We have read and heard of a number of unfortunate incidents that involve residents of People’s Housing Programme (PPR) schemes. Sexual harrassment, suicide, children left alone in unsafe living environments, drug addiction, gang-fights and more, PPR schemes seem like dangerous places to live in.

“Most of these problems could be avoided if we have a caring community that is sensitive towards such issues, a society where its members have mutual respect for each other,” said Datuk Dr Mary Wong, the deputy secretary general of the Housing and Local Government (KPKT) Ministry, during her presentation entitled “National Community Policy: Accelerating a new urban agenda”, at the Malaysia Urban Forum on Feb 19, 2019.

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According to data from the National Housing Department (JPN), in 2017, there was a total of 184 PPR projects nationwide including 41 under construction, offering a total of 109,152 housing units to the B40 group (Bottom 40%).

However, providing housing does not ensure a good quality of life.

“Housing is merely the hardware. The software is equally important in building a healthy and safe community for children to grow and be nurtured into a generation that has the courage and the knowledge to pursue their dreams,” stressed Wong.

“The biggest challenge is to change the mindsets and attitudes of the PPR residents and community,” she added.

Wong and KPKT officers have visited some of the PPRs in the country and found that most residents live in an unhealthy and unsafe environment that could jeopardise the future of the younger ones.

An unsafe living environment, she said, may prevent parents from allowing their children to play in the common areas of the PPR. PPR residents are also not able to afford childcare services and so may have to leave their young children alone at home behind locked doors thinking they will be safe, but accidents happen.

In September 2018, a three-year-old girl who was left alone at home died after falling from the balcony of a 17th floor unit in a PPR flat in Kota Damansara.

According to Wong, such cases keep occuring as most parents have to earn a living which leaves them no choice but to leave their children alone at home.

Another common problem is drug addiction among youths, which then leads to other social problems such as vandalism, thefts, fights and even murder cases.

Community empowerment

There is no single solution to deal with the problems involving PPRs but certainly the living environment of the PPRs could be improved, said Wong. This could be achieved through meaningful activities that involve PPR residents.

Hence, KPKT recently launched the National Community Policy or Dasar Komuniti Negara (DKN). One of its objectives is to instil a sense of empowerment and ownership among PPR residents so that they realise the need to take care of the common properties or public facilities in their respective PPRs. To effectively execute the DKN, eight clusters have been identified for a holistic approach to the issues faced by PPR residents.

However, efforts to empower the community and to uplift their living environment Wong added, would not be successful if they were left to the government alone.

“The government wants to cultivate strategic cooperation or partnership between the community and the government, NGOs as well as the private sector,” she elaborated.

“There are many things that private companies could do. For instance the Kotak Cantik programme where personal hygiene packages containing a toothbrush, toothpaste and comb are distributed to teach school children the importance of brushing their teeth and to keep themselves clean and neat,” Wong noted. This simple activity not only improves their personal hygiene but will also encourage them to keep a neat appearance and to build their self-confidence.

Some corporate bodies, she revealed, are also planning to turn neglected common public spaces into attractive functional areas that could encourage PPR residents to use the space for reading, to hold classes for the children or as a gathering place for residents. “We could enhance community bonding and build a sense of belonging through such initiatives to uplift their living environment.

“Besides that, private firms could also help interested residents to start their own small businesses by providing the relevant training. Cooking classes, digital marketing classes as well as internship opportunities could equip residents and young students with the skills to earn a living,” she said.

* Click here to learn more about the Dasar Komuniti Negara and how you can help

This story first appeared in the EdgeProp.my pullout on March 8, 2019. You can access back issues here.

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