Penduduk menentang rancangan itu.

Penduduk means resident, inhabitant, or the local population.

Malay nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural, so penduduk can mean:

• a resident
• residents
• the population / inhabitants

In this sentence, it is most naturally understood as the residents or the local population because of the context.

If you specifically wanted one resident, you could say seorang penduduk.

Malay does not normally use articles like a, an, and the the way English does.

So penduduk can mean:

• a resident
• the resident
• residents
• the residents

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

In this sentence, rancangan itu is clearly definite because of itu. For penduduk, the context makes it sound like the residents or the local population.

In Malay, demonstratives such as ini and itu usually come after the noun.

So:

• rancangan ini = this plan
• rancangan itu = that plan

This is normal Malay word order. English says that plan, but Malay says plan that.

The basic word order is:

Subject + Verb + Object

So:

• Penduduk = subject
• menentang = verb
• rancangan itu = object

This is very similar to normal English word order:

• The residents
  • oppose
    • that plan

So the sentence structure is straightforward for an English speaker.

Menentang is an active transitive verb, which means it directly takes an object.

So you can say:

• menentang rancangan itu = oppose that plan
• menentang keputusan itu = oppose that decision

You do not need a preposition here. English also says oppose something, not oppose against something.

So Penduduk menentang rancangan itu is a normal direct structure.

Yes, it is related in form, but the meaning is different.

• tentang by itself commonly means about / regarding
• menentang means to oppose, to resist, or sometimes to face/confront, depending on context

So you should not interpret menentang as simply about with a prefix attached in the English sense.

This is a good example of how adding meN- can create a verb with its own meaning. Also, when meN- is added to a root beginning with t, the t often drops:

• tentang → menentang

Malay verbs usually do not change form for tense the way English verbs do.

So menentang by itself does not tell you whether the action is:

• present: oppose / are opposing
• past: opposed
• sometimes even future-like, depending on context

The time is usually understood from context or from added time words, such as:

• semalam = yesterday
• sekarang = now
• akan = will

So this sentence could be translated in different ways depending on context, though The residents oppose that plan or The residents are opposing that plan would often fit.

Not always.

Rancangan comes from rancang, which relates to planning or designing. Depending on context, rancangan can mean:

• plan
• proposal
• scheme
• programme / program

For example:

• rancangan pembangunan = development plan
• rancangan TV = TV programme

In this sentence, because people are opposing it, plan or proposal is the most natural meaning.

Yes, but they are used a bit differently.

• penduduk by itself is already enough and sounds natural
• para penduduk emphasizes a group of people and can sound more formal
• penduduk-penduduk is possible, but often feels more marked or unnecessary here

So:

• Penduduk menentang rancangan itu = very natural
• Para penduduk menentang rancangan itu = also possible, slightly more formal or explicit

Malay often leaves nouns unmarked for plural when the meaning is already clear.

A natural passive version is:

Rancangan itu ditentang oleh penduduk.

This means That plan is opposed by the residents or That plan was opposed by the residents, depending on context.

Here:

• di- marks the passive verb
• ditentang = opposed
• oleh penduduk = by the residents

So the original sentence is active, and this version is passive.