UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

KAMPUNG ABDULLAH 亚罗拉

JOHOR

Project carried out by:

Student Name ID Number Course Year/Trimester

1. Tan Sen Joo 1207205

Bachelor of Information

Systems (Hons)

Business Information

Systems

Y2/T1

2. Yeap Jiunn Yew 0703939 Bachelor of Accounting

(Hons) Y2/T3

3. Chun Jit Seng 1200419

Bachelor of Information

Systems (Hons)

Business Information

Systems

Y2/T1

DATE OF COMPLETION:

NOVEMBER 2014

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

1

HISTORY / BACKGROUND OF THE VILLAGE

Kampung Abdullah is located in Segamat, Johor. Kampung Abdullah was

the second biggest new village formed in the Federation of Malaya in 1943. The

name of the first headman is Abdullah Bin Isa.

In the year 1511, a Bendahara (Prime Minister) of Malacca, Bendahara Tepok

and his troops were retreating to Johor after the fall of Melaka to the invading

Portuguese forces led by Afonso de Albuquerque. The Bendahara and his troops

stopped and rested by a river in the area and drank water from the river. After the

drink, the Bendahara exclaimed, "Segar amat!", or "Very refreshing!" in Malay,

and named the river Segar Amat, which over time evolved into Segamat.

However, initially the name Segamat only applied to the river. The settlement

which later became Segamat was originally called Rantau Panjang. The town

assumed the river's name only at the turn of the 20th century.

Besides its interesting history and historic buildings, Segamat is also known for

its durians. Unfortunately, recent headlines about this area include reports of

serious flooding. It is to be noted that in recent decades, Kg Abdullah and the

general area of Segamat have enjoyed steady economic growth.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

2

A tourist information boards displaying places of interest in Segamat. The Segamat

River is just behind it.

A signboard for Segamat River. This river divides the Segamat town centre into two

parts.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

3

POPULATION, HOUSING, TRANSPORTATION

Nowadays, Kampung Abdullah is considered a small town. The Kampung

Abdullah village has around 22 gardens and about 10000 houses in the village.

Currently, Kampung Abdullah has about 20,000 residents. The population of the

village has grown over steadily over the past 10 years, and Kampung Abdullah is

developing into an area with many business opportunities.

The village is under the administration of the Segamat local council or

Majlis Daerah Segamat (MDS). The local council is responsible for maintaining

public facilities and to approve new projects in the village. In the future, the MDS

might be upgraded into Majlis Perbandaran Segamat (MPS) or Segamat Municipal

Council because Segamat is growing every year and could gazetted as a city.

The village is accessible by using public roads and the North-South PLUS

highway. The Segamat railway station is a few kilometres from the village. The

nearest urban centres, new villages and small towns include Kampung Jementah,

Kg. Buluh Kasap, Batu Anam, Kg. Gemas Baru, Taman Segar and Kebun Baru.

The surrounding vegetation in the area is mostly logged-over forest.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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Photo of Jalan Kampung Genuang which connects Segamat town to other areas.

This road also passes through Kg.Abdullah.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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VILLAGE INFRASTRUCTURE

Water and Electricity:

In Kampung Abdullah the water supply is provided by Syarikat Air Johor

(SAJ). The sewage system is managed by Indah Water Company. Meanwhile, the

electricity supply for the area is managed by the Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

Telecommunication:

The residents are using Telekom Malaysia Berhad services like Uni-Fi and

TMnet for telecommunication and Internet service. Other services like Maxis and

DiGi are also available here.

Medical Facilities:

It is quite easy to find medical facilities like hospital and clinics in

Segamat. Hospital Segamat is near to Kg. Abdullah.

Safety & Security:

There is a police station and a fire station (Bomba) within 5km from the

village.

Transportation:

Most of the villagers use cars and motorbikes as the usual form of

transport. The average household has about 1 or 2 cars and 3 or 4 motorbikes..

There are limited taxis, buses in this village and, as a result, most villagers rely on

their own transport.

Other Facilities:

The village also has a supermarket and a morning market. A multipurpose

hall called Dewan Serbaguna Kampung Abdullah is also situated nearby the

supermarket.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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A photo of Klinik LPPKN in Segamat.

The Segamat district police headquarters which is located inside the main town

area.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

7

EDUCATION / SCHOOLS

There are a few schools located in Kampung Abdullah and these schools

are all primary schools. One of the schools is Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Cina Li

Chi, a Chinese-medium primary school which is located close to Segamat town

area.

Another school is called Sekolah Kebangsaan Canossian Convent, which

is a girls-only primary school. There is no secondary school in Kg. Abdullah but

there are a few secondary schools located outside the new village area. There are

many primary and secondary schools located in different parts of Segamat. There

are a few colleges in Segamat including a TAR College branch situated in

southern Segamat.

