Syarikat/Gotong royong.

When I was younger in the kampong I used to hear the older folks talking about ‘syarikat”. But later when I was older I hear them talking about “gotong royong”.

I later learnt that “syarikat’ virtually mean a company; in the kampong sense its not an actual company registered with a Government but a sort of private arrangement between say 10 people, a combined effort to do odd jobs for each other, for example land clearing or cutting of trees on members land, say once a week. In those days people were honest and they kept to their words. Members help members sort of arrangement. No monetary reward was expected and each member even brought their own cooked food.

“Gotong royong’ virtually means volunteering one self to do a community work. To the best of my knowledge this is something new, though I suppose such arrangement had been in existence for sometime, maybe called by some other names. The ‘gotong royong’ get together would probably be held once a month or when its necessary. Such work as clearing up irrigation canals for example was part of the ‘gotong royong’ efforts (may include trimming of all kampong road side shrubs and clearing cow dungs on the roads). Also no monetary reward was expected and each member brought his own cooked food or maybe community food arrangement might be made with the wives cooking at site.

Those sort of arrangement went very well until the peoples minds was/is polluted with the ‘subsidy mentality’. When the people expected the Government to do everything for them, and even give money for any work done in the kampong for themselves or the community. This ‘pollution’ has killed the people initiative, and is cancerous because the newer generation does not even understand how the ‘syarikat’ or the ‘gotong royong’ efforts operates. And the new generation with their subsidy mentality would rather waste their time in coffee shops in town rather than doing useful work for the community. And in addition they would rather show off their new motorcycles, riding them about the kampong, rather than spending time developing the kampong and its community.

I mention this in this blog because the ‘syarikat’ and the ‘gotong royong’ are basic tools to kick-start and realise a kampong development, with minimum financial resources, such as in a rural community like in Lipat Kajang. With the right attitude and with good and strong leadership I do not foresee problems in implementing the kampong development using the methods mentioned. The challenge being, how do we erase that subsidy mentality from the people’s mind and where do we get strong leadership in the kampong?.

I foresee small financial help may be necessary at the initial stage, and this is where the people with Lipat Kajang roots who do not live in the kampong may need to fork out a few hundred RM as initial “working capital”.


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