UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECTREPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE

KAMPUNG RAJAH 甘榜拉惹
GOMBAK

Project carried out by:

Student Name ID Number Course Year/ Semester

Chee Chen Hao 1102417 Financial Mathematics Year 4/ Semester 3

LohChooi Fern 1005381 Accounting Year 4/ Semester 3

DATE OF COMPLETION

OCTOBER 2015
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ABSTRACT

Kampong Rajah New Village is located in Rawang and it is close to Kuala Garing. It
is 14km north- west from Gombak. There are around 300 residents or approximately 80
households in this new village. The main ethnic groups are Chinese (around 80%), followed
by Indians (15%) and others. In recent decades, the building construction industry has been
dominating the economy in Kampong Rajah. Besides that, there are villagers who are
engaged in the local plantations and small business enterprises. Many residents, especially
the younger adults, have moved out of the village to places where there are opportunities to
further their education or to seek better employment opportunities.

There is no education institution in Kampong Rajah. Most locals are educated from
kindergarten to secondary school level at Kuala Garing, which is 2km away from this new
village.

Hutan Lipur Kanching, Taman TakunTempler Park and Hutan Lipur Bukit Lagong
are popular tourist destinations which are close to Kampong Rajah.

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INTRODUCTION

Kampong Rajah is under the district of Gombak. It has a history of approximately 80

years. Mr Wong Chee Wai, headman of the village and also the representative from the
federal government, has been holding this position for two to three years. He is a member of
the MCA (Malaysia Chinese Association). Mr Wong was born in Jalan Tokong, a village
close to Kampong Rajah. Most of the maintenance/development fund in this village is
provided by the state government with support from the federal government.

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HISTORY

According to Mr. