UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT
REPORT
NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:
PARIT JAWA 巴冬
JOHOR
Project carried out by:
Student Name Student ID Course Year/
Semester
1. Sim Chuit Feng 09 ABB06112 Banking and Finance Y3 S3
2. Tee Wee Wen 09ABB06114 Banking and Finance Y3 S3
DATE OF COMPLETION:
APRIL 2012
PARIT JAWA
2
ABSTRACT
Parit Jawa is a famous fishing village in the state of Johore. Muar, the nearest
town to this village, is about 15 km away. In the year 2011, the population of Parit
Jawa reached about 10,000 people. The biggest ethnic group is the Chinese,
followed by the Malays and others. The main sources of income for villagers are
fishing, fruit farming, work in the plantations and operation of small businesses
such as seafood restaurants. Parit Jawa’s delicious food and the presence of many
migrating birds provide opportunities for tourism development.
PARIT JAWA
3
INTRODUCTION
Parit Jawa is a traditional fishing village in Malaysia. It is located about 15km
away from the town of Muar and 39 km from the town of Batu Pahat. This village
has a few dusty streets lined with old buildings. Tourists visit Parit Jawa to taste
its spicy “asam pedas” fish and to watch migratory birds between October and
March.
HISTORY
Parit Jawa was established in 1858 and covers an area of about 66,263 hectares.
At the beginning, this area was a thick forest. In 1870’s this area was explored by
people from Java, Indonesia. A long time ago, Haji Abdul Jabar Matinadjati
arrived in Klang in a big boat from Java Island. Haji Abdul Jabar, his 5 friends
and 39 followers travelled southwards from Klang and stopped by Padang which
is also known as Parit Seri. During their voyage, they stopped at a beautiful beach
which was named “Pantai Leka” or “Enthralling Beach”. This beach is the
location of the earliest settlement in Pekan Parit Jawa.
Signboard - entrance to Parit Jawa.
PARIT JAWA
4
POPULATION AND HOUSING
Parit Jawa actually consists of a few villages which are Kampung Parit Pulai, Parit
Samsu, Parit Limbong, Parit Kassim, Parit Sri, Parit Gantong, Parit Nipah and
Bukit Mor. The village head or Penghulu of Parit Jawa is Mr Teo Puay Boon. He
is appointed by the government and handles the village administration.
Village Head (Mr Teo Puay Boon)
Parit Jawa has a population of about 10,000. The majority of villagers are Chinese.
There are also Malays and Indians in the village. Languages spoken in Parit Jawa
include Mandarin, Hokkien dialect and Malay. Villagers live in residential
neighbourhoods or in shophouses.
Old shops in Parit Jawa- partly brick and partly wooden structure
PARIT JAWA
5
Example of wooden houses in Parit Jawa
Example of wooden houses in Parit Jawa
PARIT JAWA
6
Example of new bungalows in Parit Jawa
EDUCATION
Parit Jawa has four kindergartens, one primary school and one secondary school.
One of the Kindergartens in Parit Jawa-Tadika Suriang
PARIT JAWA
7
Primary School in Parit Jawa-SJK (c) Chin Kwang Wahyu
Secondary School in Parit Jawa-SMK Raja Muda
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
Many Hokkien Chinese in Parit Jawa work as fisherman and retailers. Parit Jawa
residents earn their livelihood from fishing and farming. Some villagers also
engage in small businesses such as running restaurants/ coffee shops and making
salted fish.
PARIT JAWA
8
1. Fishing
Kampung Parit Jawa is situated near the sea and many fishing boats are moored
along it shores. Fishing and related commercial activities provide villagers with an
important source of income.
Fishing boats in Pulau Jawa jetty
However, income from fishing fluctuates because the fishermen do go out to sea
during bad weather. When they are not out at sea, the fishermen often spend their
time mending their nets.
Repairing fishing nets
PARIT JAWA
9
2. Seafood restaurants
Some Villagers in Parit Jawa operate food stalls and restaurants, in particular,
seafood restaurants. “Asam Pedas” fish is a popular and delicious dish served by
these restaurants which are frequented by locals as well as visitors.
Several Seafood Restaurant found in Parit Jawa
3. Pasar awan pagi and petang
This market is open from Monday to Saturday. It has a morning session and an
afternoon session. Villagers set up stalls in the market and sell fresh fish,
vegetables, fruit and groceries. Both locals and out-of-town visitors shop at this
market.
Wet market in Parit Jawa
PARIT JAWA
10
4. Farming and plantation
Many villagers work in the oil palm plantations surrounding Parit Jawa. Some
villagers operate dragon fruit orchards which have provided another source of
income for the villagers.
Oil Palm Plantation
Dragon fruit Orchard
In the early 20th
century, the village expanded inland. Villagers planted durian,
duku (lansium) and rambutan trees. These fruits from Parit Jawa are now sold in
many states in West Malaysia and in Singapore
PARIT JAWA
11
Durian trees
Duku trees
5. Others Economics Activities
Some villagers operate small businesses like mamak shops, coffee shops, grocery
and birds’ nest swiflet “homes”.
“Mamak stall
PARIT JAWA
12
Buildings used to breed swiftlets which produce “birds’ nest”,
a delicacy among the Chinese
SOCIAL, CULTURE AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES
Cultural Diversity
There are 4 main religions in Parit Jawa: Buddhism, Taoism, Islam and
Christianity. One of the most famous temples here is the “qing shui zhu shi” (清水
祖师). Many locals believe that the “qing shui zhu shi” (清水祖师) deity will
protect their family members when they are out at sea.
Road view when entering the Chinese temple.
PARIT JAWA
13
Chinese Temples in Parit Jawa
Masjid Jamek Parit Jawa is a big mosque in Parit Jawa. It is a place of worship for
local Muslims.
Mosque in Parit Jawa
INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES
Parit Jawa has a police station and a clinic. The clinic provides general health care
as well as dental care. It charges a minimal fee for its services: Rm1.00 for
Malaysians and Rm 15.00 for foreigners. It opens from 9 am to 5 pm on weekdays
only.
PARIT JAWA
14
Police Station in Jalan Temenggung Ahmad, Parit Jawa
Government Clinic in Parit Jawa
In addition, Parit Jawa has a library called Perpustakaan Desa Parit Jawa or Parit
Jawa Rural Library
Library in Parit Jawa
Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN) and Maybank have branches in Parit Jawa.
Villagers therefore have easy access to banking facilities.
PARIT JAWA
15
Several types of Bank found in Parit Jawa
Furthermore, this village has 3 petrol stations which are the Shell station, the
Petronas station and Mobil station.
Petrol Stations in Parit Jawa
VOLUNTARY GROUPS
Parit Jawa residents have formed a fisherman’s association called the Fisheries
Society Parit Jawa. This society provides financial assistance to local fishermen.
Parit Jawa also has “Chao Zhou” Association (巴冬潮州会馆) that are set up by
the Chao Zhou (a dialect group) residents and “Fu Jian Yong Chun ’’ Association
(巴冬福建永春会馆) , set up by Fu Jian (another dialect group) residents. The
main purpose of setting up these associations are to foster better community ties
within the dialect group and to provide financial assistance to children of its
members who wish to further their studies.
PARIT JAWA
16
SPORT ACTIVITIES
Parit Jawa has a basketball court and a sepak takraw court. There is a children’s
playground and recreation area located near Pantai leka. During school holidays
and weekends, these places are often crowded with people.
Recreational Park in Parit Jawa
Basketball Court in Parit Jawa
Villagers as well as visitors to Parit Jawa often enjoy hiking up Bukit Mor. While
hiking up the hill is a popular recreational for locals, this activity has potential of
attracting more tourists to Parit Jawa.
PARIT JAWA
17
Bukit Mor in Parit Jawa
TOURISM VALUE
a. Bird Watching
One of the attractions of Parit Jawa is the presence of migratory birds from
October to March each year. The most famous birds are the Lesser Adjutants, by
sheer virtue of their size, standing at 120 cm tall, with white bodies and dark grey
wings. Other shorebirds not commonly seen in Malaysia but which may be
sighted at Parit Jawa include the Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris, the Eurasian
Curlew Numenius arquata and the Grey-tailed Tattler Heteroscelusbrevipes.
Bird watching
PARIT JAWA
18
Common Shorebirds of Parit Jawa
b. Delicious Food
As Parit Jawa is located next to the sea, the seafood served at the local restaurants
are fresh and delicious. Famous dishes at these restaurants include asam pedas,
otak otak, ikan bakar and nasi beriani.
Asam Pedas Fish
PARIT JAWA
19
Selepa Fish
Nasi Beriani in Parit Jawa
Otak-otak
PARIT JAWA
20
c. Night Market
Parit Jawa night market is held every Sunday from 5pm to 9pm .This night market
sells vegetables, fruit and a variety of local dishes.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
There are entrepreneurship opportunities if local tourism id developed. If facilities
at the bird watching areas are well maintained, more tourists could be attracted to
Parit Jawa. With more tourists, local restaurants would flourish and spinoffs in the
sale of souvenirs, homestays, etc could bring in more income for villagers.
PROBLEMS
The penghulu, Mr Teo Puay Boon, highlighted that the bird watching areas are
littered with garbage. The garbage collection system is inadequate.
Rubbish around in the bird watching area
Mr. Teo also pointed out that equipment at the local playground have been
damaged. The roads at Parit Jawa are poorly maintained and have potholes.
Besides the road condition, the drainage system also needs improvement to deal
with floods in this area.
PARIT JAWA
21
Playground equipment are damaged
Jalan Mahmood leading from Parit Jawa to Bukit Mor
affected by flood waters in Muar recently.
Visitors to the beach have to face another common problem: many stray dogs and
cats, rats and wild monkeys.
Wild animals around the place
PARIT JAWA
22
RECOMMENDATIONS
It is recommended that the authorities build relevant facilities in the bird watching
area, and maintain these facilities well. If this is done well, many more tourists
could be attracted to visit Parit Jawa.
The relevant authorities should be brought in to deal with the stray and wild
animals. In addition, the garbage collection and drainage systems need to be
improved for the health and safety of villagers.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, Parit Jawa is a peaceful and scenic place which villagers as well as
visitors could enjoy. Besides fishing and agriculture, this village’s economy could
expand with investments in its local restaurants, bird watching area and hiking
paths at Bukit Mor.
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: 03-78582628 ext 8274/8656/8269 (Klang Valley Campus)
05- 4688888 ext 2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus)
