Page 83 - IJPS-9-2

International Journal of
Population Studies Development service in East Malaysia Suburban

Previous research has shown that households’ adaptive a rapid and dynamic socioeconomic development for the
attitudes, strategies, and initiatives are necessary factors past few years. The “Better Batu Kawa” is promised, and
in leveraging their quality of life (e.g., Dang et al., 2020; many are optimistic about the future of Batu Kawa.
Voon et al., 2021). Hence, there is a need to understand
socioeconomic service determinants that influence family 1.2. SDGs: Some issues for suburban
happiness in this suburban for sustainability and also for SDGs are blueprints emphasizing holistic and sustainable
other suburban communities and households to emulate development of economic, social, and environmental
for sustainable suburban development. The socioeconomic aspects. The 2030 Agenda, drafted by the United Nation in
development for different parts of the suburban area (i.e., 2013, contains 17 important SDGs, 169 targets, and 232
East bank and West bank, separated by the Sarawak River, indicators (United Nations Statistics Division, 2017) aimed
see Figure 1B) needs to be understood and managed to transform the financial, economic, and political systems
satisfactorily for sustainability. (Sustainable Goal Report, 2020) to alleviate poverty, ensure
social participation as well as environmental protection
At the household level, sustainable socioeconomic
development is crucial for shared prosperity and (Aksoy & Arlı, 2020). The Sustainable Report 2020 argues
that the effort to achieve sustainable goals is insufficient
family happiness, especially during disasters such as
the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., Sayyida et al., 2021). and uneven. For instance, the world has done better than
Undoubtedly, many households are directly or indirectly before in reducing the number of children and youths out
of school, reducing the incidence of many communicable
emphasizing sustainability initiatives from a different diseases, improving the safely managed drinking water as
perspective, especially in terms of environmental aspects. well as women representation in leadership roles. However,
Nevertheless, more comprehensive understanding and the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the achievement
implementation of sustainability (i.e., natural, economic, of the SDG goals and even argued to turn back decades of
and social) are always lacking. A sustainable socioeconomic progress (van Norren, 2020), particularly for the health-
development ideally requires good geographical inclusion; care system.
urban, suburban, and rural. The rural development areas
and B40 (Bottom 40%, lower income group) groups are The more vulnerable groups, including older people,
commonly emphasized and helped (e.g., The 12 Malaysian women, children, informal workers, persons with
th
Plan 2021–2025) and the suburban households may need disabilities, indigenous people, migrants, and refugees, are
to continuously self-help, adapt strategically, and work at risk to be hit harder by the pandemic. People living in
closely with the governments. What they do and how they poverty who have already suffer from inadequate housing
do it are keys for understanding and develop sustainable and limited access to basic infrastructures and services are
socioeconomic services. The comprehensive social- becoming more vulnerable. One of the important issues is
economic and environmental service strategies for the how the SDGs can address the ultimate aim of mankind to
different types of households with different cultural and live a sustainable happy life (e.g., Aksoy & Arlı, 2020).
economic backgrounds need to be well-understood and The SDG framework needs to be able to effectively
met accordingly for sustainability. address human-nature-well-being interrelationship (van
The socioeconomic development in suburban Batu Norren, 2020). The current SDG framework is criticized
Kawa depends very much on the consistent and continuous to represent individualism and is not biocentric enough to
socioeconomic development services and financial respect nature for nature’s sake and to enable reciprocity
allocations granted by the ruling state government, the with nature. The SDGs still focus on growth and the
federal government as well as support and involvement use of resources, and its framework also downplays the
of the private sector, non-governmental organizations importance of private sector. There are other criticisms of
(NGOs), and local communities. Politically, the Batu Kawah SDGs such as the indicators chosen might influence the
Constituency N14, in the state government electorate, interpretation of its goals and limit its scope of and do not
has experienced ups and downs in her socioeconomic address structural causes of perpetuating poverty, power
development since the 1960s when Sarawak United relations, and ecological inclusive development (Gupta &
People’s Party (SUPP) was taking care of by the then rural Vegelin, 2016).
Batu Kawa. The present representative for N14 is the Sørensen (2014) argued that life satisfaction was
Honorable Dato’ Sri Dr. Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Premier higher among rural dwellers than urban dwellers (in
of Sarawak, who is also the State Government’s Minister European Union [EU]). People living in the city tend to
of Public Health, Local Governments and Housing. Many enjoy a higher sense of well-being in income, education,
tend to agree that this Batu Kawa suburb has been enjoying and occupational structure, and this is proven in a lower

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2023) 77 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijps.442