UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

SERI KEMBANGAN

SELANGOR

Project carried out by:

Year /
Name of Student Student ID Course
Semester

Corporate
1. Teh Jun Bin 11UJB00066 Y1T1
Communication

DATE OF COMPLETION:

MARCH 2011
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ABSTRACT

Seri Kembangan New Village, located in Selangor was first incepted in 1952

during the British occupation. It was initially known as Serdang New Village. At

present, Seri Kembangan New Village has over 15,000 residents. This new village

was known for its mining industry and had several rubber plantations. This has

changed over time with the advancement of technology as well as the increase in

population and the needs of the community.

The new village has gone through tremendous change in terms of its economic

activities and major developments in housing and entrepreneurship which took

place over the past ten years. With an increasing number of residents, it is not a

surprise to see people from different backgrounds and religious practice.

There are several schools built in this new village as it is one of the major

stepping stones in providing equal opportunity to education for all residents. This

new village caters to the convenience of not only its local residents, but also people

from other towns as a source of entertainment and opportunities for

businesses. There are several residents who have sought out opportunities for

themselves, and through their-initiative there are many small-scale local businesses

in this new village.

Some of the main problems faced by villagers are related to its road condition, public

transportation and environmental issues.

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INTRODUCTION – HISTORY OF NEW VILLAGES IN MALAYSIA

The original purpose of the New Villages in Malaysia was to segregate the
villagers from the early Malayan Races Liberation Army insurgents, who were led
by the Malayan Communist Party, during the Malayan Emergency. It was part of
the Briggs Plan, a military plan devised by British General Sir Harold Briggs
shortly after his appointment in 1950 as Director of Operations in the anti-
communist war in Malaya.

The plan aimed to defeat the communists, who were operating out of rural
areas as a guerrilla army, primarily by cutting them off from their sources of
support amongst the population. To this end, a massive program of forced
resettlement of Malayan peasantry was undertaken, under which about 500,000
people (roughly ten percent of Malaya's population) were eventually removed
from the land and housed in guarded camps called "New Villages".

By isolating this population in the "new villages", the British were able to
stem the critical flow of material, information, and recruits from peasant to
guerilla. The new settlements were given around the clock police supervision and
were partially fortified. This served the twofold purpose of preventing those who
were so inclined from getting out and voluntarily aiding the guerrilla, and of
preventing the guerrilla from getting in and extracting help via persuasion or
intimidation. The British also tried to win the hearts of the new settlers by
providing them with education, health services and homes with water and
electricity.

It is estimated that today, about 1.2 million people live in 450 New
Villages throughout Peninsular Malaysia. About 85% of the populations in New
Villages are ethnically Chinese. The ethnic Malays take up about 10% and ethnic
Indians roughly 5%.

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HISTORY OF SERI KEMBANGAN NEW VILLAGE

Figure 1: Map of Seri Kembangan New Village

Seri Kembangan New Village, formerly known as Serdang New Village is

located in Selangor, and it is one of the existing 450 New Villages remaining in
the country. The village - now a considerable city in size - can be seen on the
North-South Expressway Southern Route.

Just like many of the other New Villages, it was built during the
proclamation of The Emergency by the British colonial government in 1952 to
keep the Chinese people in Malaya under guard so that they would have no
contact with any members of the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM). Seri
Kembangan was established as the Serdang New Village when the British moved
Malayan Chinese villagers living around Sungai Besi to a centralised location
following the Briggs Plan.

In its early days, the village had 50 houses and all were built from scratch
because the British only provided empty plots of land. The area was close to
rubber estates and the jungle posed dangers of a different kind. Most of the 15,000
inhabitants earned meagre incomes as mining workers and rubber tappers.

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POPULATION & HOUSING

There are now 2,500 original wooden houses left and more than 1,000 new
houses. The population is estimated to be more than 150,000, largely made up of
entrepreneurs, businessmen, professionals, and government servants. Most
residents are Chinese and a majority of them are Hakka and Hailam people.

