In Malaysia, the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Act 1976 and its 1995 and 2001 ammendments act as the legislative mandate given to the planning authorities at various levels of government to plan and control the country's development agenda. In terms of public participation, the TCP Act 1976 requires exhibitiion, publication and other forms of participation to be done for the public in relation to the preparation and adoption of the Structure Plan [s.10(5)] and Local Plan [s. 13(3)]. Nonetheless, public participation is limited to submitting objections and comments after the planning authorities have prepared the draftdevelopment plans. The planning authorities are usually able todisregard the public objections and comments by forwarding several argumentsand justifications. According to Lee et al. (2002), added to the fact that most objections are personal in nature (typically for higher potential value of their property), it is not suprising that the rate of success of such objections is very low.
As the TCP Act 1976 requires some form of public participation in the preparation and adoption of the Structure Plan and LocalPlan, efforts and expenditures have been made for the exhibitions and publications of the draft development plans. Still, public participation is relatively poor in comparison to the number of visitors received. It is calculated from Table 1 that on average, only 11 submissions were received from the public per plan.
To further encourage public participation, several drafts of development plans in Malaysia have been published on the website (Table 2). The public could also provide comments online, and those who did were invited to attend meetings organized by the authorities (Jawatankuasa Bantahan Awam). Meanwhile feedback forms were also displayed in the regular exhibitions.
Local Agenda 21 also influences the practice of public participation in Malaysia. Some of the central themes of Local Agenda 21 are the concept of good governance facilitated by consulatative process and access to information. Several municipal and district councils in Malaysia have adopted Local Agenda 21 including Miri, Petaling Jaya, Kuantan and Kerian. The state of Selangor has also adopted the Local Agenda 21 through the state planning office initiatives.
As the TCP Act 1976 requires some form of public participation in the preparation and adoption of the Structure Plan and LocalPlan, efforts and expenditures have been made for the exhibitions and publications of the draft development plans. Still, public participation is relatively poor in comparison to the number of visitors received. It is calculated from Table 1 that on average, only 11 submissions were received from the public per plan.
To further encourage public participation, several drafts of development plans in Malaysia have been published on the website (Table 2). The public could also provide comments online, and those who did were invited to attend meetings organized by the authorities (Jawatankuasa Bantahan Awam). Meanwhile feedback forms were also displayed in the regular exhibitions.
Local Agenda 21 also influences the practice of public participation in Malaysia. Some of the central themes of Local Agenda 21 are the concept of good governance facilitated by consulatative process and access to information. Several municipal and district councils in Malaysia have adopted Local Agenda 21 including Miri, Petaling Jaya, Kuantan and Kerian. The state of Selangor has also adopted the Local Agenda 21 through the state planning office initiatives.