Who Benefits From Development? Analyzing the Stakeholder Contestations in a Traditional Settlement of Malaysia

ABSTRACT

Urban–rural renewal is an instrument not only to manage urbanization but also for sustainable development. In this process, major stakeholders are affected differentially. The case studied here shows how the most vulnerable stakeholders are deprived of benefits in the urban–rural renewal process. Through an analysis of Mantin, a small Malaysian town, the study depicts conflicts among stakeholders. Beyond the traditional stakeholder analysis framework stressing the role of government, developers, and the community affected by development, this research delves into an extended nexus of related stakeholders (the nongovernmental organization sector and media) that complicates the confrontation between the developer with legal right to the land and residents who claim hereditary occupation rights. It also reveals the stance of the government, often neglected in discussions of private–public partnerships. Here, politicians from both opposition and government saw opportunities to gain political advantage from the contest. The result of these stakeholder interfaces was a conflict that dragged on for a protracted period. The events show that the involvement of third-party stakeholders can increase the likelihood of and prolong conflict. Generally, the case also illustrates the failure of top-down policies that can be subverted at local levels.

KEYWORDS:

• urban–rural renewal
• rural housing
• stakeholder contestations

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. The video, made by Chan Seong Foong and Victor Chin and titled Memory as Resistance: Grandma Kong Defending her Village, can be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBICJci1z9A

2. Interview with the general manager of Mega 9, conducted in April 2017. The company’s perspectives on the dispute were obtained from this interview.

3. Two of the group’s publications were closed down for 3 months in 2015 for reporting on a government scandal.

4. On December 19, 2013, activists lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission questioning Nilai Municipal Council’s sale of state land to Mega 9. Earlier, on October 30, Mega 9 had begun demolition of six houses, but the villagers obtained a stay of execution court order to stop the demolition (The Edge, 2013).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Doctoral Foundation of Shandong Technology and Business University (BS201928), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41571166 and 41971220) and Global Rural Plan–China Rural Vitalization Research Project.

Notes on contributors

Qianyi Wang

Qianyi Wang received her PhD from the Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, and now serves as a lecturer in Shandong Technology and Business University, China. Her research interests include development studies and rural studies, with particular reference to China. She has published in international journals such as Cities and Habitat International. She has actively participated in various research projects related to development studies, such as Capturing A Living Heritage Village: Safeguarding Kampung Hakka of Mantin, Negeri Sembilan.

Kee Cheok Cheong

Kee Cheok Cheong is a senior advisor at the Asia Europe Institute, and a senior research fellow with the Institute of China Studies, University of Malaya (UM). A graduate of UM, he obtained his PhD at the London School of Economics. Upon his return, he joined the UM Faculty of Economics and Administration, where he held the positions of Deputy Dean and Dean of Faculty. After a decade at UM, he spent 16 years at the World Bank as an economist and, subsequently, Senior Economist. Back with UM since 2010, he has coauthored books and book chapters, and published in international academic journals.

Yurui Li

Yurui Li is an associate professor at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). His research interests are agricultural geography, land engineering, rural development, and poverty alleviation. He has published two books and over 30 articles in international journals such as the Journal of Rural Studies and Land Use Policy. These publications mainly explored the spatial pattern and mechanism of rural development, and rural land use and consolidation in recent China. In 2018, he was selected as the “Outstanding young scientific and technological personnel” in the High-Level Innovative Technology Talents Training Project of the Ministry of Natural Resources, China.