ask whether they think their house should be relocated and if yes, where, or where do they think their reban (chicken coop) should be placed? If they want to stay in the area in spite of the risks, then we have to think of other measures to deal with the hazards. In Kota Tinggi, we are proposing that on flood-prone lands committed to development, developers must raise buildings and make the ground level free of obstacles. Like a kampung house on stilts, the building is raised and cars can park underneath. If they can't do it, they have to be relocated. But this has financial and social costs so we suggest alternatives. All this will be built into our policies and plans and made public, which will make things more accountable. Everyone will know where the risk areas are and can comment on or object to them.

Q: Will there be repercussions for this?
A: Some repercussions may be a drop in land value but, overseas, people are told which areas are flood prone so that they can control development.

Q: Will these new aspects become a feature of all new local plans?
A: Yes. We are hoping these will become the templates for other local plans. Under the 10th Malaysia Plan, we hope to review all existing local plans and put in the measures for geo-hazards.

Q: How many local plans would you be reviewing?
A: About 140. But this will be done gradually. We have to work this out with the Department of Irrigation and Drain-age (DID) because it is studying the impact of climate change on flooding. We are working with it and the National Hydraulic Research Institute (Nahrim). They will pass their findings to us and we will convert that into land-use policies. That way, we don't have to spend thousands collecting our own information. They are the experts with the technology. We don't have that level of expertise.

Q: How will these plans help local authorities? What should they do with this information?
A: The local plans are not just legal documents but also public documents. The local authorities which previously may not have had guidance will now have, for the first time, a document that tells them which areas to develop, which areas should have less development and which are no-go areas.

Q: Is there enough information for us to do hazard maps and models for all local authority areas?
A: No. To simulate a flood situation, you need very accurate basic data. We need high-resolution contour maps. To get that, we need special satellite images. We've also conducted a geo-hazard study in land-use planning. We're coming out with development guidelines for areas susceptible to floods, fires and landslides first. When the study is finalised next June, it will tell local councils how to categorise hazards and how to identify areas that are prone to these problems. It will give them some measures according to the level of danger, for instance, in Category 1, what kind of development is recommended and what measures to take if they want to develop there. This will be fed into local plans. The local authorities will have a good guide on how to apply this information. We need Nahrim, Akademi Sains Malaysia, universities and other agencies to give their input.

Q: Will these two new plans be easy to understand for residents ?
A: Yes. The approach now is for user-friendly plans. If you have a piece of land in the district, you can look at the plan and it can tell you what the risks are.

Q: But the climate is unpredictable. After the guidelines are issued, how regularly will the information be updated?
A: The department will do this. If there is a request from the state, we will look at it. A review request can even come from the National Physical Planning Council chaired by the prime minister, or even from the cabinet if it sees that the situation on the ground has changed enough for a review. We will also listen to public feedback. In any case, we will review the plan every five years.

Q: This kind of information will affect land prices. If a direction for a review can come from the top, isn't there room for abuse? A politician who wants to jack up the value of an area might skew the review in his favour.
A: The information will be made public and people can question us on the categories. Probably the first question people will ask is: how sure are you that my land is Category 1 for floods? We will explain that the potential of it being flooded every five years is there. The checks and balances will come from the people. When we put up these documents for public views and objections, we're giving land-owners the chance to ask us. People may not want it to be so but if the government feels it is for their safety, then the land should be designated as such. The other thing we're looking into is the role of the insurance sector. If you still want to develop projects in these flood-prone areas, you'll have to pay higher premiums. If you look at other countries, geo-hazard areas are declared and gazetted. Anyone who wants to develop the area has to pay a higher premium that will compensate for when hazards occur or serve as a deterrent to building in a dangerous area. We could also add stringent measures for building in the area.

Q: When you start reviewing all existing local plans, you might find areas where there shouldn't have been any development, right?
A: Once an area is designated as a geo-hazard risk, then we'll consider options. If we want to build, should we raise the level of buildings? Or should we buy back the land and turn it into a park like they've done in Hawaii? Or should we relocate everyone? What will the costs be? It's really a question of whether we want to pay less now and more in the long run or the other way round.

Q: What if the review finds a neighbourhood that is prone to disasters?
A: They may have to relocate or we could take mitigative action action or realign the development. There are many measures but, in the worst-case scenario, people may have to move. Whatever the recommendation, it will be specific to the location. You can't have one plan to fit all areas.

Q: You've been talking mostly about floods. What about preparing for other disasters like earthquakes?
A: Yes, we will be looking at those in the 10th Malaysia Plan. Right now, we're only looking at floods, landslides and fires. Next, we'll look at earthquakes, tsunami and industrial disasters.

Q: Will the geo-hazard mapping also look at things like the many developments on reclaimed lands?
A: The National Physical Plan (NPP) doesn't encourage it but some states still go ahead and do it. Our policy still stands: reclamation should be the last resort. The NPP discourages high-density development on reclaimed land.

Q: Will the department also look into the ability of structures to withstand some of these geo-hazards that you are identifying?
A: We'll have to work with the Public Works Department (PWD) on that because it has a structural unit that looks at the effects of landslides, earthquakes, flood and wind resistance on structures.

Q: How will you convince state and local governments that this is important and that they have to follow it?
A: We're planning to present it at the National Physical Planning Council, which is chaired by the prime minister. All the chiefs of states and heads of departments will be there. This is something that we have to follow and we'd get their commitment. Then we'll monitor, check the developments, build public awareness and have periodic reporting on compliance levels.

Q: If there's non-compliance?
A: Then the states have got to tell us why.

Q: And by that time the public will know where development is ill-advised?
A: That, too. This is our new baby and we're excited. We don't know yet how the states are going to react. But I think after seeing what happened in Kota Tinggi, they'll all be for it. We hope that it'll even come to the stage where they'll be the ones advising us on where the evacuation routes should be if a tsunami came.

Q: Are we planning too far ahead? Some people say climate change and the extreme weather it promises will only be a problem 100 years from now.
A: We are actually way, way behind. In terms of disaster planning, we're behind Sri Lanka and the Philippines. They even have disaster-enactment scenarios.

Q: We're talking about things that are natural hazards, but what about man-made hazards?
A: That's why we must have an integrated way of doing things. Let's say if I'm building a building now, what're the effects of it downstream? Will it cause floods? Where? Through modelling, you can find out the level of density of development allowed. You'll have to run your land- use proposal, your density through a model to figure out the impact of it downstream. It's basically calibrating your development plan. It's not mandatory to do that now, but we must have that. We might, together with DID, develop such a system, so that it can be made mandatory for all future development proposals. So when you submit your development plan to the local or city council, the council and DID will run it through the model to see how it will impact the environment. We also have to change our procedures of planning approval. We're suggesting that all applications be submitted together with a history of floods in that area. And the local authority is encouraged to establish a databank that collects information on previous disasters in their area. Our culture of documentation is so low. We have to develop that.

Q: If my house is in a high-risk landslide category, but the council comes and does mitigation work, will my house be re-categorised?
A: Yes. We will review the categories from time to time.

Q: What other areas will you look at after Kota Tinggi and Kota Kuala Muda?
A: We will give priority to flood-prone areas, like Segamat, for instance. Landslide-prone areas are next on our list. The PWD has put together a unit that identifies vulnerable slopes along highways. We just need them to expand that to include other potential vulnerable areas, like settlements and areas around rivers.

SOURCE : NEW STRAITS TIME 2 NOV 2008

GEOHAZARD MAPS FOR EFFICIENT CITY

OUR forefathers knew. That's the reason for the quaint kampung houses on stilts, and houses built on higher ground away from the water-inundated padi fields and, during the monsoon season, the overflowing rivers.

They had cleared land for plantations and built roads up to the highlands with great respect for nature, the development having as minimal an impact as possible on the environment. But times have changed and times are changing. Man's chase for money has been at the expense of the environment, and the collective sins of men have led to global warming that is affecting the climate, or as the CNN weatherman had declared earlier in the week, "The weather has gone crazy". Malaysia is already experiencing this "crazy weather" since late 2005 and early 2006 when Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu in the peninsula experienced the worst flooding in 30 years, where even houses on stilts weren't spared. The northeast monsoon which comes in as regular as clockwork made a late arrival in 2006, when four days of continuous deluge in December and another four in January 2007 led to devastating floods in Pahang, Malacca, Negri Sembilan and especially Johor, displacing more than 110,000 and leaving 18 dead.

Climate change projections see more extreme weather events. And it has been noted that flood-prone areas are still under heavy development because there are no proper building guidelines. We have also experienced other geohazards: the 2004 tsunami and the 13 episodes of minor tremors between 2.5 and 3.5 on the Richter scale in Bukit Tinggi from November last year till January, an area previously classified as an inactive fault zone. However, it is not all gloom and doom. The federal town and country planners, with the help of other government agencies, will be mapping out geohazards like floods, landslides and fires in all local council areas, looking at Kedah's tsunami-battered Kota Kuala Muda district and Johor's Kota Tinggi that suffers from serious flooding, for a start. Areas marked "high", "medium" or "low risk" will show flood-prone land, or places which could be in danger of landslides or at risk of fire. More importantly, says Mohd Jamil Ahmad, who heads the department's research and development division, the geohazard map will help local authorities take remedial steps to reduce the risks faced in established towns and villages, and prevent unbridled development in risk areas. A start is being made and we must all, citizen and government, work together to fight the degradation of our environment and prepare to face the consequences of global warming.

Edited from News Strait Times 2 Nov 2008

1st - 2nd NOVERMBER 2008 MY CHILDREN VISIT MALACCA HISTORICAL CITY

URBAN GOVERNANCE EFFICIENCY IN NEWS

ENHANCING URBAN GOVERNANCE EFFICIENCY IN MANAGING GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS

The world bank estimated that there were 45 serious financial crises that erupted throughout the world in the 1980's, but this had increased by almost one and a half times to 65 crises recorded in the 1990's. Furthermore, due to the effects of contagion, a financial crisis in one remote part of the world will probably affect our nation more than it did before. As such, besides taking action on the domestic front, we must continue to press for reforms of the international financial architecture, even though it may no longer be fashionable to do so.

Geo-political developments will also affect the global economy in a more pronounced fashion in the future. Since the end of the cold war, and now with the impetus of the new war on terror, we have begun to witness the unilateral designs of one superpower to dominate the world. The war in Iraq and the harsh polemic directed towards Syria and Iran are instances of this. When you add the other skirmishes taking place in the world - such as the flare up in Aceh and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict - then you have a world full of potential flashpoints that could cause much uncertainty and disruption to the global economy. Natural disasters and other unexpected shocks can also wreak havoc on the economy. The recent phenomenon of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (S.A.R.S.) Affected Asian economies more starkly than the war in Iraq. Planes were grounded and hotel bookings were cancelled, as the fear of S.A.R.S. brought travel and tourism almost to a halt. Thankfully, this virus seems to have been brought under control, but we must be alert to any possible relapse and be ready to deal with any eventuality.

A key aspect of competitiveness relates to the efficiency and effectiveness of the public service delivery system and urban governance. In fact, in the first meeting of the cabinet committee on national competitiveness (of which I am the chairman), this delivery system was identified for further enhancement in our quest to improve national competitiveness. True, the private sector acts as the engine of growth, but this engine cannot run in a vacuum. The speed, efficiency and effectiveness with which the public sector serves the private sector determines the speed, efficiency and effectiveness of our corporations. Besides enhancing our competitiveness, we must improve our urban governance and public service delivery system simply because our citizens demand it. As the nation develops, and as our citizens become more affluent and sophisticated, more and more will be required of the government and civil service. I remember when we had to be absent from the office a good part of a day just to get our driver's license renewed. Now, not only does it take a mere five minutes, we need not go to the road transport department anymore; we can renew it even at the post office.

Furthermore, a conducive business environment is dependent not only on the relevant rules and regulations, but also on the services provided by the public sector. As taxpayers, individual citizens are also constantly looking for high quality services. In this case, how can the government respond to calls for an enhanced public service delivery system?. By no means an exhaustive list, I would like to offer five guiding principles for civil servants to consider in raising their overall efficiency and effectiveness. Corruption itself is symptomatic of a flaw in the delivery system. We must realise that people fall into the trap of corruption when customers seek to circumvent a complicated and cumbersome delivery system. If agencies make their delivery systems transparent and user-friendly, cut the red tape, add checks and balances to the system, and severely punish those who betray the public trust, then we would have already won half the battle against corruption.

Furthermore, the government has chartered new strategies to enhance the nation's resilience and competitiveness. These strategies include a focus on developing the services sector (including financial services, tourism, education, health and others), our foray into new areas such bio-technology, and intense efforts to further diversify our exports and to seek new markets for our goods and services.

GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS AND MALAYSIA COMPETITIVENESS MARKET

The world economy and the financial markets are facing numerous challenges and uncertainties. The global economy has been affected by sharp increases in the price of oil, as well as commodity and food prices. The instability in the financial sector in the United States has affected not only its economy but the European economies as well. Although economic outlook in the Asian region, especially in India and China, remains favourable, inflationary pressures may, to some extent, affect their domestic demand. These global developments would also affect Malaysia.

Notwithstanding this, the Malaysian economy remains strong and resilient. A diversified economy and export market, as well as high international reserves, provides greater flexibility for the economy to face an increasingly challenging external environment. Malaysia’s capital market has achieved remarkable growth over the years and is currently among the largest in the region. Not only has the market grown substantially in size, new innovative product have been introduced on an ongoing basis to meet the demands of domestic and foreign investors.

The Malaysian economy continues to record sustained growth. Strong economic fundamentals, as well as increased domestic demand, have resulted in the gross domestic product (GDP) achieving a growth of 7.1% during the first quarter of this year, and 6.3% for the second quarter of 2008. GDP growth for the first half of this year was, therefore, 6.7%. Although the nation will be somewhat affected by global developments, the Government is confident that Malaysia’s economy will continue to remain stable with a GDP growth of 5.7% this year.

To further strengthen the Malaysian capital market and to facilitate domestic intermediaries, such as principal corporate advisors, to expand their international business, the Government proposes that tax exemption be given on fees received by domestic intermediaries, which successfully list foreign companies and foreign investment products in Bursa Malaysia. This measure will also enable domestic investors to acquire shares of foreign companies listed in the local exchange.

To improve the country’s resilience and competitiveness, it is important to instill a culture of excellence and high performance at all levels of the work force, both in the private and public sectors. Towards this end, the implementation of Key Performance Indicators was introduced in the civil service and under the GLC Transformation Programme, with emphasis on performance-based wages at all levels of the workforce.

THE ROLE OF URBAN PLANNER IN EFFICIENT URBAN GOVERNANCE

One of the reasons why the concept of "governance" or "urban governance" was entering the lexicon was that the context within which local government operated had become much broader and more complex. This was happening both in the north and the south. In an important article on France (where a Law of Decentralization was first passed in 1981), Patrick le Gals argues for a shift in nomenclature from "the government of cities to urban governance". To le Gals, while the term "local government" was associated with a formal description of powers and responsibilities of urban authorities, local politics and the way in which French cities were administered were changing rapidly. "The term 'governance'" he argued, "suggests …functions and actions of government, but without the idea of uniformity, rationality, or standardization. The term 'urban governance' implies a greater diversity in the organization of services, a greater flexibility, a variety of actors, even a transformation of the forms that local democracy might assume, and taking into account citizens and consumers, and the complexity of new forms of citizenship" (Le Gals 1995, 60).

The decentralisation of governmental functions has been a major theme of the past decade or so in many parts of the world. At the same time, there has been a broadening of the understanding of governance away from simply what governments do to include civil society and the private sector. There has also been a shift away from the direct provision of services by government to more indirect approaches in partnership with the private sector, NGOs and community organisations. An urban planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning for the purpose of maximizing the effectiveness and efficiency of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically analyzing land use compatibility as well as economic, environmental and social trends. In developing their plan for a community (whether commercial, residential, agricultural, natural or recreational), urban planners must also consider a wide array of issues such as sustainability, air pollution, traffic congestion, crime, land values, legislation and zoning codes.

Urban planners are usually hired by developers, private property owners, private planning firms and local/regional governments to assist in the large-scale planning of communal and commercial developments, as well as public facilities and transportation systems. Urban planners in the public role often assist the public and serve as valued technical advisors in the myriad web of the community's political environment. Related disciplines include regional, city, environmental, transportation, housing and community planning.Urban planners promote the best use of a community’s land and resources for residential, commercial, institutional, and recreational purposes. They address environmental, economic, and social health issues of a community as it grows and changes. They may formulate plans relating to the construction of new school buildings, public housing, or other kinds of infrastructure. Planners also may help to make decisions about developing resources and protecting ecologically sensitive regions. Some planners are involved in environmental issues including pollution control, wetland preservation, forest conservation, and the location of new landfills. Planners also may help to draft legislation on environmental, social, and economic issues, such as planning a new park, sheltering the homeless, or making the region more attractive to businesses.

Urban planners examine proposed community facilities, such as schools, to be sure that these facilities will meet the needs of a growing or changing population. They keep abreast of economic and legal issues involved in zoning codes, building codes, and environmental regulations and ensure that builders and developers follow these codes and regulations. Planners also deal with land-use issues created by population movements. For example, as suburban growth and economic development create more jobs outside cities, the need for public transportation that gets workers to those jobs increases. In response, planners develop and model possible transportation systems and explain them to planning boards and the general public.

CORPORATE GOVERNANCE vs PUBLIC GOVERNANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT

WHAT IS CORPORATE GOVERNANCE?

Corporate governance has succeeded in attracting a good deal of public interest because of its apparent importance for the economic health of corporations and society in general. However, the concept of corporate governance is poorly defined because it potentially covers a large number of distinct economic phenomenon. As a result different people have come up with different definitions that basically reflect their special interest in the field.

Corporate governance is a field in economics that investigates how to secure/motivate efficient management of corporations by the use of incentive mechanisms, such as contracts, organizational designs and legislation. This is often limited to the question of improving financial performance, for example, how the corporate owners can secure/motivate that the corporate managers will deliver a competitive rate of return.

Corporate governance is the system by which business corporations are directed and controlled. The corporate governance structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the corporation, such as, the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders, and spells out the rules and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs. By doing this, it also provides the structure through which the company objectives are set, and the means of attaining those objectives and monitoring performance.

WHAT IS PUBLIC GOVERNANCE?

Good, effective public governance helps to strengthen democracy and human rights, promote economic prosperity and social cohesion, reduce poverty, enhance environmental protection and the sustainable use of natural resources, and deepen confidence in government and public administration.

Government exists to serve the needs of the public. Governance exists to ensure those needs are served efficiently, effectively and fairly. It accomplishes that goal by providing clear processes and structures for all aspects of executive management such as decision-making, strategic alignment, managerial control, supervision and accountability. Governance has been a hot topic in corporate boardrooms for nearly a decade — and it's gotten even hotter due to recent corporate scandals like Enron. Citizens and regulators are calling for higher levels of transparency and accountability in all areas of business. And they're making those same demands of government, which has always been held to high standards for governance and accountability. In a recent study, the World Bank found a strong relationship between good governance and good government performance.

E-GOVERNMENT vs E-GOVERNANCE

E-GOVERNMENT

Similar to the dramatic changes in e-commerce, countries in the Regions have begun to recognize the emergence of e-government -"the ability to obtain government services through nontraditional electronic means, enabling access to government information and to completion of government transaction on an anywhere, any time basis and in conformance with equal access requirement."- offers potential to reshape the public sector and build relationships between citizens and the government.

At the same time, concerns have already been expressed about the gap between the technology haves and have-nots, and more popularly known as "the digital divide." In order to ensure that countries avoid creating a digital divide and create conditions to ensure that growth of the knowledge economy contributes to carrying out a democratic process of efficient, equitable and sustainable development, expanded dialogue and new patterns of cooperation among public, private ad civil society organizations are needed.

The multiple roles of government, at all levels, must be recognized and understood by all if it is to play an effective role in this partnership involving access to information and the role of information and communication technology.

Roles of Government:

· Uses information and information/communication technology provided by the private sector for public administration,

· Produces public information to which citizens must have access,

· Has the authority to establish marketplace rules and establish regulatory structures that ensure that everyone participates and benefits form growth of the knowledge economy.

There is an inextricable relationship between government's role as a user of information and communication technology and its capacity to formulated public policy for the knowledge economy. Governments that learn how to use these technologies to operate more efficiently and improve public services are more likely to effectively stimulate and contribute to the knowledge economy public policy debate.Online delivery of services benefits both government and its constituents, as it lowers costs and make services more accessible.

One of the most promising aspects of e-government is its ability to bring citizens closer to their governments. While the technology to facilitate this connection is widely available, many government sites have not taken full advantage of its benefits in Latin American and Caribbean Countries.Enabling conversation between citizens and government is not the only way to bring citizens and government closer together. Making government more easily accessible is another component of this endeavor. There are few features that make this possible. One of them is the ability to search a particular web site. Another is to offer life broadcast of important speeches through the web. Another way is by enabling citizens to cater available information to their particular interest.

Benefits of E-Government integration

· Lower costs as well as improved efficiency and quality of service.

· More effective linkages between citizens and government.

· Improve efficiency of government workers.

· Facilitate transparency and accountability

E-GOVERNANCE

E-governance is beyond the scope of e-government. While e-government is defined as a mere delivery of government services and information to the public using electronic means, e-governance allows direct participation of constituents in government activities. Blake Harris summarizes the e-governance as the following; E-governance is not just about government web site and e-mail. It is not just about service delivery over the Internet. It is not just about digital access to government information or electronic payments. It will change how citizens relate to governments as much as it changes how citizens relate to each other. It will bring forth new concepts of citizenship, both in terms of needs and responsibilities. E-governance will allow citizens to communicate with government, participate in the governments' policy-making and citizens to communicate each other. The e-governance will truly allow citizens to participate in the government decision-making process, reflect their true needs and welfare by utilizing e-government as a tool.

Introduction of e-governance is a key to make information technology (IT) relevant to ordinary citizens in Latin America and Caribbean countries where a large numbers of population are poor and a digital divide is a significant problem. E-governance will allow ordinary people to constantly interface with the government in both local and central level on various matters. The Bank's involvement in modernization of the government thus is not limited to provide the most advanced Information Communication and Technology to the government so that government can provide its information and service more effectively and efficiently to the citizens. The Bank makes sure that the government will allow all the citizens to access to information or services (any citizens should not be excluded), to articulate their needs and to participate in formulating policy and regulation that will improve their social welfare and well being. The ability of Central government to understand all needs from ordinary local citizens is limited. Therefore, the participation of citizens in local level is extremely important (link with creative community initiative). The true e-governance should be attained by interface of citizens both with central and local government.

SOURCES : Inter-American Development Bank, 2008

DEFINITION OF GOVERNANCE IN PERSPECTIVE OF URBAN PLANNING

The exercise of political, economic and administrative authority in the management of a country’s affairs at all levels. Governance comprises the complex mechanisms, processes, and institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, mediate their differences, and exercise their legal rights and obligations. Good governance is among other things participatory, transparent and accountable. It is also effective and equitable and it promotes the rule of law. Good governance assures that political, social and economic priorities are based on broad consensus in society and that the voices of the poorest and the most vulnerable are heard in decision-making over the allocation of development resources.

Governance includes the state, but transcends it by taking in the private sector and civil society. The state creates a conducive political and legal environment. The private sector generates jobs and income. The civil society facilitates political and social interaction – mobilizing groups to participate in economic, social and political activities. Because each has its weaknesses and strengths, a major objective of our support for good governance is to promote constructive interaction among all three. The regularized ways of ordering human societies at all levels of organization from family units to entire societies. Good governance occurs when societal norms and practices empower and encourage people to take increasingly greater control over their own development in a manner that does not impinge upon the accepted rights of others. UNDP Internet Conference Forum on "Public Private Interface in Urban Environmental Management"

Governance refers to the process whereby elements in society wield power and authority, and influence and enact policies and decisions concerning public life, and economic and social development. Governance is a broader notion than government. Governance involves interaction between these formal institutions and those of civil society. The Governance Working Group of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences 1996.

There is no alternative to working together and using collective power to create a better world. Governance is the sum of the many ways individuals and institutions, public and private, manage their common affairs. It is a continuing process through which conflicting or diverse interests may be accommodated and co- operative action may be taken. It includes formal institutions and regimes empowered to enforce compliance, as well as informal arrangements that people and institutions either have agreed to or perceive to be in their interest.

Examples of governance at the local level include a neighbourhood co- operative formed to install and maintain a standing water pipe, a town council operating a waste recycling scheme, a multi- urban body developing an integrated transport plan together with user groups, a stock exchange regulating itself with national government oversight, and a regional initiative of state agencies, industrial groups, and residents to control deforestation. At the global level, governance has been viewed primarily as intergovernmental relationships, but it must now be understood as also involving non- governmental organizations (NGOs), citizens' movements, multinational corporations, and the global capital market. Interacting with these are global mass media of dramatically enlarged influence.The Commission on Global Governance

Governance is the written and unwritten policies, procedures, and decisionmaking units that control resource allocation within and among institutions. New forms of governance allow individual organizations to contribute their strengths and talents, to discharge their collective responsibilities and to preserve and enhance the distinctiveness of their organizations and institutions.

The progress of a country depends in no small measure on the quality of its governance. While a democratic government may lay the foundation for good governance, a vigilant and active citizenry is essential to is sustenance. Nowhere is this need more evident that in the management of public sectors services for which citizens depend largely on their government. The quality of governance is enhanced when government as a whole and public agencies in particular become open to new ideas and responsive to citizens. Responsiveness in turn is improved when citizens are well informed and collectively seek better performance from these agencies. Policy Affairs Centre

"Governance" is the art of public leadership. There are three distinct dimensions of governance:

• the form of political regime;

• the process by which authority is exercised in the management of a country’s economic and social resources; and

• the capacity of governments to design, formulate, and implement policies and discharge functions.

The criteria that constitute good governance have been drawn from these three dimensions, and include: '

• legitimacy of government (degree of "democratization"),

• accountability of political and official elements of government (media freedom, transparency of decision-making, accountability mechanisms),

• competence of governments to formulate policies and deliver services,

• respect for human rights and rule of law (individual and group rights and security, framework for economic and social activity, participation).
  Novartis Foundation for Sustainable Development

21st October 2008 - 1st NAPREC CONFERENCE

Since 2002, INSPEN has been the Coordinator for funds in real estate research known as National Real Estate Research Coordinator (NAPREC). As a coordinator, INSPEN coordinates and manage the funds for research on real estate on behalf of the Government. Objectives of the NAPREC Grant.

• To promote research projects of high priority in real estate.

• To promote research that addresses the needs of Malaysian real estate industry.

• To encourage joint efforts among real estate research institutions.

• To foster R&D links between public and private sectors.

• To enhance the nation's global competitiveness trough internationalisation of real estate research.

NAPREC fund is for real estate research projects.

20th October 2008 - WORKSHOP ON THE WRITING OF THESIS - UKM STYLE