UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT REPORT NAME OF NEW VILLAGE: RANTAU PANJANG 拉都班兴 PERAK

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1 UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT REPORT NAME OF NEW VILLAGE: RANTAU PANJANG 拉都班兴 PERAK Project carried out by: Student Name ID Number Course Year/Semester 1. Chew Yen Ni 10ADB05261 Biomedical Science 2. Elaine Lim Siew Lee 10ADB04917 Biomedical Science Y2S3 Y2S3 DATE OF COMPLETION: APRIL 2013

2 ABSTRACT Rantau Panjang was established in the year It is located in the North of Perak state. The nearest town to this new village is Selama which is 15.3 km away. Its geographical coordinates are latitude 5.23, longitude The main attractions of Rantau Panjang are agro-tourism and a waterfall located nearby. Its main economic activities are agriculture-based. This includes activities related to rubber and oil palm plantations, paddy farming, and cultivation of Assam and Pinang trees. Google Map shows the location of Rantau Panjang from Selama, Perak. 2

3 HISTORY Rantau Panjang is located in Perak. The nearby town of Selama is 15.3 km to the South-West. Rantau Panjang s economy is agriculture-based. It is therefore surrounded by greenery and has a serene environment. Its population in 2013 is approximately According to the village head, when the village was founded in 1937, it had population of less than 500 people. The village was founded before the 2 nd World War. Prior to the World War II, the Chinese migrated from China to Malaysia and worked as laborers for estates around Rantau Panjang. About 160 immigrants settled down at the village and married locals. In 2013, there are more than 400 Chinese living in this village. According to the village elders, the village was under the control of guerilla forces ( Pasukan Gerila ) during World War II. The village did not suffer much damage and destruction during the war mainly because it was a small and economically insignificant town to the Japanese forces. An arch located at the center of the village 3

4 POPULATION AND HOUSING Rantau Panjang has a population consisting of 61% Malays, 34% Chinese and 5% Indians. According to the village head, there are 62 Chinese households who make up a population of over 400. There are only 5 Indian households and they form the smallest ethnic group in the village. Because of the composition of its population, the most common language spoken among the villagers is Malay. Among the Chinese, dialects used are Hokkien, Teochiew, Hakka and Cantonese. The man in the middle is one of the headmen of Rantau Panjang. He is in-charge of the Chinese and Indians Some villagers live in wooden houses along the main road of Rantau Panjang. Such houses often serve as shop lots as well as residences of local families. The public facilities in the village include a basketball court, a government clinic, a market place, a playground and a bus station. 4

5 A shop lot made of wood located at the main street A newly renovated house located in a residential area 5

6 ECONOMY ACTIVITIES Agriculture is the main economic activity in the village. The main crops in local plantations are rubber trees, oil palm, Assam trees, and Pinang trees. Many Malays work in the rubber and oil palm plantations. Meanwhile, many Chinese villagers are involved in the processing of Asam Keeping and buah pinang for sale to other parts of Malaysia or export. Rubber and oil palm processing are important sources of incomes for the villagers. Rubber estates and oil palm estates smallholdings are located about 5 minutes drive away from the village. These estates/small holdings are run mainly by the Malays. Rubber latex is processed into sheets of rubber and then sent to factories in Bukit Mertajam, Pulau Pinang for the manufacture of a wide range of goods. Palm oil is processed and then exported to countries such as Pakistan and India. This is one of the biggest rubber estates owned by the villagers Many Chinese families are engaged in the processing of the Pinang and Assam fruit. The Pinang fruit are plucked from the trees and dried in the sun. The fruit is then pried open to obtain the edible portion. Fresh Assam fruit are plucked from Assam trees and fried in the sun before they are sliced thinly. Both products are exported. 6

7 The photo (left) shows a Buah Pinang obtained from the Pinang tree (right) Buah pinang was dried under the sun Some villagers are also engaged in rice farming. However, many villagers are moving away grom rice farming to work in the rubber and oil palm plantations. There are some villagers who rear chickens, goats and other livestock to supplement their income. 7

8 There are several small shops along Rantau Panjang s main road. These include coffee shops, souvenir shops, grocery shops and a tailor s outlet. There is also a wet market in the village. A paddy field A cage for little chicks 8

