UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

KALAI 基锐

KELANTAN

Project carried out by:

Student Name ID Number Course Year/Trimester

1. Jeffrey Yu Kern Liang 1207064 Bachelor of

Marketing (Hons) Y2/T1

2. Lim Saw Kuai 1206555 Bachelor of Public

Relations (Hons) Y2/T1

DATE OF COMPLETION

OCTOBER 2013

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ABSTRACT

Kampung Kalai New Village was established in the year 1960. Interestingly, its

name Kalai is derived from the Thai language. It is located in the district of Jeli,

Kelantan. Jeli is the town closest to this village. The main attractions in

Kampung Kalai are caves, interesting and scenic geographical terrain, and a

retired gold mine. There are also a few tourists attractions close to Kampung

Kalai which are Gunung Reng and Batu Melintang. Many different fruit trees are

grown in and around the village. Kampung Kalai’s economy is based on

agriculture. The education institution in Kampung Kalai consists of a

kindergarten and primary schools.

Figure 1: GunungReng

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INTRODUCTION

Kampung Kalai is located in the district of Jeli, Kelantan. The nearest

town is Jeli which is 20km from KampungKalai or 20 minutes drive away.

When the village was founded in the year 1960, it had a population of only

917. Over the years, the population increased to 2,100 in the year 2013. Encik

Che Saide Bin Yusof, the present chief of the village explained that the name

Kalai means “Kampung Baru” (new village) in the Thai Language. This village is

very close to the Thai border and a lot of cross-boarder trade, especially in palm

oil and agricultural products, takes place through Kg. Kalai. The proximity of Kg.

Kalai to Thailand was made use of by the Japanese during World War II. It is

suspected that this village was one of the entry points which was used by the

Japanese to infiltrate Malaya from the north.

Figure 2: Encik CHE SAIDE BIN YUSOF, the village headman.

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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Residents of Kg Kalai work in the oil palm and rubber

plantations/smallhodlings and orchards. Rambutan and durian trees are common

in the local orchards. Some villagers rear livestock such as cows and goat. On

average, villagers earn RM800 to RM900 per month.

A few families operate small businesses such as grocery stores and stalls

selling local cuisine.

Figure 3: Livestock in the village

Figure 4: Gajah putih in Gunung Reng

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Figure5: Entrance to Gunung Reng

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SOCIETY，CULTURE AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

In Kampung Kalai, all the villagers are Malays and Bahasa Malaysia is

widely spoken. It’s all the villagers are Muslim, there are 2 surau and a mosque in

the village. The main festivals celebrated in the village are the Hari Raya Haji and

Hari Raya Aidifitri. One interesting fact is that the Malay slang spoken by the

locals differs from Bahasa Malaysia, as shown below.

Bahasa Malaysia Kelantanese Malay

Binatang Binate

Kita Kito

Kelantan Kelate

Kerja Kijo

Suka Suko

Saya Ambo

The majority of villagers are the elderly and children. This is because

many youths have migrated to the urban areas in search of better employment

opportunities.

Kampung Kalai has a peaceful and tranquil environment. The villagers are

friendly and helpful. They were very hospitable and keen to know more about

this project team.

There are small eateries in the village but no restaurant. Local cuisine is

influenced by Thai cooking and well known dishes include Tomyam and Pulut

Durian. Villagers generally maintain old traditions in their daily lives.

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Figure 6: Many villagers purchase food and drinks from this small stall.

Figure 7: Mosque in Kampung Kalai

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EDUCATION

Kampung Kalai has the following education institutions.

- One kindergarten, namely CHE UMAR was established in the year 1980.

This kindergarten has around 20 students and 2 teachers.

- One primary school, namely Sekolah Kebangsaan Kalai. This primary

school has around 200 students and 25 teachers. Sekolah Kebangsaan Kalai was

established on April 6, 1967. When the school started, classes were held at the

village community hall. However, this hall is now abandoned (picture below).

-One University, namely Universiti Kelantan Malaysia with about 250

students. This university is located very close to the village. It is a subsidiary

campus of Universiti Kelantan Malaysia (UKM).

Figure8: The Abandoned hall.

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Figure 9: Primary School at Kampung Kalai, Sekolah Kebangsaan Kalai.

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INFRASTRUCTURE AND FACILITIES

Sg. Tadoh is the main source of water supply for this village. Tenaga

Nasional Bhd (TNB) handles power supply. Telecommunication service

including internet is available in every home around the village. However, there

is no public phone booth. There is no bus station or train station in the village.

Public transportation is available in the nearby town of Jeli. The only medical

facility in the village is the Klinik Desa Kalai which is recently expanded and

renovated. Crime rate in the village is very low.

Roads in the village are in satisfactory condition. Many villagers travel in

their own motor vehicles.

There is a wet market which operates only during weekend nights.

Villagers also purchase groceries from small village shops.

Although there is no playground in the village, most residents use the

empty fields and river banks for recreation and outdoor activities.

Figure10: Sungai Tadoh

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Figure11: Klinik Desa Kalai

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PROBLEMS

Kampung Kalai is a small village. There is a total of 345 houses with 2100

people living in this village. The main problem faced by Kampung Kalai is

flooding which occurs at least twice a year, during the monsoon season. Currently

there are efforts to contain the floods by building high walls around the perimeter

of the river bank and low lying areas across the village.

A second problem is related to recent climate change. Villagers lament

that climate change has negatively affected their crop yield.

Garbage collection is infrequent. This causes garbage to pile up - a

condition not conducive for public health.

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RECOMMENDATION

Villagers should communicate to the local authorities about the need for

improved garbage collection. A regular schedule could be worked out.

There is a need for a local secondary school or improved public transport

to ease the inconvenience of travelling to nearby towns for education purposes.

Besides that, in order to develop the village, the current head of Kampung

Kalai, Encik Che Saide Bin Yusof, expressed concern over the lack of additional

land for plantations or factories. Road infrastructure and local facilities could be

upgraded to facilitate the transport of goods through this 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: 03-79582628 ext 8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus)

05- 4688888 ext 2295/2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus)