UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT REPORT NAME OF NEW VILLAGE: PALOH 巴罗 JOHOR

Transcription

1 UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT REPORT NAME OF NEW VILLAGE: PALOH 巴罗 JOHOR Project carried out by: Student Name ID Number Course Year /Semester 1. Yeow Chin Lee 09ABB01615 Business Administration Y3T2 2. Soong Siow Siang 09ABB01636 Business Administration Y3T2 DATE OF COMPLETION: SEPTEMBER

2 ABSTRACT Paloh is a historical village. It is a new village established after Paloh covers 46,000 hectares of which 40,000 hectares are agricultural land. Oil palm is the main crop in Paloh. There are many areas are oil palm estates. There are several kindergartens, primary schools, national primary schools, secondary schools and religious schools here. There are many places of worship in Paloh. Although basic infrastructures are available, this needs further development. 2

3 INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY Paloh is a village in the Kluang district of Johor, Malaysia. It is located south west of Bandar Kluang. According to some, the name Paloh was derived from the Chinese word Payao which means swamp in Chinese. The name was given because Paloh was covered by swamps before it was developed. The town was founded by Ng Lin Mong and a group of overseas Chinese from China in The scenery of housing & estate in Paloh. According to the headman of the village, the population of Paloh is 16, 240. There are 9,083 males and 7,337 females in Paloh ( There are 5 residential areas which are Taman Sri Kota Paloh, Taman Wijaya, Taman Paloh, Taman Melati, Taman Murni, Kampung Muhibbah. There are about 5,824 houses ( in Paloh. 3

4 Visitors can use either the Paloh-Kluang Road or the Paloh-Yong Peng Road to reach Paloh. Another way to reach Paloh is by train. In the 1950 s there was limited access to Paloh. At that time, there was a muddy road from Paloh to Kluang and it took around 1.5 hours to reach Kluang. In the 1980 s, the Malaysian government built Jalan Paloh. The existing Paloh road between Kluang and Paloh was built in As they approach Paloh, visitors will pass by a number of oil palm plantations. Paloh covers 46,000 hectares of which 40,000 hectares are agricultural land. The village scenery is green and tranquil. Green: Oil palm trees along the journey 4

5 During the Malayan Emergency ( ), Paloh was a communist stronghold. It was considered a black area of communist terrorists and sympathizers. Besides residential homes, the village has a row of shop lots in 1937 and an MCA building. We interviewed 2 shop owners: Mr Sahibjan Z.M.K. and Mr Wong Chia Fatt. Mr Sahibjan is 85 years old and came from India in He started his business in 1937 and sold spices, milk and other groceries in those days. Currently, he sells newspapers. According to him, Central Paloh was basically a rubber estate before it was developed. We also interviewed Mr Wong who is 71 years old. He owns the Ling Nam Coffee Shop and collects old memorabilia such as stamps, drink bottles and old tickets. He was very informative on the history of Paloh. 74 years old shop 5

6 Ling Nam Coffee Shop Mr. Wong s collection of old memorabilia 6

7 ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES More than 25,000 hectares of land in Paloh are used for plantations. Oil palm is the main crop in Paloh. Here, the traditional method of transporting the oil palm fruits is used. In some estates, buffaloes are still used to transport the oil palm fruits to the collection centre. Prior to using buffaloes, estate workers had to carry the ripe oil palm fruits themselves. There are 10 oil palm estates in Paloh such as Bukit Cocok Estate, Kempas Estate and Landak Estate. Previously, most of the villagers worked in the oil palm estates but the numbers have dwindled especially among the youth. As more youths receive formal education, they prefer working in government departments or the private sector in Kluang and Johor Bahru. There are some who work in Singapore. Oil palm estates Apart from working in plantations, some villagers manage fruit orchards (durian and rambutan especially) and plant coconut on a small-scale. As in Kampung Melayu Batu Empat, cultivation by clusters is practised. 7

8 There are also villagers who operate dragon fruit (pitaya fruit) orchards on a large scale. For instance, Khalid Baba has been cultivating the dragon fruit for the past three years and the orchard is next to his goats pen. Initially, the Johor Agriculture Department assisted by providing fertilisers. Now, Encik Khalid uses his organic goat fertiliser, which is of high quality. This fertiliser has been sprayed with the Effective Micro organism (ME) which is a kind of bacteria that is environment friendly. A dragon fruit entrepreneur can easily earn at least RM1, 500 per month for every one hectare of dragon fruit. This calculation is based on the selling price of the fruit which is RM 2.50 per kilograms. However, this income fluctuates in relation to the price of these fruits in the market, demand, size, quality and weather. Other than that, a number of villagers are self-employed and operate smallscale businesses such as sundry shops, food stalls and vegetables and fruit farms. There are also stalls in the local wet market which is located close to the Paloh bus station. Center of Paloh 8

9 Wet market beside bus station Paloh s economy is also supported by a few factories which manufacture clothes and mechanical accessories. These factories hire many foreign workers. Two factories in Paloh 9

10 EDUCATION There are several kindergartens, primary schools, national primary schools, secondary schools and religious schools in Paloh. They meet the different educational needs of the population. One of the primary schools here is the Sekolah Kebangsaan (SK) 2 Paloh which is adjacent to the Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Paloh. More than 300 pupils are enrolled in SK Paloh which has a teaching force of 25 teachers. Meanwhile, about 1,700 students are enrolled in SMK Paloh. There are a number of schools that provide religious education such as Sekolah Agama Paloh and Sekolah Agama Batu Empat. One of the kindergartens in front of train station 10