A photo of S.J.K(C) Li Chi, one of the schools in Kg. Abdullah. This photo was taken

from inside a car.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

8

ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Before the year 1993, Kampung Abdullah was still a rural village; the

primary economic activity was farming. Especially since 1993, the leaders of

village decided to transform its economy agrarian-based into a commercial-based

economy. Hence, many transformation strategies were implemented. Today,

Kampung Abdullah has successfully transformed into a commercial centre. The

transformation is quite successful because the strategies are good and workable.

However, farming and agriculture is still one of the economic activities in this

area.

According to Mr. See Cheng Ming, a local villager who provided

information about Kg. Abdullah to our group, the village did not have any banks

before the transformation. So the first thing the village leaders did was to

encourage banks to set up branches in the village. The banks that opened in the

area are Hong Leong Bank, Public Bank, OCBC Bank, CIMB Bank and others.

After the banks opened, many people came to do business and work in the

village. The people doing business in the village are not only people from the

village but also outsiders. The types of businesses that they started in the village

include supermarkets, shops, restaurants and hotels.

Farming is still an important secondary economic activity for local people.

About 40% of the population are still farming in land on the outskirts of the

village. Since there are no more farms within the village area, the local people

need to carry out farming in the land outside the village.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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The Public Bank branch in Segamat town is located just next to the Maybank branch

and Alliance Bank branch.

This McDonald’s branch is located in Segamat main town and not far from the new

village. There is a hotel and a supermarket nearby

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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SOCIAL, CULTURAL & RELIGIOUS PRACTICE

In this village, 99% of the population are Chinese. While the vast majority

of villagers are Buddhists, there are also those who are Christians. There are very

few Muslims in this town. The village has a Buddhist association, branches of

some political associations and a few sport societies. There are a few Chinese

temples and churches located in Kg. Abdullah and surrounding areas. There are

several Buddhist temples, mosques, churches and Hindu temples in the other parts

of Segamat.

The majority of Chinese in Kg. Abdullah and Segamat are from the

Hokkien dialect group.

Photo of Chinese Buddhist temple located at Kg. Abdullah

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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PROBLEMS FACED BY THE PEOPLE

As Segamat’s economy developed and many new businesses flourished,

there were problems which accompanied this growth. The most serious problem

was flooding which came about because of pollution of the Segamat River. Mr.

See informed us that a major cause of these floods is the volume of garbage and

waste which local industrial and commercial activities have dumped into the

Segamat River.

Floods in Segamat- picture published in The Star.

The picture(above) of massine floods, which took place in the Segamat area,

including Kampung Abdullah, on Thursday, December 21, 2006.

The floods forced the main roads in Segamat to be closed and electricity

and water supply were also cut-off. Many people were evacuated from the area

and railway services towards the south of Segamat had to be cancelled. This had

serious negative consequences in the health and welfare of people in Segamat as

well as in businesses in this area.

Source: The Star Online

http://www.thestar.com.my/story.aspx?file=%2F2006%2F12%2F21%2Fnation%2F2006

1221072623

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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RECOMMENDATIONS TO OVERCOME THE THREAT

One important measure to alleviate the problem with floods is to clean up

the Segamat River. The environmental impact of future development projects

should be closely examined by the authorities.

Besides action taken by the authorities, residents in this area should also

do their part. They need to be made aware of the consequences of problem and to

take steps to ensure that they cooperate in flood mitigation efforts.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

According to Mr. See, there are ploans to build a new railway line

through/close to the village which is not far from Singapore and cities in West

Malaysia. When this railway line is completed, there will be a boost to the

economy of this area.

The Segamat town has potential to attract more local and foreign tourists.

Segamat is known for its famous durians and other interesting places like

Bendahara Tepok tomb. Tourists can visit the large size replica of Segamat durian

in Dataran Segamat. Many people from Kuala Lumpur will be attracted to historic

buildings in Segamat.

Two of our group members at the railway line which connects Segamat to other

towns like Labis. like Labis.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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CONCLUSION

Kampung Abdullah has become more developed in the last few decades.

It is considered a New Village but this place looks more like a small town. It is

close to the Segamat town centre and therefore the villagers have access to many

facilities and shops. It is hoped that further economic development will enhance

the standard of living of the villagers.

Our group had a good time visiting the place and learning more about its

background, economy, etc. We have learned more about New Villages in

Malaysia and this experience helped us to appreciate places like Segamat.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We would like to express our appreciation to Mr. See Cheng Ming, a traditional

Chinese physician and local resident whom we interviewed for this survey. He

provided some important information related to Kg. Abdullah and Segamat. Mr.

See also gave his personal views about the area. Without his help, we would not

be able to complete this report. We have also taken some information from online

sources, like Wikipedia.

APPENDIX

We interviewed Mr. See and had lunch inside Kampung Café, which is located in Kg.

Abdullah.

KAMPUNG. ABDULLAH

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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: 03-79582628 ext 8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus)

05- 4688888 ext 2295/2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus)