Kampong Cooperative Development And Sustainability From MIZAN Principles: A Case Study At Negeri Sembilan

The world’s co-operative movement shows that co-operative continue to grow across
the globe. In the Malaysian context, neo-endogenous development model has been
a focus of many studies on future rural development policies for the 21st century
wherein the supporting role of cooperatives may be acknowledged especially in
terms of enhancing local capacity and establishing internal and external network. In
Malaysia, transformative rural development embodying the characteristics of neoendogenous development model is embedded in several policies such as the Government
Transformation Plan, Economic Transformation Plan and Rural Transformation
Plan. However, the role of cooperatives in supporting neo-endogenous model through
Sustainable Rural Development (SRD) is constrained by the limited involvement of
households as cooperative members. Exploration into the potential of cooperative
entrepreneurship is not an aberration. Throughout the world, thousands of cooperatives
producing goods and services for the market and also providing social condition and
job opportunities. Realizing the advantages of cooperative for community development
especially in the village or kampong, this research seeks to understand the kampong
cooperatives development and sustainability from the mizan principles. The word
mizan in Arabic comes from the word wazana means balance and consistency, scales
or measurement of an object. On the other view, mizan is a tool that shows the value
of the scales or measurement of a thing measured or weighed. Mizan principles are
al-ubudiyyah, as-syura, al-hurriyah and al-musawah. Those principles are important
as guidelines in the process of kampong cooperative development and sustainability.
Utilizing upon a qualitative research, a case study of three kampung cooperatives in
Negeri Sembilan have been explored. Focus group interviews were conducted with the
cooperative members, kampong development and security committee members (JKKK)
and the villagers. It is found that all of four mizan principles have been utilized without
realizing the importance of those principles due to knowledge lacking. The study also
found that there are several issues that need to be addressed.