Mengukur perubahan segregasi kaum di Malaysia menggunakan Indeks Entropi dan Sistem Maklumat Geografi (GIS): Kajian kes Negeri Perak bagi tempoh 1991-2000 (Measuring Malaysia’s racial segregation with the Entropy Index and the Geographic Information System (GIS): A case study of the state of Perak, 1991-2000)

Abstract

Dasar ‘pecah’ dan ‘perintah’ yang diamalkan oleh pihak British menyebabkan wujud segregasi kaum mengikutkawasan dan kegiatan ekonomi. Orang Cina bertumpu di kawasan bandar dan terlibat dalam sektor perniagaan,perdagagan dan perlombongan bijih timah manakala orang-orang India dan Melayu masing-masing tinggal dikawasan ladang dan kampung, dan terlibat dalam kegiatan penanaman getah dan pertanian sara diri. Persoalannya,bagaimanakah keadaan corak taburan ruangan segregasi kaum pasca-kemerdekaan di Malaysia? Kajian inimengukur perubahan corak segregasi kaum di Negeri Perak bagi tempoh masa 1991 dan 2000 dengan menggunakanIndeks Entropi dan sistem maklumat geografi (GIS). Data penduduk bagi tiga kaum utama (Melayu, Cina dan India)pada peringkat daerah dan blok penghitungan (BP) digunakan bagi tujuan mengesan perubahan corak segregasikaum. Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan secara umumnya kadar segregasi kaum di Negeri Perak bagi tempoh masa 1991dan 2000 menunjukkan trend menurun bagi majoriti kawasan. Penggunaan analisis permukaan yang terdapat dalamGIS telah memungkinkan variasi ruangan segregasi kaum di Negeri Perak telah menunjukkan trend ini.Katakunci: GIS, Indeks Entropi, Negeri Perak, segregasi kaum, taburan ruangan penduduk, trend menurunWhen the British ruled Malaya its policy of ‘divide and rule’ had resulted in racial segregation of the populationbeing practised spatially and occupationally. Thus the Chinese predominated in urban areas which were the centresof trade, commercial and mining activities, the Malays in subsistence rural agricultural activities, and the Indians inrubber plantations as farm workers. Malaysia now is in its fifth decade of Independence and the question arises if thespatial, racial and economic segregation of the post-Independence population has changed? This study examined thechanges in the pattern of racial segregation in the State of Perak for the period of 1991 and 2000 using the EntropyIndex and geographical information systems (GIS). Population data for three major groups (Malay, Chinese andIndian) at the district and block computation (BC) levels were utilized for the purpose of tracking the changingpatterns of racial segregation. The findings showed that in general racial segregation in the State of Perak over theperiod of 1991 and 2000 exhibited a downward trend for the majority of the areas investigated. The use of surfaceanalysis in GIS had succeeded in presenting this trend.Keywords: downward trend, Entropy Index, GIS, racial segregation, State of Perak, spatial distribution ofpopulation