Housing policy in Malaysia: Conditions, perspectives and Islamic values

Abstract

This study concerns housing policy and focuses on strategies and issues around affordable housing for Malaysia's poorer households. The thesis firstly reviews experiences across Third World countries, including selected Newly Industrialised Countries and Muslim countries. Analysis appears to show that provision of affordable housing for low-income households has been inhibited by land arrangements, finance, and allocation systems or roles of "gatekeepers". Of particular interest are self-build housing solutions in poorer societies. The impact of Islam, however, does not immediately stand out strongly from Muslim countries studied. A second focus of the thesis is on applicability of Islamic models in the field of housing. Islamic ideas seem important to Malaysia, a society with official commitment to Islamic values. Islamic models are viewed from perspectives of religious traditions, distributive justice, moral obligations, value systems governing a state, etc. Discussion of "Islamic dimensions" in housing policy - finance practices, land arrangements, and so forth - attempts to draw out Islamic ideas and open up approaches to low-income housing, to the style, planning and provision of housing. A third concern for the thesis is with perceptions within Malaysia. Field surveys involved contacts with "influentials" - at administrative, managerial or policy formulation levels - and the grass-roots: households in new neighbourhoods and traditional villages. Information covered experiences, and perceptions about Islamic ideas in action, and provides insights on issues raised in the work on policy and on Islamic models. Influentials appear to negotiate for themselves a balance between Islamic beliefs and pressures on policy development. At grass-roots, some households seem open in accepting modem values and in interpreting Islamic values in the context of time and place. Islam and modernity emerged as important theme from the field work, both from the perspectives of "elite" and "grass-roots" Muslims in Malaysia