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UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

DESA KUALA GARING帝沙瓜拉加冷

SELANGOR

Project carried out by:

Student Name IDNumber Course Year /Semester

1. Law KokSim 1201513 CI Y4S2

2. Lai Jun Yin 1104151 CI Y4S2

3. Gan Yee Shen 1102088 CI Y4S2

DATE OF COMPLETION

DECEMBER 2015

DESA KUALA GARING, RAWANG

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History of the village

Kampung Desa Kuala Garing is located in the district of Rawang, Selangor.

The Headman of this town is Miss Hiah Shuk Wan who is the Federal Village

Security and Development Committee chairman. This town was established in the

year 2007 and its current population is around 404 (173 are Chinese, 228 Indians

and 3 Malays).

Figure 1:Main entrance to Kampung Desa Kuala Garing

Kampung Desa Kuala Garing residents were originally from Rawang Tin.

“Rawang” refers to the forest marsh which was found in this area. It is believed

that the Chinese named it “Wang Ra” because they read the word “Rawang”

according to the normal chinese practice of reading from right to left.

Rawang Tin is one of the towns located in the district of Rawang. In the

year 1882, Jardine & Matheson, a British company, became the owners of the

historically famous Rawang Tin Mining Company. The company signed a

contract with the Sultan of Selangor which allowed it to mine for tin in an area of

about 1,119 acres for 30 years. The Anglo Mining Ltd employed about 500


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workers of whom 60% were Chinese. Operation of these mines was haulted at the

outbreak of World War II but mining activities resumed at the end of the war.

As a result of expansion of mining activities Rawang Tin, some villagers

eventually had to relocate to other areas. In the 1970’s, some of the residents in

Rawang Tin moved to a new area which is Kampung Kuala Garing. Kampung

Kuala Garing in Selangor is located about 22km North-West of Kuala Lumpur.

This village is named after the nearby river, Sungai Garing. Unfortunately, there

was frequent flooding because of its proximity to the river. As a result, the

villagers relocated to KampungDesa Kuala Garing which is the town we visited.

Figure2: Newspaper coverage-- floods in the area

The Security and Development Committee of Kampung Desa Kuala

Garing is established to oversee the security of village. It also acts as a liaison

between the villagers and government. For example, the Committee reports to the

relevant authorities if there is any threat to the residents’ safety and security. The

Security and Development Committee can apply for funds from the Malaysian

Chinese Association (MCA) Selayang to organize events such as Lantern Festival

or Mid-Autumn Festival. There is a town hall for the residents to organize events,

or to hold discussions with the Security and Development Community regarding

any issues or concerns in the town.


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Figure 3: Town Hall for Kampung Desa Kuala Garing

Population, Housing, Transportation

The population at Kampung Desa Kuala Garing is around 404 of whom 173 are

Chinese, 288 are Indians, and 3 are Malays. Residents in this multi-ethnic

community live in peace and harmony.

According to the Headman, there are a total of 124 houses in this town of

which only 8 units are empty or pending sale. Twenty houses are rented to foreign

workers.Many youngsters have left Kampung Desa Kuala Garing and migrated to

urban areas, leaving the older people behind. The younger generation leave to

pursue their studies or to seek better employment opportunities elsewhere.


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Figure 4: Typical housing area in Kampung Desa Kuala Garing

Figure 5: Housing area in Kg Desa Kuala Garing


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Several houses in the village have been abandoned and the poor condition of these

houses – roof tiles blown off; parts of the gate and fencing removed – is an

eyesore.

Figure 6: An abandoned house

The most common modes of transport are cars and motorcycles. Figure 5

above shows that almost every household has its own vehicle motor vehicle.

Bicycles are rarely used because of road safety issues. Anyone travelling to places

like a hospital, supermarket, wet market, police station, and other facilities has to

go through the busy main road where bicyclists are in danger of being knocked

down. Fortunately, bus service is available.


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Figure 7: Mini bus fetching passengers


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Economic Activities

Nowadays, the villagers of Desa Kampung Kuala Garing are mostly retired senior

citizens. Most of their children have migrated to the city to look for better work

opportunities. The distance from Desa Kuala Garing to the cities makes it difficult

for the younger generation to continue living in this village.

Some residents use the courtyard of their houses as the venue for small businesses.

Besides that, the Head of village pointed out to us that a local Indian family is

planting jasmine in their backyard and these sweet smelling flowers are then sold.

Such flowers are especially popular during Hindu festivals and can easily be sold

outside the local Hindu temple.

Another villager who uses the land next to his house wisely is the village’s

former Head, Mr Kee Sai Heong. Sungai Chuh is a small stream running through

Mr Chung’s land. Mr Kee dug 3 big ponds on his land and uses water from this

stream to fill the ponds. These ponds are used to rear fish which provide a source

of income for Mr. Kee’s family.

Figure 8: Fish Pond owned by Mr Kee


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Figure 9: Fish Pond

Desa Kuala Garing is surrounded by factories. The current Head of village,

Ms HiahShuk Wan, informed us that some houses in this village are rented out to

foreign workers, most of whom work at the factories. Many of these foreign

workers work at Rawang town and they take the public bus, a mini bus, to town

daily.

Figure 10: Factory beside Kampung Desa Kuala Garing


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Education

As most of the younger generation have migrated to the city, the majority

of villagers are either senior citizens or their grandchildren. Most children attend

school in nearby towns. There are a few schools located at Rawang town, around

5 to 6 km from Kampung Desa Kuala Garing. Village children have access to a

kindergarten, 4 primary schools which are SJK(C) San Yuk, Sekolah Agama

Kuala Garing, SekolahKebangsaanRawang and SJK (Tamil) Rawang, and one

secondary school named Sekolah Menengah Seri Garing.

