Mega Projects as a Big Push for Rural Development and Transformation: A Case Study of Tanjung Kupang, Johor

Abstract

Mega projects are currently seen as a catalyst for Malaysia’s development as they can provide various benefits both in the city and the countryside. However, if the desired progress does not consider the socio-economic aspects of the community, the development will ignore their quality of life. Therefore, the impact of a mega project development in the Tanjung Kupang subdistrict became a research medium. This study examines the impact of a mega project development on the rural communities of the Tanjung Kupang subdistrict. A quantitative approach method was adopted, employing a questionnaire survey involving 61 heads of households as the study sample. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the data collected. The findings identified several factors that greatly affected the socio-economic level of Tanjung Kupang rural communities, such as employment, income, and development location. The findings also indicate that the mega project in Tanjung Kupang has had an impact on the rural community in the subdistrict in terms of increased side income (4.48), increased communication and infrastructure networks (4.43), loss of income from agricultural source activities (4.33), and competition of foreign workers with local people (4.23). Therefore, this study may serve as a reference for assessing the impact of a mega project and giving awareness to the construction sector on the importance of social community involvement in any development planning.