RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A POLITICAL PLOY

The development of rural area by the government is not a political ploy. It is more in developing the welfare of the society. It can be seen through the objectives of the rural development. Among the objectives are:

To eradicate poverty

Government develop the rural area is to eradicate poverty. It can be seen through government efforts. For example, New Land Development. Government through public enterprises like FELDA, FELCRA, RISDA and more, gives the society chances to own property.

Other than that, the society also provided with job opportunities through implementations of government’s programs. Most of the society in rural area is lack of education, but the job opportunities provided to them do not require qualification. It is more to job that requires skills and practice. As long as government gives opportunities and chances to the society, people can develop themselves even though they are lack of education.

When government always supporting rural development programs, it will decrease the gap between the rich and poor people in the country. This indirectly will generate the economy in the country.

To reduce migration

To develop rural area is to reduce migration. This is because when less development in rural area people tend to move to more developed area. As a human being, we always look for better environment that can provide us with better place of living. What we can consider as a better place for living is a place that provides easy access to the basic necessities, services, and also job opportunities.

Rural development is not a political ploy because government develops rural area to reduce the migration from rural area to the urban area. This can reduce the density of urban area. When the density is high, government will face more social problems and unequal development between geographical areas within the country.

To increase local people participation

Development in rural area is to increase local people participation rather than a political ploy. Government open up rural area and provides the society in that area with development programs and projects. The implementation of the programs and projects demand the participation from the local. This is because the development programs and projects are for the sake of the society. Indirectly, when government implements programs and projects, it will increase the local people participation.

In conclusion, development of rural area by the government is totally not a political ploy. Rural development is purely government effort without any political agenda. As referring to the definition of rural development by Maimunah, rural development is a process of upgrading the levels of living of rural society through improvement on all aspects of human development. This includes adequate provision of basic needs such as food, shelter, health and protection as well as other physical-socio need. It shows that rural development is regards with human development rather than a political ploy.

Obstacles to development

ECONOMIC OBSTACLES

1) Dependence on primary product export

Each country usually has its own primary product export. Through this primary product export the country get the revenue. The more revenue they get the more budget they will have to allocate for the development. In some circumstances, where the primary products export facing problem in producing it, this will leads to economic downturn if the impact is in long term. For example is decrease in price of rubber.

2) Lack of financial strengthen

Undeveloped country needs aid to develop their region. These countries rely or depend too much on financial aid. Without the financial aid, these countries cannot develop the region because lack of financial strengthens.

e.g.: there are several countries that are indebted with international monetary fund (IMF). They are Syria (1970-present) and Sudan (1969-present).

SOCIAL OBSTACLES

1) Population growth

An increasing number of populations in one country will influence the distribution of wealth for development. When the population is high, there will be imbalance between providing basic necessities and development for the public. For example, like Indonesia. Indonesia here covers a wide area. Due to this the developments mainly focus on the city where the government administration center situated. However, the government of Indonesia still developing the other areas but not focusing on developing the areas.

2) Lack of access to education

Usually we need education to develop ourselves .By having education we will know on how to improve ourselves to a higher level. But for the poor society they cannot afford to get education because they don’t have the money to pay for it. Thus poor society usually undeveloped compared to the rich society. For example most people in Africa is undeveloped because they are lack of education and cannot afford to improve their quality of life.

Teacher's Note - TEST

Salam.

Because of BTN, I've to reschedule your Test 1. I've decided the test will be held as follows:

• AMD6PA - Tuesday (Feb. 17th, 2009), KARAH 10/3, 10.15am - 12.05pm

• AMD6PB - Thursday (Feb. 19th, 2009), 12B1, 12.15pm - 2.05pm

• AMD6PC + AMD6PD - Monday (Feb. 16th, 2009), 8C, 4.20pm - 6.10pm

Thus, for this coming Monday, AMD6PA and AMD6PB can have more time to study because your test will be held as scheduled.

Only AMD6PC and AMD6PD will take the test on that day.

Those from AMD6PC and AMD6PD who has problem taking test on the mentioned day, please notify me by or before Sunday (Feb. 15th, 2009 - 10am) so I can prepare the things accordingly.

The test will covers all chapters i.e. chapter 1 - 4, and don't forget Vago's chapter 6 and 9.



Good luck everybody and have a nice day!

Love you all ... as always!

Wassalam

Differences between Karl Marx and Ralf Dahrendorf Theories

Karl Marx

1-Conflict happens when there is a difference in level of classes.

e.g. ~If developing nation wants to stand among the developed nations they have to make sure resources is available, if not, conflict will happen throughout the development process.

2- Conflict as primary sources in internal working society.

e.g. ~ Life conflicts of the poorer people generate their spirit in improving their status of life.

3- Conflict results from internal contradiction arising in historical development.

e.g. ~ Impact of colonization like Malays in village, Chinese in mines and Indians in estate.

4- Many conflicts are not capable of resolution.

e.g.~ Even though many policy had been implemented by the government, however, fatal accident cannot be avoided.

Ralf Dahrendorf

1-Conflict happens due to unequal authority within the society.

e.g.~ Differences between manager and subordinates in terms of position, power, and qualification.

2- Importance of dealing with external conflict.

e.g~ in organization, the conflict exists when there is more than one organization that produces the same products or services.