11 The front gate of SK Paloh The front gate of SMK Paloh 11

12 SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICE People here are very helpful and hospitable. When we told them we were gathering information about Paloh, they were willing to answer our questions. There are many old folks in the village while many from younger generation have moved to the cities in search of better employment opportunities. A food stall operator informed us that business picked up on weekends when the younger generation returned home. There are three Chinese temples, a mosque, a Hindu temple and a church in Paloh. This reflects its multiracial population of Chinese, Malays and Indians. The biggest temple in Paloh is Lin Shan Si ( 灵山寺 ). It was built in Most of the Chinese residents worship in this temple which holds several cultural events every year. Lin Shin Si: A Buddhist temple 12

13 A Chinese temple called Great Sage Equaling Heaven Palace ( 齐天宫 ) worships the deity Sūn Wùkōng ( 孙悟空 ). Sun WuKong declared himself the "Great Sage Equaling Heaven". Temple of Great Sage Equaling Heaven 13

14 The local mosque A Hindu Temple which is under construction 14

15 The local Church Zhen Kong Jiao temple which was built in

16 When exploring the town, we found a variety of good food available. Sin Yu Lee, a restaurant in Paloh is often used for wedding dinners. It is open daily from 1.00pm to 11.00pm. Another restaurant which also offers wedding dinners is Shuang Hsi. Sin Yu Lee Restaurant Shuang Hsi Restaurant 16

17 INFRASTRUCTURE There are many aspects of Paloh s infrastructure which need government support for development. Buses and trains are the 2 main modes of public transport. There are buses between Paloh and Kluang every hour from 6am to 9pm daily. The train service is connected to the north-south line. This means that Paloh is connected by rail to as far south as Singapore and as far north as Penang. Signboard of Paloh s KTM station 17

18 The Paloh Police Station is located in Pekan Paloh, close to some grocery shops. This police station is responsible for the security of the villagers around Paloh. Police station: The force of policemen and officers The Voluntary Fire Brigade Force building is located at Jalan Datuk Au. As the nearest fire station is located in Kluang, about minutes drive from Paloh, this voluntary force is relied on to reach the scene of any local fires first. According to Tan Swee Guan, the Voluntary Fire Chief, the police force will inform them of any fire incidents or any emergency cases that require assistance. While waiting for the arrival of the Kluang Fire Station squad, the voluntary members are responsible for making the first attempt at rescuing the victims. About 20 villagers have joined the voluntary fire force and they attend courses and briefing regarding their tasks every week. 18

19 The Pertubuhan Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia (RELA) can also be found here. There are several RELA posts which are erected for members to hold their meetings. According to Misran Dolah, a Taman Melati RELA member, patrolling Paloh area with the police force is one of the operations involving RELA members. They are also involved in ensuring public safety and controlling traffic whenever there are functions or activities which are conducted within the village area. The upper picture shows the RELA office while the lower picture shows Voluntary Fire Force 19

20 There is a Klinik Kesihatan Paloh (Clinic Paloh), but it does not have high technology equipment and lacks experienced doctors. Patients who are seriously injured or ill will be transported by Clinic Paloh s ambulance to the Kluang General Hospital. There is a need for a hospital or better equipped clinic to cater to the medical problems of Paloh residents. Klinik Kesihatan Paloh 20

21 Paloh also has a post office. The local Post Office in Paloh The Telecom Malaysia (TM) tower 21

22 PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATION First, access to medical facilities needs improvement. Klinik Kesihatan Paloh lacks a full time doctor. Currently, a doctor is on duty once a week or thereabouts. There are also complaints about the cost of medical services and the attitude of staff at the clinic. Villagers with serious illness have to be transported to Kluang. It is recommended that the local clinic be staffed with a doctor everyday. In the long term, a local hospital is needed. Second, the population of Paloh is decreasing. Teenagers and young adults move out to the towns and cities such as Kluang, Johor Bahru and Singapore. The main reason for this out-migration is the better employment opportunities in urban areas. Perhaps more frequent bus service between Paloh and Kluang would encourage those working in Kluang to continue residing in Paloh. Ultimately, an improvement in employment and business opportunities in Paloh is needed to stop or reduce this out-migration of local youth. Paloh s Bus station 22

23 The sight of rubbish dumped on vacant land is common in Paloh. This results in a stench and an unhealthy environment. Local residents need to be educated on this manner and to cooperate on clean-up efforts. Perhaps penalties need to be imposed. Rubbish in empty land Residents also complain of cuts in water supply without prior warning. This problem can be overcome if the government gives early warning to resident so that they can prepare well when there is no water supply. 23

24 TOURISM VALUE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Perhaps Paloh s old buildings could be used as a tourist attraction because of their historical value. About 90 percent of residents of Pekan Paloh are involved in businesses, mainly furniture shop, grocery shops and food stalls. Several Malay residents operate restaurants and food stalls at the premises provided by Kluang Utara District Council (MDKU). There are entrepreneurship opportunities. Most of the land in Paloh are suitable for oil palm trees. The demand for palm oil has increased in recent years due to its use as a biofuel. Oil palm plantations are a major source of employment. It allows many small landholders to participate in the cash economy and also often results in the upgrade of the infrastructure within that area. DISCLAIMER: Information contained in this report was compiled by the University s students on voluntary basis. Although every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the report, the University accepts no responsibility whatsoever for any errors or omissions, if any, the University reserves the right to make changes on the information at any time without prior notice. Should there be any queries regarding contents of the report, please contact: Department of Soft Skills Competency Tel: ext 8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus) ext 2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus) 24