The community may be called upon to get together for a common effort on many occasions. most of these occasions will be for the construction of some amenity to raise their standard of living, improve their health or economically benefit the community. The government stipulates that on the Minor Rural Projects there must be some sort of community action. Because of the difficulty in transporting material and finding labor the community must contribute some help if the government plans to efficiently aid all rural area communities in development.
Community action can take the form of participation with no direct benefit other than derived from the project or it can involve a subsidy or compensation for the time the community works.
Pulau Seduku Water Supplies
The community was willing to work together to make a water system on their mosque with no thought of compensation for their time. Their need for water was reason enough to make the people work for this community projects. When they received their large individual tanks there was a feeling that the tanks were a reward for their previous effort at the mosque and they began immediately to take advantage of their reward by installing them.
On the island of Seduku in the Batang Lupar River, it is extremely difficult to obtain fresh water for drinking. The river water is always muddy and owing to its proximity to the sea, is usually salty. Well dug on the island also produced salty water. Formely the people carried their water in kerosene tins from Bakong about half to 45 minutes hour rowing time from Pulau Seduku ; Bakong could only be reached when the tides were right.
The Development Committee approved two walled wells for the island but wells did not seem feasible considering the nature of the land and water there. Since money for water supplies might not be allocated again in the near future and the need for water was critical, the people were approached about installing rain water collection tanks (oil drums) around the mosque the had recently built. The mosque was chosen since it was the newest and best roof in the kampong, water was needed for ceremonial reasons and the mosque was centrally located.
The British Army had a stock of empty oil drums which they donated for this project. The D.O. Simanggang provided round drain pipes that were left over from previous job. The prepared oil drums and drains were transported to the island in an army boat. The materials were left there and remained uninstalled until Harvey Toub, a volunteer working on Rural Development in the Second Divison, stopped at Seduku during a down river trip two weeks later. He tld the tua kampong that he would help the village install their water collection tanks the next morning and to call the men to work.The next morning the men were going about their usual tasks and he realized that the tua kampong hadn't said anything to the men. The development worker decided he would have to find anotherman with enough influence in the community to get the men to work. Mit, a village carpenter appeared, found a good way to construct the drains, organized the men and the project was completed in a couple of days.
In November the Development Office received additional funds for water supplies. Although some government officers were dubious about starting the job so late in the year, knowing that any unused money had to be returned at the end of the year, Harvey decided to try and supply each house with a water tank. The water tanks were made and delivered in the three or four weeks remaining before the end of the year. Each house at Pulau Seduku was supplied with a 130-gallon galvanized water tank and an 8 foot drain. The people were so happy that under Mit's direction they painted them and installed all the tanks within a week after they received them. Their satisfaction was obvious. When the development worker arrived to insect the installation, he saw the tanks painted with 'Malaysia Berjaya' and he received their personal tanks. Although the tua kampong told the development worker how much he appreciated the water tanks, he also asked to be supplied with an extra tank for his own use.
-Harvey Toub-
Peace Corps Volunteer
all written note are copyright reserved by the writer
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