3- Conflict results from pressure exerted by other society.

e.g~ when recession in the economics of US occurred, the currency of the country fall. It affects our country economic condition.

4- Conflict can be resolve through compromise.

e.g ~If there is conflict arises during implementation of a new policy, we can settle through set up a meeting, discussion or negotiation

Teacher's Note - Public Announcement

Dear students,

Hi and welcome back to class.

As I browsed your blog and read and commented on them, I noticed some common pattern of answer, 1) where you have the tendency to simplify your answer that sometimes I couldn’t find any relevancy to point discussed before it; 2) having so much unnecessary facts and details that making readers fell like reading a textbook.

Even though a blog entry should be short and simple, you don’t have to discount many of your words and make your argument everywhere. You don’t have to write an essay for that matter, but try to use concise word to articulate your point.

For those who love to back up their answer with all facts and data (as if we really want to know!), you too need to be concise and precise in choosing your words so that your entry doesn’t dazzled me … you know how much I hate to scroll the whole page just to find your main point at the end of your entry!

It is a waste when you come out with such a good point but having discussed it on the surface or lace it with unnecessary ‘ornament’ …

Try to be concise and precise and at the same time keep it short and simple.

On other words … briefly elaborate your point in detail – if you know what I mean.

Thank you and have a nice day!

Bully among teenagers

Hello everyone! We are here to talk about our picked issue which is “Bully among teenagers”. Hope this post will tell you a bit about how it really reflects in social change.

What is bullying?
Bullying includes a wide variety of behaviors, but all involve a person or a group repeatedly trying to harm someone who is weaker or more vulnerable. It can involve direct attacks (such as hitting, threatening or intimidating, maliciously teasing and taunting, name-calling, making sexual remarks, and stealing or damaging belongings) or more subtle, indirect attacks (such as spreading rumors or encouraging others to reject or exclude someone).

The key words here are - person or a group repeatedly trying to harm someone who is weaker or more vulnerable.

Components of Change

Identity of change
Identity of change is something that gives impact to the social structure. Social structure is the patterns of behavior that includes statuses, roles, groups, and institutions such as family, religion, politics and the economic system. In this issue, the identity of change can be identifying through how the bullying among teenagers can gives impact to the social behavior. In this case, we look into the person that had been the victim of bullying. The impact of bully can caused emotion unstable. This includes trauma, afraid and the most obvious impact is social isolation. If bullying continues for some time, it can begin to affect teens' self-esteem and feelings of self-worth. It also can increase their social isolation, leading them to become withdrawn and depressed, anxious and insecure.

Level of change
It is referring to the teenagers, the one that had been the victim. It can be seen through their behavior, before and after they had been victimized. We categorized the change as planned change. This is because, the intention to bully placed on the person or group who tend to do so. They can plan whether to bully or not to bully.

Duration of change
Referring to level of change, as long as the person or a group have the intention to bully, so the duration will be within the time they tend to do so. Meaning to say, as long as they do bully, duration of change will continue.

Magnitude of change
We classified magnitude of change of the issue to be in the form of incremental. The issue of bullying had existed since old time. We can say that, it will continuously exist as long as there a person or a group has the intention to bully.

Rate of change
The rate of change is continuous. As to justify, the issue of bullying never stop if there is no efforts to curb it. The roles by parents and teachers are important in a way to overcome the issue of bullying.

Variables of Change

Technology
The person or groups that have the tendency to bully had been influenced by the mass media. It can be seen through program like World Wrestling Federation (WWF), a story about violence, and also video game which is the biggest influence among teenagers.

Conflict
It can be seen through conflict of the individuals who have the tendency to bully where they wants to take control over other or releasing their stress and also conflict between the individual and the parents through different understanding.

Economic
Bully can be in term of money. They go over person who is defenseless and collect the money. How it relates to economic? A person who intend to bully might be come from different background. They can be rich or suffer from poverty. They tend to continue bullying to serve their own necessities such as pocket money or food.

QUESTION 9: should the government adopt the private sector method in administering public affairs. Provide with the related example.

Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of business from the public sector (government) to the private sector (business). In a broader sense, privatization refers to transfer of any government function to the private sector including governmental functions like revenue collection and law enforcement.

In our opinion the government should adopt the privatization method because:

• 
  
  Efficiency and productivity: better utilization of resources lead to speed delivery of facilities closed to the attention to consumer demand and lower production cost.


• 
  
  Decrease the burden of government: because government had to borne for many things like wages, new recruitment every year which is cost the government.


• Reduce size of public sector: it is due to the privatization. For example are telecom department and national electricity board. From that, it will increase the ability of government because the government will be more focus on any other matters.
  


• Example: TNB, TELECOM, MAS & KTNB.

QUESTION 10: OF ALL ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT IN A COUNTRY (INCLUSIVE OF SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND POLITIC).EACH OF THOSE THAT SHOULD BE GIVEN MORE EMPHASIS RIGHT NOW AND WHY?

In our opinion we choose the social development as most important aspect because Malaysian is multi racial country where we need the solidarity for the peaceful and freedom in our country. Solidarity leads to shift of economic and politic which bring to the national development. Other than that we need people participation and involve in the government activities because its shows that the people support and give feedback whether they are satisfied or not towards what government are doing. For example are the existences of new policy and provided service. The people mentality and attitudes are also important in social development because it is an indicator in the certain matters.