The area is mostly residential and light industrial mix. The population is very
concentrated; hence the traffic is always congested especially at peak hours in the
morning and evening. Seri Kembangan New Village has been developed from a
mining and rubber tapping area into a business hub.

Figure 2: Shop lots in Seri Kembangan New Village

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Economic Activities

Seri Kembangan’s economic activities have developed considerable since

national independence. Most of the residents’ grandparents are mining workers
and rubber tappers. At one point, the Seri Kembangan New Village was known
for cottage industries like shoe-making but this has been overtaken by more
profitable ventures. A network of roads forms the 13 sections of the village and
commercialisation has come to this area in a big way.

Most developments took place between 2000-2010. Prominent businesses

include AEON, McDonalds, Pasar Borong Selangor (whole sale market),
PappaRich Kopitiam, Station 1 cafe, Boston Concept Restaurant, MayBank and
Giant Hypermarket. This new village has been transformed into a business hub.

Figure 3:Giant Hyper mart in Seri Kembangan

Figure 4: Pasar Malam in Seri Kembangan

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Figure 5: Stall at Pasar Malam

Pasar Malam (night market) in Seri Kembangan is on every Monday.

Varieties of food, clothing and music are sold here. Some popular foods available
here are Salted Chicken, Sakura Popiah, Abalone Mushroom and so on. The night
market normally draws a big crowd and this causes traffic jam in the area.

The Mines Shopping Mall at Jalan Dulang is the biggest retail centre in
Seri Kembangan. The mall is accessible from 7 major highways, which are:
BESRAYA, SILK, North South Highway, North South Central Link, Damansara -
Puchong Highway, KESAS and MRR2. It has 350 shops which sell local and
international brands. It also has restaurants, electronics shops and many more.

Figure 6: The Mines Shopping Mall

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Economic Activities in Seri Kembangan New Village (Based on Personal

Observation)
No. Economical Activities (Industry/Service) Frequency
01 Beverages Factory 1
02 Paper Factory 1
03 Furniture Factory 1
04 Schools 12
05 Restaurants 25
06 Mini Market 21
07 Banks 4
08 Insurance 2

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EDUCATION

In Seri Kembangan, there are nine primary schools, namely SK Taman

Universiti, SJK (C) 1 Serdang Baru, SJK (C) 2 Serdang Baru, SK Taman Sungai
Besi Indah, SK Sri Serdang, SJK (C) Kung Man, SK Taming Jaya, SJK (T) FES
Serdang, and SJK (C) Balakong. There are fewer secondary schools, namely
SMK Seri Kembangan, SMK Seri Serdang and SMK Seri Indah.

Figure 7: SJK (C) 1 Serdang Baru

Figure 8: SJK (C) 2 Serdang Baru

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Figure 9: SK Taman Universiti

Figure 10: SMK Seri Kembangan

SMK Seri Kembangan has a high population of students as it is easy to

access with public transportation.

There are two international schools in Seri Kembangan which are The
Alice Smith School and Australian International School, Malaysia. In these
schools, there are students not only from Malaysia but also from foreign countries.

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Figure 11: The Alice Smith School

Figure 10: The Alice Smith School

Figure 12: Australian International School, Malaysia

There is no college, university or polytechnic in Seri Kembangan New

Village. Hence, students who live in this area would have to pursue their tertiary
education in other areas.

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SOCIAL, CULTURAL & RELIGIOUS PRACTICE

Seri Kembangan area has several non-profit organizations and NGO’s

which organize activities such as the blood donation campaign. The Yayasan Budi
Penyayang Malaysia (PENYAYANG) is a foundation incorporated for the
purposes of receiving donations, subscriptions or otherwise, and to administer
such funds for education, public welfare, research, health, medical and other
charitable purposes for the benefit of needy Malaysians, irrespective of colour,
race or creed. PENYAYANG is founded by Tun Endon Mahmood, located at
Wisma Penyayang, Seri Kembangan.

Figure 13: Abstract of Blood Donation Campaign at Seri Kembangan

Figure 14: Wisma Penyayang located in Seri Kembangan New Village

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“The night is still young!” is the best way to express the cultural practice
of the residents in Seri Kembangan. Night life in Seri Kembangan is very active.
Many people can seen chatting and eating supper, in brightly lit areas.

