UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

JEMENTAH利民达

JOHOR

Project carried out by:

Student Name Student ID Course Year/Trimester

1.Gan Teck Sing 12UKB07402 IN Y2 / T1

2.George Lai Gim Loon 12UKB07640 IN Y2 / T1

DATE OF COMPLETION

NOVEMBER 2013

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ABSTRACT

The village of Jementah is located in the state of Johore. It is only 16 km

away of Segamat. Jementah was established before 1938. It had a population

below 6,000 at the time of establishment. This village is known for 2 main types

of fruit: pomelo and cocoa. In fact, tourists visit Jementah to buy these fruit.

For this project, we interviewed the following people:

Mr. Lim Lee Kian (Kebun Baru village headman), Ms. Choo Yong Jen

<translated> (headmaster of SJK(C) Jementah 2) and Ms. Lee Kah Swee (vice

headmaster of SJK(C) Jementah 2)

This report covers the following aspects of the village economic activities;

social, cultural and religious practices; education; infrastructure and facilities. We

also identified the main problems faced by villagers and made suggestions for

improvements.

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INTRODUCTION

Jementah is the third largest town in Segamat District, Johor, Malaysia

with about 10,000 residents, most of whom are Chinese. It is strategically located

16 km from Segamat town center via Federal Route 23. There are two stories of

how Jementah got its name. According to the first version, the early villagers

complained, "Jemu, jemu, jemu! Asyik-asyik menebas lalang saja! which meant

that they felt bored for only cutting long grass. Other villagers replied, "Entah,

entah, entah!" (I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!). From the Malay words

“jemu “and “entah” came the name Jementah. Another version says that the

villagers were bored and tired of removing leeches (“lintah” in Malay) which

sucked their blood when they were working. The combination of the words “jemu”

and “lintah” formed the word Jementah.

Nowadys, Jementah is a well developed town with easy access via roads.

This town has banks, convenience stores, coffee shops, etc. The nearest urban

center is Segamat town which is 16 km away. Jementah‟s current population of

10,000 comprises several ethnic groups: 80 % are Chinese, 15% are Malays and

the remainder is from other ethnic groups. Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are

the main religions practiced here.

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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Agriculture provides the main source of income for residents. Many are

engaged in the oil palm estates and local orchards (cocoa, pomeloes and

pineapples). Besides, many residents grow vegetables for their own consumption.

The income per month varies from RM800 to RM1, 300.

Some residents are engaged in small businesses such as coffee shops,

grocery‟s shops, cafes, cyber cafes, wet market stalls and clinics.

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SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

The associations in Jementah are the Hokkien Association, the Hainan-

Hakka Association and clan associations (Tan, Lim, Leong). The political parties

in Jementah are BN, PAS, and DAP. Jementah has religious building such as

mosques, Chinese temples and churches.

Many young adults have out-migrated from Jementah to cities which offer

more career opportunities. It seems that many are not interested in work in the

agricultural sector. As a result, Jementah‟s population is made up of a majority of

older adults, young teenagers and children.

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EDUCATION

Jementah has 2 primary schools and 1 secondary school. They are Sekolah

Menengah Kebangsaan Jementah, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (c) Jementah 1 and

Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (c) Jementah 2.

History of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (c) Jementah 2

(Refer appendix for picture of achievement)

Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (c) Jementah was originally named „Sekolah

Jementah‟. In June 1958, Tan Kim Ling (translation) was appointed as the

headmaster. Headmaster Tan Kim Ling retired in July 1965 and was replaced by

Tan Zhe Wen who served till March 1972. After that, Mr. Fong Rong Sek took

over the post until his transfer to another school in October 1972.

Meanwhile, the school Board of Directors accepted a proposal from the

Ministry of Education that the school be split into two: SJK(C) Jementah 1 and

SJK(C) Jementah 2. In 1973, Mr. Teh Kim Jong was appointed the first

headmaster for SJK(C) Jementah 2. However, SJK(C) Jementah 1 and SJK(C)

Jementah 2 are sharing classrooms and the school canteen. SJK(C) Jementah 2

tried to apply for funds to build an extra canteen and double storey building which

would include classrooms, a library, teachers‟ office and more.

In 1994, Mr. Tan Lian Lai assumed the post of headmaster of SJK(C)

Jementah 2. At that time, there were 26 teachers and over 400 students. Because 2

schools were sharing the same facilities, primary 4 to 6 students had to attend

nightuition class. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education imposed regulation that

schools must operate during the day. The School Board, the PIBG and the village

community representatives then organized a „New School Development

association‟ to plan, build and monitor the construction of new buildings for the

school. The construction project consists of 2 buildings with 30 classrooms. It was

launched in November 1997 and completed in the middle of 1998.

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In 1998, SJK(C) Jementah 2 achieved a new milestone: its transition from

SJK(C) type B to type A. This meant that the school had 3 more administrative

staff to assist the headmaster. In the same year, headmaster Mr. Chia established a

computer class in the school.

SJK(C) Jementah 1 and SJK(C) Jementah 2 have also raised funds

amounting to RM1.2 million to build a multi-purpose hall. The schools are general

well equipped. The hall is comfortable and equipped with fans and a projector

screen. The school canteen and sports field are adequately large to cater for its

student population.

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INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES

Villagers have access to piped water supply to each household as well as

electricity. The waste disposal method is landfill. Both fixed line and mobile

phone services are available.

While there is a clinic in Jementah, villagers have to travel to neighbouring

towns to reach a hospital. There is a police station and a voluntary firefighting

team. Villagers have access to a community hall, playing field, shops, stalls, a wet

market and an old folks‟ home. The nearest government offices are in Segamat.

Residents travel by foot, bicycles, public buses, cars and motorcycles (more often

used than cars).

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PROBLEMS

1. Absence of fire station. Currently, firefighting volunteers are from RELA. The

absence of a fire station in Jementah means that there is limited firefighting

equipment and the local firefighters may not be adequately trained to handle

emergencies.

2. Absence of Hospital & Pharmacy. There is neither a hospital nor a pharmacy

in this village. For serious illness and emergencies, villagers have to travel to

the towns in this area.

3. Outmigration of younger Adults. Most employment opportunities in Jementah

are based on agricultural activities in the village. As a result, many young

adults have out-migrated to the urban areas in search of greener postures.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Residents of Jementah should appeal to the authorities to upgrade

firefighting facilities.

If the population size of this village does not warrant the establishment of

a hospital, the villagers could appeal for better facilities or more health services at

the local clinic.

The problem of outmigration of young adults is very difficult to handle if

new investment are not injected into this village‟s economy.

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APPENDIX

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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)