UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

SUNGAI MATI 利丰港

JOHOR

Project carried out by:

Student Name

ID Number

Course

Year/ Trimester

1. Ng Yang Wei 11ABB05108 Bachelor of

Economics (Hons)

Financial Economics

Y1/T3

DATE OF COMPLETION:

NOVEMBER 2013

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ABSTRACT

Sungai Mati was established between 1947 and 1949. It is located in the district of

Ledang in the state of Johor. Towns close to this new village are Tangkak and

Muar. The population of the village in 2013 is around 3000. Many villagers earn a

livelihood from the local oil palm estates, rubber estates as well as fruit orchards.

Mr Tan Boon Tian is the current village headman and he was also our tour guide

for our visit to Sungai Mati.

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INTRODUCTION

Sungai Mati New Village is located in Ledang, one of the districts of Johor.

Sungai Mati means Dead River in English. This is because the river is new an ox-

bow lake. The lake was formed from the main river, and Muar River, and Sg Mati

was once a river pont before the formation of the ox-bow lake. The new village

was established in 1947 when the Communist Party of Malaya fought a fierce

battle against the British authorities. Its current population in the year 2013 is

around 3,000. When the new village was first established, the population was

around 10,000.Over the years, there was a massive decrease of the population

because lack of work opportunities. Most of those younger generations have

moved to big cities to earn a living.

Figure 1: Dato Abdul Ghani Othman- The Chief minister of Johor ( A Famous Figure

from Sungai Mati)

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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

We were told by Mr Tan that the main source of income in this village is

from the oil palm and rubber estates and the orchards. There are a few shops in Sg

AMti, e.g: an old “kopitiam” and a few grocery stores which sell daily necessities

including vegetables and seafood. There is no wet market here.

Figure 2: The Old Chinese „Kopitiam‟

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Figure 3: The grocery store that sells vegetables and seafood as well

Figure 4: Interviewing Mr Tan ( second from right) and other old villagers

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SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS PRACTISES

In Sungai Mati, the villagers are mostly Malays and Chinese. The Malays

are Muslims while the Chinese are Buddhists. “紫光阁”is a famous Buddhist

temple in this temple in this village.

Figure 5: The front view of “紫光阁”

Figure 6: The Surrounding view of “紫光阁”

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Figure 7: The unique blue mosque in Sg Mati

Figure 8: One of the special place in Sungai Mati – The Dam. It was used to

control the water level of Muar River.

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EDUCATION

Despite its slow pace of economic development, there are several schools

in Sg Mati. This shows the great value which villagers place on education.

Schools in this village include SRJK(C) Pei Hwa, SMJK(C) Pei Hwa, Sek

Men(Persendirian) Pei Hwa, and Sek.Keb.Abdullah.

Figure 9: Side entrance to SJK( C ) Pei Hwa. Picture with Mr Tan and Mr

Wong Win Liang

Figure 10: Siganage at SRJK ( C ) Pei Hwa‟s entrance

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Figure 11: The front view of Sek.Men.J.K Pei Hwa

Figure 12: The Front View of Sek Men( Persendirian) Pei Hwa

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Figure 13: The front view of Tabika Perpaduan

Figure 14: One of the Malay schools in Sungai Mati

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INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES

The government provides general infrastructure and facilities in the village.

Villagers benefit from the services of a local police station, a government clinic

and a post office.

Figure 15: The government run Klinik Kesihatan

Figure 16: The Post office in Sungai Mati

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Figure 17: Local police station

Figure 18: Public Sports Complex

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PROBLEMS

As there are very few shops in Sg Mati, villagers often travel quite a

distance if they want a wider range of groceries and other goods to choose from.

The nearest market is in the town of Muar.

The outmigration of younger villagers to urban areas is a major problem

for Sg Mati. They migrate because of limited career opportunities in this village

and this in turn leads to a further downward in the local economy.

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RECOMMENDATION

In my opinion, the state government should develop Pulau Penarik an

“island” in Muar River which existed during the formalion of the the ox-bow lake.

Idle land on this island could be developed ffor agriculture or tourism. Mr Tan, the

village headman and also a member of MCA, said that he will try his best to fight

for the benefits of Sungai Mati New Village.

Figure 19: Pulau Penarik

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)