Saturday, January 10, 2009

Living Standard

This write up is just from my own imagination. I have no record nor do I have statistics. My views here are just my private views based on my observation, rightly or wrongly, and my experience when moving about in Lipat Kajang as far back as a couple of months ago. However I stand corrected if my views differs from those in Lipat Kajang or the relatives of Lipat Kajang folks, discounting views from people who have no roots in Lipat Kajang.

There is no really poor people living in Lipat Kajang, neither are there really rich people. The poor may seem poor by national standard but by the kampong standard they are just below the ‘wealth’ line; bearing in mind that the ’wealth’ of Lipat Kajang folks is really based on (in my humble opinion) whether they can eat the next meal with a dish of fish and/or chicken (they normally rear chicken but meat is rare) and probably a vege or an ulam (edible raw young leaves or boiled young leaves or plant parts) with a sambal (a concoction/mixture usually hot with chilli). The ‘wealth’ standard of transport is a motorcycle, the ‘wealth amenities are electricity supply, piped water and probably a telephone (either hard line or a hand phone). The ‘wealth’ set of furniture is a soft bed (raised or on the floor), a cheap dining room set and a cheap lounge set and probably a coloured TV (old or new does not matter). The ‘wealth’ standard of education is either one of the household has gone to school in the kampong or just to lower secondary school in town or if they are not ‘educated’ then heir children are ‘educated’. Why I use those as the standard, because its what the people are used to and they have been comfortable in that situation for a long time. Those may differ from the national standards, where they might have used different sets of criteria and maybe a higher ‘comfort level’.

The houses in the kampong are comfortable houses (unlike when I was a small boy when the houses were only comfortable by the standard in those days), mostly wooden house raised above the ground, built about 40 or so years ago and presently these houses are most left in a state of disrepair but with people still living in them, sometime including the present generation living together with the older generation (or what are left of them). But many of the houses are now larger, built about 20 - 30 odd years ago still made of wood (wood was cheap in those days) but instead of wooden pillars they use concrete pillars. And then the newer houses are mostly of bricks and mortar, built on the ground (with no pillars) and well painted externally and internally, though internally they may be furnished very much like the older houses. And the people living in them are younger, probably more educated. Now a days houses in the kampong are getting bigger, outsiders who bought land in the kampong are now building mansion (by kampong standard) with garage meant for 2 or 3 cars and maybe one (or two) may even have swimming pools.

How do the people make a living? At the top of the class are those pensioners who have returned back to the kampong or those who have retired (pensioned off ) in the kampong, mostly of them were working as school teachers. Then there are the original kampong folks who had properties in kampong, either inherited, or they themselves bough from their hard earned savings. Then there are those who made good by doing small businesses and living on some savings. The next level would be the parents who have children working away from the kampong and who regularly sends money to up keep the parents. The next level are those doing small businesses like selling goods (either theirs or someone elses) at the weekly market (mind you these weekly markets are not really weekly because these open air markets are daily stuff almost except that they are held in different places in the Administrative District. The traders just follow a schedule and sell their wares in them). Most of these traders (fom Lipat Kajang) are the women folks. I addition the above folks may have small holdings of rubber or oil palms, from which they earn regular income depending on the market price of those commodities. Some may earn as much as RM1,000.00 a month from such commodities (RM3.3 = USD 1.0). RM 1,000.00 a month is a good (in fact very good) income if you live in a kampong like Lipat Kajang. To the best of my knowledge, no one in the kampong goes hungry for the lack of food.

By any mean, a visitor to the kampong may find the kampong depressing but to the local the lives and the standard if living they are having now is comfortable. Don’t compare say with the standard in Selangor or Perak where the people may lead a different way of life in a different environment..

I must admit that there may be one or two in Lipat Kajang who live on the pity of the local folks or even living on Government Welfare. But the number is not worth mentioning. Its worth mentioning though that there are people who may have savings up to RM100,000.00 in their saving accounts (in what ever forms).





Lipat Kajang people (or decendents) are encouraged to participate& contribute (Orang Lipat Kajang, atau keturunan, di jemput memberi sumbangan idea)

5 comments:

  1. the observations made have no doubt produced a general overview of the economic strength or weakness of the people of Kg Lipat Kajang. However a closer look into each and every family's "rich" or "poor" living condition can hardly convince us to conclude that these folks have been and are enjoying a fairly acceptable Standard of Living.

    If the majority of households are considered to be living slightly below the "wealth" line, and if "wealth" is measured by guaranteed daily meals, the ownership of a motorbike, the availability of basic amenities of electricity, water and communication, the possession of age-old furnitures and appliances, having at least one member of the family "educated" and having an average monthly earning of about RM1000 which in most cases is really beyond their means to get that much, then it is obvious that the Standard of Living of the Lipat Kajang folks is well below any acceptable standard of measurements.
    And bearing in mind that there is no such thing as the kampong's own Standard of Living with which they have been and are comfortable with (because Kg Lipat kajang is not isolated in a remote island detached from the rest of the world) and because the economy of Kg Lipat Kajang is to a large extent inevitably and seriously influenced by many external viz-a-viz national social, economic and political factors. Therefore that Standard of Living of the people of Kg Lipat Kajang Pahang has to definitely be measured and gauged against the National standard, and that will be the basis of any future initiatives towards improving the livelihood and standard of living of these people,
    just my humble opinion...Wallahu 'alam

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  2. we may try to get our friends from any U to make that study. as part of their projects on poverty eradication. Know of anyone?
    but we don't want to get too rich in the kampong, we may invite other elements in the equation, maybe bad elements who may make our kampong less peaceful than what it is today.

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  3. Agreed

    Just for an indication and platform to start with.

    We should provoke the elders to push it to the power to be to get it moving not only on the socio aspect but also on the economic aspect such as resources(land)suitability.

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  4. orang lipat kajang ada rsources tapi tak tahu nak menggunakan nya. mungkin juga tak mahu nak menggunakan nya, tunggu subsidy, tunggu peruntukkan.

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  5. Jgn mimpi dan berangan saja.

    Sampai bila nak berangan dan bermimpi.

    Kalau dok asyik tunggu tunggu tunggu sampai nak mampu.

    Pakat tak keje le deme wehhhhhh.

    Pah palir.......gone nok meningkat.

    Sema amende nok keje tak nok gone.

    Payoh la deme weh.

    Telan mati ayah luah mati mok.

    Gone.........

    ReplyDelete