1Malaysia begins in the kampung
2009/11/18
IT was a day of music, dance and food for residents of Kampung Datuk Sulaiman Menteri, Johor Baru, during the recent launch of the Sustainable Neighbourhood Development programme.
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| Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad (fourth from right) makes a stop at the laksa Johor stall at the launch of the Sustainable Neighbourhood Development programme. |
People from all backgrounds gathered at the day-long event at the Balai Raya in the spirit of 1Malaysia.
A first of its kind in the neighbourhood, the programme was aimed at fostering closer ties among residents to address the problem of crime and social ills in the area.
It was part of a series of initiatives by the federal government to bring people together through arts and culture.
The organisers were the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, Johor Baru City Council, and the Majidee Zone Resident Committee.
The event, with its tagline of "1Malaysia In Culture And Arts", was filled with traditional dances, dikir barat and musical performances by non-governmental organisations and school pupils.
Young and old tucked into delicious food prepared by the residents. Ten stalls provided sustenance in the form of nasi ayam, lontong, capati, mee kari, cendol, laksa Johor and roti jala.
Johor Baru member of parliamant, Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad, who officiated the programme said the good response showed that the spirit of community was still alive and well.
"There would not be a 1Malaysia if there was no 1Village in the first place. The residents must look out for each other. Unity and close ties would lead to harmony."
He said strong bonds within a community would help reduce the rate of crime and social ills.
Shahrir praised the residents of Kampung Datuk Sulaiman Menteri for the succcessful organisation of the community programme.
"A function like this is an opportunity for people to show off their skills in cooking, and cultural performances."
Majidee Zone city councillor, Datuk Yahya Jaafar, said RM1.3 million was allocated for community development in the neighbourhood by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.
The funds were used for programmes such as futsal matches, motivational camps and the setting up of infrastructure for community-based activities.
"Rhe ministry has so far allocated RM1 million for community programmes next year. A working paper will be submitted to organise this programme again," said Yahya.
He said the 2,000 residents of Kampung Datuk Sulaiman Menteri would benefit from the Sustainable Neighbourhood Development programme as they could air their grievances to their local councillors.
Yahya said the state police had identified seven villages in Johor Baru which were categorised as "high-risk" in terms of crime.
"The state government has brought its concern about crime to the federal level. And the results are community programmes such as this," said Yahya.
He said a community policing programme would be held with the help of the state police on Sunday.
Resident Abdul Mohd Talib Ngah, 58, hoped the programme would become a permanent feature to allow residents to convey their problems to their community leaders.
"Without this programme, the authorities may not know what is going on among residents here. Some villagers may have complaints about their neighbourhood infrastructure, but they do not know where to go to lodge complaints," he said.
Azizah Abdul Kadir, 48, said the 1Malaysia concept was a suitable theme for the community programme as it includes all the residents in the area.
Azizah was part of a 15-member all-women dikir barat troupe performing at the programme's launch.
The troupe penned the lyrics to a dikir barat song and entitled it Kejiranan Lestari (sustainable neighbourhood).
"We practised for three nights for this performance. It is our first attempt at performing dikir barat. We are used to performing marhabban (praises to Prophet Muhammad).
Johor Baru Tiong Hua Federation social and culture committee adviser Ang Teck Weng, 52, relished the opportunity to perform in the neighbourhood.
"My dancers are used to performing on stage for big cultural shows. But this gig was more intimate. Many of the villagers cheered loudly when the dancers, dressed in traditional Chinese costumes, performed their routine," said Ang.
Indian dance troupe manager Mary Murugan, 34, shared Ang's sentiment about the crowd in Kampung Datuk Sulaiman Menteri.
"It is great to see people of many races coming together for culture shows and enjoying food together. This is truly 1Malaysia," said Mary, who was feted with laksa Johor and lontong by the villagers after her troupe's performance.
Mary manages GM Sharvina Dancers Enterprise and brought seven dancers with her for the programme.
The troupe performed the upbeat Tamilda and Manjaselai numbers, which had the crowd cheering and clapping.
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