9 Goats reared by the villagers 9

10 SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES Rantau Panjang has a population consisting of mostly elderly people between 40 and 88 years old. Chinese make up the majority of the population, followed by the Malays. Because of the composition of its population, the main languages spoken are Malay, Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese and Mandarin. The majority of Chinese in the village are Hokkien. Hokkien culture is therefore the most common in the village, followed by Teochew. Religions practiced in this village are Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. In Rantau Panjang, there is only one Chinese temple. This temple is a focal point for worship in the community. This Tua Pek Kong temple is where Chinese villagers worship the deities and pay respect to their ancestors. Every first and fifteenth day of the Chinese lunar month, villagers will throng to the temple. This temple is also a place for villagers to meet and socialize. As Malays form the second largest ethnic group in Rantau Panjang, there is a Mosque which is frequented by local Muslims for prayers and to celebrate Muslim festivals. Villagers who wish to worship at a Hindu temple or church have to travel to a nearby town named Selama. The Tua Pek Kong temple is the only Chinese temple in the village. This is where Buddhist/ Taoist villagers worship the deities and pay respect to their ancestors. 10

11 The mosque which is frequented by Muslims for prayers and to celebrate Muslim festivals. 11

12 EDUCATION Villagers in Rantau Panjang have access to 2 government primary schools and 2 government secondary schools. They are Sekolah Kebangsaan Sri Rantau Panjang 2, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2, Sekolah Menengah Dato Haji Hussien and Sekolah Menengah Ugama (A) AL-Fauziah. There is no private pre-school or college/ university in this village. We visited Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2. Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2 Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2 is the only Chinese primary school in Rantau Panjang. The distance between the village and the school is approxiametly 1.5 km. This school is a very small school with only 25 students, 11 teachers (including the religious teachers) and 7 staffs in the year There is only 1 class for each level (standard 1 to 6) of study. The school was founded in the year However it was closed during World War II and restarted operations after that. 12

13 Corridor of the Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2 Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2 was founded in 1936 before Rantau Panjang village was established (1937). At the beginning, this school had more than 100 students. However, over time, more and more schools were built in Selama town and many parents prefer to send their children to these schools because they had better facilities. Many villagers from the younger generation have migrated to the urban areas and left their children behind for the grandparents to babysit. As a result, we often see grandparents send their grandchildren to school. Since Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2 is now recognized as a government-assisted school, school fees are now waived and this encourages parents to register their children at the school. The school canteen and basketball court were built from government funds. Nevertheless, this school is still short of facilities such as computer room, counseling room and kemahiran hidup room. 13

14 The badminton court of Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan (Cina) Chi Sheng 2 The current school principal is Madam Lim Geik Hiang. She was appointed the principal in Since her appointment, the school s UPSR performance has improved steadily to 100% pass. The teachers and staff are dedicated to the children s well-being and education. Sometimes, they treat the students with free breakfast. Madam Lim focuses on the students studies as well as their extra-curricular activities. She likes to organize many event events like dramas, poetry reading and singing competitions to develop the children s talents. The main co-curriculum activity in this school is badminton. Students have won medals in Selama, Taiping. S.J.K (c) Chi Sheng (2) also coorganizes events like jogathons with other schools in Selama. The school presents awards to its students every year, e.g. the best prefect of best librarian awards to encourage students to do well. While the majority of students in this school are Chinese, there are also Malays students. In addition to the school teachers, there are volunteer mentors who give free tuition to students who face problems in their studies. Overall, there is no major disciplinary problem in the school. There is also lack of some facilities in this school. As mentioned earlier, there is no computer room, counseling room and living skills room in this school. Nevertheless, 14

15 there is a library, store room for sport equipment and science lab. But the library needs to be improved and expanded to meet the needs of the students. Some school equipment such as the projector screen need maintenance and repair. The school is unable to provide any assistance in the school bus service because of its limited budget. This in turn affects the number of students who can go to school. It is to be noted, however, that many Chinese parents are sending their children to Chinese primary and secondary schools in Selama. The sports store room in SJK (C) Chu Sheng 2 The 3R recycle bins at the school 15

16 Astro service at the school contract awaiting renewal The book rack in the library 16

17 The vegetable garden behind the school. This is an extra-curricular activity in the school Teachers office 17

18 The principal s office 18

19 INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES There is a government-run clinic in the village. This clinic deals with minor ailments. Villagers who need hospital care have to travel to the hospital in Selama. Recreational facilities in the village include a small children s playground, 1 badminton court and 1 basketball court. In addition, there is a community centre which provides villagers a place to meet, e.g. the village committee meeting held every 3 months. The Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) has an office at one of the main buildings in the village. It helps to address public complaints and concerns. The main road at Rantau Panjang. 19

20 Playground in Rantau Panjang The community hall where the village board meeting is held every 3 months. 20

21 The basketball court shared by Rantau Panjang residents. There is also a police station which deals with the safety of the community and it is to be noted that crime is on the rise. The shortage of police officers could be dealt with by recruiting volunteers to help in patrolling the village. There is no fire station in Rantau Panjang. In cases of emergency, villagers have to seek help from Selama. Grocery shop in Rantau Panjang 21

22 The only pasar pagi in Rantau Panjang where most villagers buy fresh food. There is a small morning market in the village. However, the limited range of goods sold here meant that villagers travel to Selama if they want a wider variety of fresh produce. Similarly, villagers who wish to shop in a mini market have to travel to Selama which is about a 15 minutes drive from the village. Fortunately, there is a bus which transports villagers to and from Selama. The only police station in Rantau Panjang 22

23 The government clinic in the village Roads in the village are in satisfactory condition. Road repair and maintenance are generally carried out efficiently. However, the drainage system and garbage collection in Rantau Panjang need to be improved. Rubbish is often thrown into the drains and this clogs up the drains. Rubbish is thrown randomly and this leads to a stench in parts of the village and to water pollution too. 23

24 PROBLEMS Rantau Panjang s population is aging and declining in numbers. This is because young adults migrate to urban areas in search of better employment opportunities. Villagers often travel to Selama to shop at its mini-market and wet market. The lack of hair salons and restaurants in Rantau Panjang means that villagers have to travel to Selama or nearby towns for such services. In addition, security is an issue in the village. Fortunately, the police and local community do work together to keep the situation under control. Garbage collection is a problem. Villagers throw garbage in the back alleys or into the drains. This is partly because the garbage collection service is irregular. As a result of this, there is a stench at places where the garbage is strewn and water pollution is a problem. Poor garbage collection system in Rantau Panjang 24

25 Poor garbage collection system in Rantau Panjang 25

26 TOURISM Rantau Panjang is located about 3 km from the Selama. The journey to Selama takes about 15 minutes. There is a tourist attraction called Lata TerbingTinggi which is located about 10 minutes away from the town of Rantau Panjang. This picnic spot has always been a focus of holiday and weekend relaxation among locals as well as visitors. Students sometimes organize camps at Lata Terbing Tinggi. The facilities available here include toilets, changing rooms, food stalls, resting place, prayer room and parking area. Visitors are often fascinated by the views of the natural surrounding and waterfalls. Besides, agro-tourism seems to be catching up in Rantau Panjang. There are also some businessmen who travel all the way to Selama just to search for agriculture land or cheap oil palm and rubber seeds to be planted in their nurseries. Lata Terbing Tinggi- the main tourist attraction in Rantau Panjang 26

27 The water fall in Lata Terbing Tinggi 27

28 ENTREPRENEUR OPPORTUNITIES There are abandoned wooden houses and unused space in the centre of the village. Perhaps such places could be developed into a hawker/ food centre or small shops. This would ease the inconvenience which villagers face when they want to shop or eat out. Local tourism could perhaps be developed further. The natural beauty of Rantau Panjang s environment and the picnic spots at Lata Terbing Tinggi could be given more publicity to attract visitors. Homestay programs could perhaps be developed. 28

29 RECOMMENDATIONS The garbage collection and drainage systems need to be improved. Perhaps villagers could appeal to the relevant authorities on this matter. Village security could be improved with the establishment of Rukun Tetangga Local tourist attractions need to be publicized. Development of tourist industry may bring more employment opportunities to the village. This could help them in the development of more stalls or shops and restaurants. Development of new businesses is critical to stem the out migration of Rantau Panjang s young adults. 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) 29