Figure 11: SekolahKebangsaanRawang


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Figure 12: SekolahMenengah Seri Garing

Figure 13: Sekolah Agama Kuala Garing


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Figure 14: SJK (Tamil) Rawang


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Social, Cultural and Religious Practice

According to information from village Head, Desa Kuala Garing’s

population is composed of Chinese, Malays and Indians. Therefore, religions

practised in this village include Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, Hinduism and

Christianity. Indians form the biggest ethnic group in this village. Approximately

3 km from Kampung Desa Kuala Garing, there is a Hindu temple. The Indians

staying in this village worship at this temple. The picture below shows the

entrance to this temple.

Figure 15: Hindu Temple

Inside the village, there is a little Chinese temple for Buddhists. It is

located inside a residential house shown in the picture below.

Figure 16: A small Chinese temple


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There is an assembly hall in this village. Any event associated with this

village will be held in this hall. The annual Lantern Festival and Mooncake

Festival, for example, are organized at this hall and are attended by Chinese

villagers as well as those from other ethnic groups. Prior to the celebration, the

organizing committee will distribute flyers to each and every house to invite all

villagers to participate.


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Problems and Needs of the People

Residents of Kampung Desa Kuala Garing encounter problems related to

transport, the environment, safety and security.

Transport. The distance from Kampung Desa Kuala Garing to Rawang

Town is around 5 to 6 km. There is only one mini bus which stops at Desa Kuala

Garing every hour, and this is the only public transportation to town. This mini

bus is often full and filled with many foreign workers who live in the village but

work in Rawang town. Some villagers avoid the mini bus because of this situation.

Figure 17: The only public transportation in Kampung Desa Kuala Garing

Environment. Next, garbage is often discarded at plots of vacant land.

This attracts snakes and vermin. The thick undergrowth is rarely cleared and this

is an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. Kampung Desa Kuala Garing also has

many stray dogs.


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Figure 18: A vacant plot of land -- undergrowth and garbage

Complaints about foreign workers. Some villagers claim that foreign

workers scour through local garbage cans/dumps for recyclable material very

early in the morning. These workers sell the recyclable items for extra income but

leave the rest of the garbage strewn all over.

Besides, the multipurpose hall which is rented out to villagers is

sometimes left in a mess after use and cleaners have to be hired to clean the venue

(Figure 19).

Maintenance of Public Facilities. There are many public facilities which

are poorly maintained. One example is benches located in a park (figure 20). Their

horizontal back support has disappeared and all that is left are steel bars pointing

upward. This is a danger to children who play at the park. Another example is a

public toilet which is badly damaged (figure 24).


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Figure 19: Garbage strewn outside the multipurpose hall

Recommendation

It is suggested that the village Head appeals to the district authorities to

carry out regular maintenance work for all public facilities. Vandalized or

damaged equipment needs to be replaced or repaired.


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Figure 20: Vandalized benches in a park

There is a gazebo in the village park which is clearly in need of repair. Its

roof has holes in it and graffiti is sprayed on its pillars and ceiling.

Figure 21: Graffiti at a gazebo in the partk.


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Perhaps a campaign could be held to inform residents, locals as well as

foreigners, of the importance of keeping the environment clean. As villagers claim

that foreign workers forage through the garbage cans to look for recyclable

material, these workers must somehow be included in the camapaign. Voluntary

groups could also be encouraged to organize “gotong royong” events to help clear

garbage in the village.

Figure 22: Discarded material


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Figure 23: Rubbish thrown into a vacant piece of land

Figure 24: A public toilet which needs repair badly.

Last but not least, there is potential to develop an empty field in Desa Kuala

Garing (figure 25). If the necessary permits could be obtained, perhaps the owner

of the land could use this field to set up small stalls and other businesses which


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could provide local residents with food, groceries, etc. Many residents would then

be saved from the inconvenience of frequent travel to nearby towns.

Figure 25: Empty field

Figure 26: Potential Open Area


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Entrepreneurship Opportunities

While Desa Kuala Garing’s population of locals is declining, there is an

increase in foreign workers who rent houses in the village. What encourages the

movement of the foreigners to this village? It is definitely because of the job

opportunities available at a large industrial area located next to Desa Kuala Garing.

Figure 27: Industrial area is next to Desa Kuala Garing

The pictures below show the factories located in the industrial area

mentioned.


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Figure 28: Industrial area 1

Figure 29: Industrial area 1

Besides factories, there are also several construction projects going on in

this area. As a result, this increases the demand for foreign construction workers,

and staying at Desa Kuala Garing is one of their choices. The pictures attached

below show the construction work and empty land in this area next to Desa Kuala

Garing.

Figure 30: Construction work


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Figure 31: Vacant land which can be further developed

Figure 32: Vacant land

Another entrepreneurship opportunity availble in this village is

transportation. Foreign workers in the village have to travel to the industrial area

for work daily. Therefore, there is a demand for public transportation to travel

back and forth between the village and the industrial area. The picture below

shows the bus which foreign workers rely on to travel to the industrial area. The

fare per trip is around RM1.50 which is fairly affordable for the foreigners. There

is opportunity to increase the number of buses servicing this area.


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Figure 33: Bus transportation

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- 90860288 ext 746 (Sungai Long Campus)

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

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