PALOH
1
UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT
REPORT
NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:
PALOH
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 2011
PALOH
2
ABSTRACT
Paloh is a historical village. It is a new village established after 1960. 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.
PALOH
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 1916.
Figure 1: 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 (www.paloh.my). 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
(www.paloh.my) in Paloh.
PALOH
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 1999.
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.
Figure 2: Green: Oil palm trees along the journey
PALOH
5
During the Malayan Emergency (1948-1960), 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 1930. 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.
Figure 3: 74 years old shop
PALOH
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.
Figure 6: 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.
PALOH
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 small-
scale 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.
Figure 7: Center of Paloh
PALOH
9
Figure 8: 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.
Figure 9: Two factories in Paloh
PALOH
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.
Figure 10: One of the kindergartens in front of train station
PALOH
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 1934.
Most of the Chinese residents worship in this temple which holds several cultural
events every year.
Figure 13: Lin Shin Si: A Buddhist temple
PALOH
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".
Figure 14: Temple of Great Sage Equaling Heaven
PALOH
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.
Figure 19: Sin Yu Lee Restaurant
Figure 20: Shuang Hsi Restaurant
PALOH
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.
Figure 21: Signboard of Paloh’s KTM station
PALOH
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.
Figure 22: 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 30 - 45 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.
PALOH
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.
Figure 23: The upper is the RELA office and the lower one is Voluntary Fire Force
PALOH
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.
Figure 24: Klinik Kesihatan Paloh
PALOH
21
Paloh also has a post office.
Figure 25: The local Post Office in Paloh
Figure 26: The Telecom Malaysia (TM) tower
PALOH
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.
Figure 27: Paloh’s Bus station
PALOH
23
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.
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: 03-78582628 ext 8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus)
05- 4688888 ext 2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus)