New Villages 1Malaysia

"KUALA LUMPUR 8 Sept 2010: A gated neighbourhood can only be set up with the approval of 51% of the residents, said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Chor Chee Heung."

Gated neighbourhood has been initiated since the last couple of years, particularly in the urban housing estates throughout Malaysia. There have been many debates on the legality and "environmental safety issues" and protests against this from certain quarters but mainly the residents are frustrated with the frequent occurrences of snatch thief and house break-in. Often these happened in broad day light.

Security is a paramount concern and the residents are desperate for measures to protect their properties and personal safety. Thus, a trend for local resident initiatives to set up their own vigilant committee to build fences and road blocks and guarded security gates, funded by the communities. Of course some are not willing to pay for this extra expenditure for whatever reasons, and so there are protest voices.

This Government response is after years of complaints from residents, who are now turning all the urban housing estates to modern day "New Villages" as they were set up by the British during the Malayan Emergency period in the mid-1950, to prevent insurgence from the communists and support of them from the communities, mainly Chinese.

It ironic that those 450 New Villages of those days (with about 500,ooo people) have now removed their gates and expanded to modern living towns of over 1.2m people, we are seeing the growth of more modern New Villages in the major towns and cities in Bolehland.

With the new IGP being in place from 13 Sept 2010, would the security of the population be improved?