No abstract

No abstract

Cross-border entrepreneurship activity plays an important role in the community economic development programs. The emergence of business groups and trade activities will generate employment, create wealth, contribute to tax revenue and stimulate the construction of infrastructures such as transportation. Indirectly, this will improve the standard of living in the border communities. The cross-border trade activities between Sarawak (Malaysia)-Kalimantan (Indonesia) continued to grow significantly. Although there is no formal cross-border route and Checkpoint of Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) exists, Serikin as a small border town has developed as a Weekend Market focuses on informal trade. Indonesian traders and Malaysian consumers gathered on weekends to carry out transactions and this triggers local development. This article discusses the cross-border informal trade activities by focusing on the business participation factors and reasons for location selection, especially among Indonesian traders and spillover effects on the local communities.

Education and the schooling system in Malaysia are constant agenda in the discourse of nation-building. This is because education is regarded as an important avenue to inculcate national consciousness and social cohesion among the people. This article attempts to track the various school systems in Malaysia, with the purpose to highlight the different routes of educational choices in Malaysia. These different routes have their roots in the education policies formulated through time and the growth of a multi-ethnic population in the country. It is argued that these different routes of educational choices display 'inclusiveness', catering to the needs of the diverse population of Malaysia -ethnic, language, religion, regional, disability, vocation, public or private. The Malaysian education scenario represents a complexity of choices, each colouring the pathways of educational experience, expertise and engagement. The guiding question is to what extent this complexity of educational routes influence social cohesion?

There is an increasing movement towards acceptance of public participation as a logical approach to heritage conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. In conservation initiatives, to ensure effective participation is to see it as a social process. Thus, the importance of community participation and consultation in planning for heritage conservation is emphasised using an example from fishing community involvement in community-based fisheries management in Langkawi. The setting up of cooperative community resource management Komuniti Pengurusan Ekosistem Perikanan (KPEP) is a significant attempt that acknowledges the value of local involvement in natural resource management. It aims to understand local fishers’ participation in resource management activities towards heritage conservation. One of the findings revealed that although the resource management activities did not mentioned explicitly the importance of heritage conservation. However it could be assumed that intention for heritage conservation is at the heart of the initiatives. Implicit in such an approach is a sense that local fishers’ participation in managing resources would utilise local knowledge gained from past down traditions of previous generations. The application of local knowledge encourages them to become aware of their fishing cultural heritage and to encourage them to conserve it. It is crucial for development activities surrounding the area of KPEP Kuala Teriang are compatible and complementary to the existing activities of fisheries heritage conservation and promotion of social well-being.