Renewing the Bornean Longhouse: Empowering the Rural Poor in Sabah, Malaysia through Architectural Intervention
Authors:   , Wong James Kein Peng 
Published: March 2022

Despite the fact that Malaysia has undergone independence for some 50
years, and the country as a whole has boomed economically to be one of
the strongest in South-East Asia - why are there rural kampong regions
particularly in Sabah still living in stagnant poverty compared to
nearby urban settlements, and the growing disparity between the rich and
the poor?

Sabah has and is undergoing severe forms of poverty in the various forms
it comes by, in comparison with other Malaysian states. These forms of
poverty include economic regional and ethnic disparities with the
poorest of the poor seen especially in the rural areas; deficit in basic
infrastructure and education; communities lacking the political voice
within the federal government especially in the area of addressing
poverty where it is needed most; and growing deforestation as
detrimental to these peoples’ way of life in the name of ‘national
progress’. This sets the tone for exploring alternative ways to develop
the state’s economy in a way that is sustainable and empowering. There
is no denying that we live in a capitalist era where economic drivers
and development are at the forefront of political affairs and is a
dominant factor for getting things done. It is therefore essential that
for there to be true and broad community empowerment; economically
advantageous solutions need to be found to actually implement a lesser
dependence on unsustainable development practices. This research also
suggests in using strategic Tourism development as a political vehicle
to provide impetus for such change, where particularly the Architect and
architecture can play a significant role in.

It suggests architectural principles that can be applied to a given
Tourism scheme - specifically in Sabah - that can help tilt this
exploding sector to benefit and empower these poverty stricken
communities, yet make smart business sense. Case studies are presented
to illustrate how various Pro-poor Tourism initiatives in other
countries have in some ways been successful, and in some ways not, and
how recurring issues can be mitigated in Sabah’s context through
architectural intervention.

As a design proposal, this research shows how ‘The Bornean Longhouse’ is
a perfect piece of architecture that provides the foundation for
integrating all these strategies mentioned, as well as the fact that it
provides a marketable Tourism niche product for potential long-stay
visitors. It is a piece of architecture that embodies the deep rooted
values of these fading indigenous culture that if renewed – will bring a
sense of cultural empowerment and pride back to these peoples. It also
acts to provide an architectural solution to reinforce and empower these
communities in light of dying traditions to an individualistic global
culture; potential economic benefit through a more sustainable and
evenly-distributed solution to economic growth; plus having the
political support through the heavily backed Malaysian Tourism industry
to explore a broad and effective empowerment scheme.