Planners

I was elected the Honorary Secretary for the Malaysian Institute of Planners (MIP) during the AGM last Saturday. MIP is the umbrella body for the town planners in Malaysia. While safeguarding the interest of members is our priority, protecting the interest of community becomes our top concerns. The Institute is revisiting these priorities.

Nowadays, whenever a disaster happened, people will point the fingers to town planners. For example, landslide in Ulu Kelang, flooding in city centre of Kuala Lumpur, traffic congestion, high rise construction etc. While undoubtedly planners play an important role in urban development, the negative impacts of development such as inefficiency of services, lack of facilities, incompatible of activities are contributing by multiple factors. These include the capacity problem such as provision of infrastructure and competency, cooperation of the users, coordination amongst stakeholders etc. Thereby, blaming planners alone for cities failure is uncalled for.

Having said this, planners have crucial role, at least to minimise these failures. Realising this, MIP organised the workshop to chart the future road map for the Institute and Planners a day prior to the AGM. It was acknowledged that planning is facing many key challenges due to globalisation and liberalisation, climate change, rapid urbanisation process and demographic change. Planners have no choice, but to embrace the challenges with the acquisition of new skills and knowledge. Many of the planners agreed that knowledge and competency are 2 main challenges for the planners to improve their skills and integrity. For example, we have to be good in responding to the market demand, in solving multiple issues, in translating the aspirations of the people into plans, in planning with economic sense, keeping abreast on other dimensions of development and mediating the space.

The Planners have also called upon the Institute to play a crucial role in uniting the planning fraternity by getting everyone working together. In order to make ourselves known to the community, MIP should also engage the communities and other stakeholders more often so that we are seen to be People-Oriented and Community-First or else MIP will never have the chance to establish itself in the heart and mind of the people. This will ultimately helping the Institute to promote the profession as well as the MIP.

While being elected as the Honorary Secretary is an honour, the responsibility is equally honourable. I am determined to work hard contributing to the image enhancement for the Institute and also the profession.