Figure 15: Attractive lights from The Mines Shopping Fair

There are several churches and mosques in Seri Kembangan, and even
more Chinese temple. This is not a surprise as most of the villagers are Chinese.

Figure 16: Masjid Al-Firdaus

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Figure 16: The oldest church in Seri Kembangan New Village

Figure1 7: Chinese temples in Seri Kembangan New Village

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PROBLEMS AND NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE

The economic development of Seri Kembangan New Village has been

outstanding, and it will continue to grow. However, this has caused serious traffic
congestion in many areas in Seri Kembangan. All the residents interviewed,
expressed the wish that the congested highways and roads could be widened.
There is also a problem with double-parking in Seri Kembangan.

Besides that, the issue of Seri Kembangan road users not having access to
the KL-Putrajaya highway has not been resolved. According to the residents, they
have to drive an additional 25km in order to reach KL town centre. Furthermore,
public transportation is not easily available. The residents hope to have a Seri
Kembangan station regardless of whether it is LRT or KTM.

Figure 18: Traffic jam towards The Mines Shopping Mall

It is very inconvenient for the residents at Seri Kembangan to go to the

nearest KTM station which is the Serdang KTM station. They have to drive for
around 15 minutes to reach the station.

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Figure19: Abstract from The Star Online : Seri Kembangan folks have no access to KL-Putrajaya
highway

Besides that, due to the rapid economic development, environmental

pollution has been increasingly serious. Water pollution caused by toxic residues
from the factories is not being controlled and air pollution caused by congested
traffic and gases from the factories has raised the Air Pollution Index in Seri
Kembangan New Village too. This new village, it is not excluded from the
problems of global warming. Many residents express the wish that the fewer trees
would be cut down in future.

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TOURISM VALUE

Seri Kembangan New Village is famous for its one stop shopping mall,
The Mines Shopping Fair. It has attracted many local and foreign tourists to Seri
Kembangan. The village is also strategically accessible from nearby towns and
cities, which has made it a popular destination among locals.

The delicious food here is the best tourism value. The food available is not
only Malaysian style food but also food from foreign countries. Most restaurants
are Chinese restaurants.

Figure 20: Wong Kok Restaurant

Figure 21: Yummy food at Wong Kok Restaurant

Figure 22: Restoran Lek Lek

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Not forgetting The Mines Wonderland Theme Park, consisting of Mines

Wonderland Night Theme Park, Water Taxi, Mini Zoo, Wa Wa Splash, Musical
Fountain and Aqua Laser Show. The theme park is especially congested during
festive seasons in Malaysia.

Figure 23: An overview of the theme park

Figure 23: Colorful Water Splash

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Figure 24: Water Taxi Port

Figure 25: Wa Wa Splash

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP

There are many stalls in Seri Kembangan New Village that reflect the
villagers’ entrepreneurial skills. The majority of the stalls, if not all, are based on
the mobility concept—they run their businesses on motorcycles or lorries. Their
attitude in running their business is commendable because they are willing to
work even under the hot sun just to make a living.

Figure 26: Mobility concept food stall

Figure 27: Stall

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Careful consideration has to be given, before any action is taken to solve

the problems mentioned in the report. There is need for better transportation plan
improvements to the traffic congestion.

Figure 28: Abstract from The Star Online: One of the upgrade is being Done in Seri Kembangan
New Village in order to minimize the traffic congestion, at Jalan SK 6/1.

More parking lots have to be provided in order to solve the double-parking

problem. Besides that, problems with pollution have to be dealt with. Penalties
have to be imposed on factories which pollute the area. A “Cleaning Campaign”
could be organized to clean the rivers in the village.

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CONCLUSION

It is hoped that the future and the younger generation would appreciate the
historical sites in Seri Kembangan New Village. I hope that the people in Seri
Kembangan will be more optimistic of the changes implemented by the
government that will increase the quality of their lives. The new village should be
on par with the surrounding bustling cities and yet, at the same time, the historical
heritage value must also be retained.

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)
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