Kopi Talk with MHO

NO BEAR HUG FOR CLUSTER HOUSES AT BEAR HILL

'Cluster' houses for Kg Bukit Beruang’ was the news headline in the Borneo Bulletin 7^th July 2010 edition.

Here is an excerpt of the news report:

“According to the Housing Development Department in Tutong District, the cluster houses will be in the shape of four two-storey houses attached together - unlike terraced-type houses, the houses attached back-to-back forming a square block per four houses.

A total of 81 blocks are planned for the Kg Bukit Beruang project. A total of 324 cluster houses (81 blocks) will be built in Kampong Bukit Beruang, while 434 units of terraced units (two blocks of four units and 71 blocks of six units) will be constructed. (Read here for full news report)

I don’t remember any complain from the public when this news item was highlighted in the daily paper. Perhaps no one took notice of it then, or maybe no reason to be critical about it as the project was still at its early stage.

If there was an artist impression of the cluster house being provided and displayed for the public to view at that time, it could be a different ballgame altogether.

This is the case now when few days go someone, apparently very disappointed with the design, circulated a picture of the completed cluster house at Kg Bukit Beruang through WhatsApp and FaceBook.

And the public rumblings at social networks begin… (I deliberately omit the name of the authors here so we can just focus on what they have to say about this issue and I also took the liberty to choose and pick some of comments to share as it will take forever to read all them here)

# “I saw this in one of the whatsapp group.....I was aware about this design some five to six years ago....I was a bit aghast when I saw this and pray they will not implement this design. Now they did....I am pretty sure this is not part of the 1500 houses being tendered through BEDB as the design were direct by the company who won the contract”.

# “Good for keeping bear bah”

# “Very bad design”

# When I first saw this design, my first thought is safety, health and its enviroment...(HSSE)....

# the issue here is not about the design of the housing complex.. it's about the quality of our  planners.. the mere fact that they approved this and went ahead to implement it was beyond me ..

# There are many housing complex that been built by private sector which is conducive and attractive.. lots of modern terrace houses .. if dont want to copy and paste those designs it's ok.. but when faced with new designs proper SWOT analysis should be done.. Will it work or not.. Will public accept it or not.. of course at the end of the day the buck should stop with the top guy.. whether he is the chairman or Minister..

# Yang 'bersedih' dan 'mengritik' rumah-rumah ani, belum melihat sendiri rumah-rumah ani dan sebenarnya bukan diorang yang akan tinggal disana. Given a choice between staying in a rented two-bedroom barrack to your own rumah tampik 4... I think people would know what to choose.

# Kmi yg bakal tinggal di sana tu nanti. Belum kmi tinggal sana pun sudah kmi tau/ memikir kn apa rasanya n mcmana tinggal dlm rumah tampik 4 atu. Sejujurnya cuba biskita bayangkan apa perasaan kita tinggal dlm rumah atu? Mcm org buat rumah mesti ada sudah plan n imagenasi dgn rumah idaman nya sebelum ia mbuat rumah atu. Mungkin org yg mendesign n meaprrove atu inda terpikir sebab durg sudah senang linang dpt rumah sendiri besar mewah ad kawasan n ada mampu bali tanah sana sini di reseb utk anak cucu kelak. Cakap tak serupa bikin. Sendiri mau rasa.

# Fyi org ramai indada di bagi pilihan sesuka hati rumah mana kn di mau. Kalau dapat pilih suka hati. Memang semua org pilih rumah sebuah2. Mun faham bisai.

# Bukan pulang pasal kan jadi pemilih... tapi architect nya ada memikirkan aspect safety kah in the design of the house? Fire exit cemana? How quickly fire in one house can spread to the next? Mana residents nya kan keluar if that one side ia blocked? Ani berabisly melepaskan batok d tangga... kes mencapai target membari rumah utk rakyat saja without even taking other targets into consideration. This is wrong!

# ....and while MOST of us thought terrace housing were not acceptable..Duh! This is ridiculous beyond words!

# This is the early sign of Brunei working class and the future slums that will generate social problems: Brunei is suppose to be the 5th richest country in the world: what a bloody joke:

# those selected would be occupants are paying for somthing that most would live in the rest of their lives. They are paying for them houses and they are some of the unfortunate ones who are not able to purchase a home anywhere else and it is not fair to shove this kind of thing up their throats just because some people would think desperados would suck up everything.

# they are people who are willing to pay $70k for the house to be shoved down their throats.. and yet the people who are selected, felt that they are unjustly victimised to be offered rumah tampik 4. Why not just reject the offer? We cannot please all people all the time .. and sadly our people are so used to being pampered that bulb lampu inda ada starter pun Kerajaan kan di suruh menukarkan ...

# Is it so wrong to want better options and dream of better quality life regardless one can afford it or not? Cant the humble formed an opinion & share their viewpoints despite knowing that it might go unheard by unlistening ears? Cmon! cut us some slacks. These are milder comments compared to some coffee-shop talks. Even HM took time to accept anonymous envelopes from people unknown to him personally... Alhamdullilah for that...

And it goes on and on with more critical comments ranging from the safety aspect of it to the question of being a MIB-compliance design, its compatibility with the principles of MIB, the culture and tradition of the Bruneians.

Suffice to say, generally many are not very happy with it even though I am sure, many of those making so much noise may not be going to live in that 'controversial' housing unit.

So why complain?

Because it could be our children, our grandchildren, and our relatives who will be living there for the rest of their lives. Because their well-being is our concern too. Because we are concern how such living environment would affect them as an individual and as a community.  

We have seen enough for the past years how we evolved from being a worry-free to a worrisome society as statistics continue to show upward trends in social problems, ranging from poverty, unemployment, domestic violent, drug abuse, and incest to other public crimes.

Few years back imams during Friday prayer saw it too worrying as not to highlight such worrying trends from their mimbar.

“Cases of domestic violence in the country have risen in recent years by 264 per cent, from 81 cases in 2000 to 214 in 2007, according to statistics from the Community Development Department. Out of the 214 cases reported, 147 were from abuse towards wives and 27 were from abuse towards children”, they lamented.

Meanwhile, the Community Development Department (JAPEM) last year recorded twenty eight cases on domestic violence compared to thirty seven in 2012 and twenty cases in 2011, while statistics issued by the Syariah Court stated that six cases of domestic violence seeking family protection were recorded last year, four in 2012 and ten in 2011.

Is this an indication of the fragility of the family institution in Brunei?

If so what can we do about it? What can the national housing development program do to help strengthens our family institution?Or maybe housing design is after all not an important factor in influencing human character and our social behavior.  

Food for thoughts:

“There is no doubt whatever about the influence of architecture and structure upon human character and action. We make our buildings and afterwards they make us. They regulate the course of our lives.” Winston Churchill, addressing the English Architectural Association, 1924