Governance/Participatory Planning

Recently the terms "governance" and "good governance" are being increasingly used in development literature. Bad governance is being increasingly regarded as one of the root causes of all evil within our societies. Major donors and international financial institutions are increasingly basing their aid and loans on the condition that reforms that ensure "good governance" are undertaken.

This article tries to explain, as simply as possible, what "governance" and "good governance" means.

1. GOVERNANCE

• The concept of "governance" is not new. It is as old as human civilization. Simply put "governance" means: the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not implemented). Governance can be used in several contexts such as corporate governance, international governance, national governance and local governance.

• Since governance is the process of decision-making and the process by which decisions are implemented, an analysis of governance focuses on the formal and informal actors involved in decision-making and implementing the decisions made and the formal and informal structures that have been set in place to arrive at and implement the decision.

• Government is one of the actors in governance. Other actors involved in governance vary depending on the level of government that is under discussion. In rural areas, for example, other actors may include influential land lords, associations of peasant farmers, cooperatives, NGOs, research institutes, religious leaders, finance institutions political parties, the military etc. The situation in urban areas is much more complex. Figure 1 provides the interconnections between actors involved in urban governance. At the national level, in addition to the above actors, media, lobbyists, international donors, multi-national corporations, etc. may play a role in decision-making or in influencing the decision-making process.

• All actors other than government and the military are grouped together as part of the "civil society." In some countries in addition to the civil society, organized crime syndicates also influence decision-making, particularly in urban areas and at the national level.

• Similarly formal government structures are one means by which decisions are arrived at and implemented. At the national level, informal decision-making structures, such as "kitchen cabinets" or informal advisors may exist. In urban areas, organized crime syndicates such as the "land Mafia" may influence decision-making. In some rural areas locally powerful families may make or influence decision-making. Such, informal decision-making is often the result of corrupt practices or leads to corrupt practices.

Figure 1: Urban actors

2. GOOD GOVERNANCE

Good governance has 8 major characteristics. It is participatory, consensus oriented, accountable, transparent, responsive, effective and efficient, equitable and inclusive and follows the rule of law. It assures that corruption is minimized, the views of minorities are taken into account and that the voices of the most vulnerable in society are heard in decision-making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of society.

Figure 2: Characteristics of good governance

• Participation

Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good governance. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives. It is important to point out that representative democracy does not necessarily mean that the concerns of the most vulnerable in society would be taken into consideration in decision making. Participation needs to be informed and organized. This means freedom of association and expression on the one hand and an organized civil society on the other hand.

• Rule of law

Good governance requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. It also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities. Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial and incorruptible police force.

• Transparency

Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and media.

• Responsiveness

Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe.

• Consensus oriented

There are several actors and as many view points in a given society. Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such development. This can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts of a given society or community.

• Equity and inclusiveness

A society’s well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. This requires all groups, but particularly the most vulnerable, have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.

• Effectiveness and efficiency

Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.

• Accountability

Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law.

3. CONCLUSION

From the above discussion it should be clear that good governance is an ideal which is difficult to achieve in its totality. Very few countries and societies have come close to achieving good governance in its totality. However, to ensure sustainable human development, actions must be taken to work towards this ideal with the aim of making it a reality.

1. Participation is a rich concept that means different things to different people in different settings. For some, it is a matter of principles; for others , a practice; and yet for another, an end in itself. All these intrepretations have merit.
2. Participation could mean information: merely telling people what is planned; consultation: offering options and listening to feedbacks; deciding together: encouraging other options and ideas, and providing avenues for joint decision-making; acting together: deciding together on what to do and forming partnership to carry out decisions; or supporting independent community interests: supporting local groups or organizations to develop their own agendas within guidelines. Opportunities for participation are wide-ranging, perhaps even more so if those involved have a common understanding and share a common language.
3. There are various concepts of public participation. Kamaruddin Ngah (1991) has stated that Lomas (1966) has emphasized on the term "volunteerism" in public participation, while Arnstein (1968) has connected public participation to the power of citizens. Grove and Procter (1966) have perceived public participation as an active involvement of the public together with the planning authority to solve some environmental problems. Fagence (1977) has highlighted the variety of terms related to public participation including bottom up planning, grass roots planning, public involvement, participatory planning, democratic planning and colaborative planning. Despite the different definitions on public participation, every definition rightly directs towards the same goal, that of harnessing public invovement in planning and decision-making.
4. According to Alterman ( 1982), there are six main goals in public participation, which are as follows:

• To further democratic value,
• To achieve planning goals that are attuned to the needs of different groups,
• To educate the public,
  
• To enable social or personal change,
• To recruit support, obtain legitimacy and avoid opposition,
• To promote political change.

1. Now i would like to share with the readers more specific information about study area which is Tanjung Karang. Tanjung Karang is a main fishing and paddy growing town in Selangor, Malaysia. It is loosely translated into English as the " Cape of Corals" It is located in the district of Kuala Selangor about 15 kilometers away from the town of Kuala Selangor. The town of Tanjung Karang is divided by Sungai Tengi river at the middle and connected with a bridge. The word Tanjung is also sometimes spelled as Tanjong but still refers to the same place. Most of the local Chinese live in urban and sea side (Bagan) area to carry out economic activity, while most Malays live in rural areas and carry out agricultural activity especially rice cultivation. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanjung_Karang)
2. If Kedah is "Jelapang Padi Malaysia" then Tanjung Karang is "Jelapang Padi Selangor". I grew up at this town until in Disember 1990, my family moved to Kuala Selangor and live there until now. One interesting fact (my opinion) about this area is majority of TK society is Javanese (orang jawa, wong jowo). Please correct me if I'm wrong.=)
3. The study area of SAP Tanjung Karang is located in Mukim Tanjung Karang, District of Kuala Selangor and it is below administration of Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS). The area of site is approximately 570.83 hectre and it covers the area of Bandar Tanjung Karang. Bandar Tanjung Karang is functional as Main Settlement Centre which consists of various of activities such as commercial centre, financial institute, security facilities and public amenities. The location of this town is very strategic because it is situated at Federal Road 5 which is main road from Klang-Kuala Selangor-Sabak Bernam-Teluk Intan.

• Bandar Tanjung Karang functional as Main Settlement Centre and it strategic location will enable this town to be develop rapidly in the forthcoming. The effective planning and town management is important to increase it function effectiveness and to ensure local society will comfort with quality of life here.

• This area is situated in Federal Road 5 which is main road from Klang-Kuala Selangor-Sabak Bernam-Teluk Intan and it give advantage to bandar Tanjung Karang. This potential can be exploited in order to increase level of development in Tanjung Karang.

• Bandar Tanjung Karang dont have any image that we can exposed. So, with the proposal to make Tanjung Karang as Agro-Hub City, the establisment image of bandar Tanjung Karang will be more effective and can be implemented.

• We can give opinion regarding any latest planning issues in such aspect of town management, town development, building conservation public facilities commercial facilities, traffic, infrastructure and utilities.
• Then, we proposed any solutions to overcome that related planning issues.
• We also can give an idea to maximize image and identity of Tanjung Karang.
• Lastly, we delivered our desire and aspiration towards future development of Bandar Tanjung Karang.