Sarawak Planners

Attended the 32 Annual General Meeting of MIP Sarawak and Sabah Branch a minutes ago. I feel good of not only meeting some old friends and dedicated senior members for the attending the meeting, but heartening to see much things have been carried out with few man power. I cannot imagine that an international conference on public transportation was held successfully last June with a handful of them. This shown with dedication and commitment, nothing is impossible.

Planners have always complained about small number and so little can be done. But Sarawakian friends showed that if we are committed to a noble objective, then we will be motivated to do a lot of things. For them, getting recognition from others as well as showing others their capability as professional planners have spurred them to do more for the planning fraternity. I hope to see more from fellow planners.

Walk the Talk

Saying is easy whereas walking the talk is not that easy. Many of the time we would like to feel good and talk good about what transpired. However, to translate the talking point into action is not that easy. Having said this, as we always say we must honour with what we pledge, we should at least trying hard to fulfill what we have promised. It means observing the spirit and message behind any saying that we have communicated with others. For example, if I promised to look into a complaint, then it is better to solve it or at least to understand the issue. This is straight forward case.

What irked me the most is at time for the sake of feeling good, we tend to adopt any good slogan or vision statement without realising the consequences or impact on our daily routine. When daily routine continue of happening that jeopardise the statement, we do not realise it and try to rectify it. This is tantamount to innocently guilty to me. For example, while we talk about helping the needy and underprivileged, the policy of equity in taxation and treatment do not reflect that. Similarly, we talk about placing children and senior citizen at top priority but do not pay respect to their wish.

Social Marketing

Publicity is never an ending story. Everyday we are discussing about how to get message across to the right people and for the impactful outcome. I have a discussion on how to promote a Chinese New Year celebration event in the morning and followed by the discussion on how to engage general at large for the idea of guarded community on that same afternoon. Both discussion were talking about how to engage people for greater outcome.

When it comes social marketing, greater efforts are required simply because of the apathy of people. People are careless for anything to happen unless it is affected their routine or related to their pocket. Sometime people might not even want to get to know what transpired until something was visible and physically there. Thereby, social marketing requires degrees of innovation and creativity.

It is no point of asking people to practice recycling whereas to the eye of people the Council is doing nothing on their own. Similarly telling people that they have gone against the law of putting barricade for safety reason without ensuring them that their safety is well taken care of. Although some might argue that Local Council is not the authority for safeguarding security, but we have the role of preventing crime through the enforcement of Safe City programme or the least is to facilitate the self initiative of community groups in feeling safer and comfortable in their own neighbourhood. I think if the message across is to facilitate and help to find an amicable solution for safety reason, nobody with right mind will not want to listen in which marketing of such social message will be easily done.

Getting people to attend a function? Unless i am paying for it or I am part of the organisation or I am attracted to the programme or else I would not have the desire to come. For a public function, people will weight on the pro and con of attending. If I am a food hunger, I might make a trip to come provided food is free of charge. If a lucky draw is held with attractive prizes, then I might come. If the programme is of outstanding, then I will want to come to the show. In summary, everyone will be attracted by something interested them, the question is how to disseminate this information to the target group.

For doing so, I think SWOT analysis for different target group is needed so that event invitation can be tailored made.

Secondly, to disseminate information to the target group at the right time and right place. If a youth function is held, then no point of inviting the senior leaders to attend. If the Chinese New Year celebration is held, perhaps it is good to publicize the event at Chinese dominated venue such as new village or Chinese primary school. Invitation by mailing without personal touch is not sufficient. Like wise putting the banner at the junction without attractive and simple to read or understand message is a failure. We need to understand the behaviour of the motorists and safety reason. No point of jamming all information in a banner that is difficult to read for motorists.

Social marketing is there and will become more challenging. For an authority envisions to engage people constructively, innovated marketing is critical and required.

Action Thinking

I read a book about thinking few days ago. While many people can think and claim that they are thinking all the time either for planning some actions or to accumulate wealth, very few has actually think systematically and rationally. Thinking is simple and easy as 1,2,3 but to have a rational and fruitful or constructive output, it need more than normal thinking way. We can think of providing better life to our family, but if no actions are forthcoming, then thinking aloud is not enough. We can think of making more money, but if no efforts being made to improve your income stream, then $ sign will remain as it is and it will not enrich your coffer. Thinking of doing something require greater efforts and better strategies. Thereby, the book suggests that action thinking is required. We should start thinking from A to Z in mapping an action or programme.

I think it is true but sometime we take thing for granted or too occupied with other problems. For example, everybody knows that saving for the rainy days is critical, but very few has actually did it. Similarly, you might not be able to think and act rationally during a time that you are too angry.

I presume at time people scolded us for "no head", it means we have not thought properly.

Local Plan

Under the Town and Country Planning Act, 1976 (Act 172), Local Plan is defined as a map and a written statement. It is an indicative plan to show the allowable and proposed future land use and intensity of development as well as the actions/programmes to better an area in line with the aspired development by local planning authority in years to come. As such, map and written statement of the Local Plan are normally read together and both components of the plan are complimentary of each others. Indifference of the plan, if any should be restudied and look for the intention of such proposal and cause of differences. It sometime might be due to negligence and over sight in which the mistake should be rectified. However, having said this, my view is if such a difference happened it should not make a significant bearing on the consideration for planning proposal and supersede other major components such as local planning aspiration and planning intensity.