UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT REPORT NAME OF NEW VILLAGE: BUKIT MERAH 红泥山 PERAK Project carried out by: Name of Student ID Course Year/Trimester Agnes Gan See Theng 09ADB02951 Biomedical Science Y2S1 Oon Hsueh Ying 09ADB02636 Biomedical Science Y2S1 DATE OF COMPLETION: JUNE 2011
ASTRACT Bukit Merah New Village is a Chinese new village. It is located close to Menglembu and Lahat, Perak. All of the villagers are Chinese. Most of them are of Hakka and Guangdong descent. Their religions are Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity. In 2011, there are roughly 1200 houses in this new village, with about 1000 villagers. In the past, the villagers were engaged in rubber tapping and mining. Nowadays, the villagers main economic activity is the production of shoes. Bukit Merah New Village has a primary school and three kindergartens. However, there is no secondary school. There is also a police station in the village. Other than that, a small market and Y.M.C.A office are also found in the village. A hot issue associated with Bukit Merah is the radioactive dumping material buried at the village. This problem has been settled. The main problem now is the draining system in the village. Bukit Merah new village is becoming more urbanized as more shop lots are built around the village. 1
HISTORY Figure 1: Gateway to Bukit Merah New Village Bukit Merah new village was established around the year 1952. At that time, the rural Chinese were relocated to new villages as planned in the Briggs s Plan led by British General Sir Harold Briggs. This relocation is to prevent the rural Chinese from providing food, weapons and support to Malayan communists who stayed in jungle. The Chinese from surrounding areas like Bukit Merah, Lahat and Menglembu were brought together and placed in the Bukit Merah New Village. At that time, most villagers were engaged in rubber tapping and mining. 2
POPULATION AND HOUSING The population of Bukit Merah New Village is approximately 1,000. The residents are Chinese, most of whom speak the Hakka and Guangdong dialects. There are an estimated 1200 houses in the new village. Houses in the new village may be grouped into two types: old style wooden houses and modern brick houses. In the old days, wooden houses were built. As time passed, the villagers renovated their houses and many became brick structures. Some villagers have left Bukit Merah New Village for places such as Menglembu,Lahat and Ipoh. As a result of this out-migration, there are several houses in Bukit Merah which have been vacated and left empty. Figure 2: Old house vacated by the villagers. Figure 3: Houses in Bukit Merah New Village. 3
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES Shoe-making is the main economic activity in the village. There are roughly 100 families working in this industry. The shoes produced are for export and not for the local market. There is a small pasar (market) in the new village. Besides vegetables, fish and meat, cooked food is also sold in a mini food court in the market. Besides, there is also a provision shop in the new village. There were 3 provision shops previously but 2 of them closed down due to keen competition. Villagers also shop in supermarkets and hypermarket located in Ipoh and Lahat. Figure 4: The only grocery found in the village. Many youths from Bukit Merah have left the new village for greener pastures in the towns. They return to the new village during major festivals such as Chinese New Year. 4
EDUCATION A Chinese primary school named S.R.J.K.(C) Bukit Merah was set up in the village in 2008. There is no secondary school in the village. Students who graduate from Bukit Merah Primary School may go to secondary schools nearby towns such as Menglembu or Ipoh. Most children in the new village walk or bicycle to school. A minority of parents bring their children to school by motorcycles or cars. Figure 5: S.R.J.K.(C) Bukit Merah There are three kindergartens available in the new village. One of the kindergartens is attached to the Bukit Merah primary school and is supported the government. It has approximately 20 pupils each year. Pupils who study in this kindergarten do not have to pay fees but they have to continue their studies at the Bukit Merah primary school. Another kindergarten is established by a Christian church and a third one is set up by a society ( 互助社 ) in the village. 5
Figure 6: Kindergarten of S.R.J.K.(C) Bukit Merah 6
SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES Bukit Merah New Village is a peaceful new village. Villagers spend their free time chit chatting in the local coffee shops. Besides, some of the villagers play mahjong in their house. In the evenings the villagers retire early to their homes for dinner and watching television. There is a police station located in the village. The crime rate in the village is very low. This is because villagers know each other well and are alert when they see strangers around. There are not many night patrols by the police as the village is relatively safe from crime. Figure 7: Police Station of Bukit Merah New Village. Although there are bus stops in the village buses have stopped coming to the new village for 3 years. This is because the buses had very few passengers from Bukit Merah. Now, villagers have to walk out of the village to get on a bus. 7
Figure 8: A bus stop is available but buses have stopped coming to Bkt Merah A small market is available in the new village. Villagers can buy their goods in the market. Besides, this market has provided job opportunities as hawkers for some of the villagers. However, this market is small compared to nearby marker in Menglembu. In fact, some of the villagers prefer to go to Menglembu s market. 8
Figure 9: Small market (pasar) selling vegetables, meat, dairy products and foods There is no post office or clinic in the new village. However, service for garbage collection is available. Each time villagers hold events such as wedding dinners or competitions, the most likely venue is the hall of the Y.M.C.A. building (Young Men's Christian Association). The Y.M.C.A has held several activities in the village. The latest activies include a drawing competition among children and a singing competition. Most of the villagers are Buddhists and Taoists. However, there are some families who are Christians. There is a temple near the village known as Nan Hai Guan Yin temple. 9
Figure 10: Nan Hai Guan Yin temple 10
TOURISM VALUE Tourists to Bukit Merah new village would probably enjoy the peace and tranquility of the place. The customs and traditional practices of villagers as well as their friendliness would probably appeal to most visitors. It takes only 4 to 5 minutes to travel from Bukit Merah new village to Ipoh by road. Tourists who visit Bukit Merah may also visit many attractions in Ipoh, including its historic Railway Station and its delicious food such as Ipoh tauge chicken rice. Besides, Bukit Merah New Village is also close to Batu Gajah where Kellie s Castle is located. Kellie s Castle has become one of the tourist landmarks of Perak State. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY Bukit Merah New Village is becoming increasingly urbanized. There are 11 new shop lots built in front of the village. All the shop lots are expected to start a business soon. Besides, a new shopping complex (Jusco) is being constructed in nearby Lahat. This project may help to raise the value of land in nearby areas. Since Bukit Merah new village s main economic activity is shoe-making, entrepreneurs may want to expand on this business in the new village. Such a development could in turn attract people to visit the area. Figure 11: 11 shop lots built for business purpose 11
PROBLEMS Due to the case of Asia Rare Earth radioactive dumping material, the public may hold negative views of Bukit Merah new village as they think that the new village is still not free from radioactive effects. As a result, not many people are willing to pay a visit to Bukit Merah new village. Even some villagers have moved out because of health worries related to radioactivity. Currently, the main problem in the new village is the ineffective drainage system. When there is heavy rainfall, there is a high possibility that the village will be flooded. The villagers have applied for financial support from the government to improve the drainage system. However, government has yet to approve the proposal. RECOMMENDATION There is need for the authorities to address the villagers concern about the after effects of radioactive dumping. Perhaps the government could also publicize to outsiders that Bukit Merah new village is safe so as to attract more people to the village. Besides, there is need for budget allocation to improve the drainage system in Bukit Merah new village. With this improvement, the quality of life of the villagers will be significantly improved. 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) 12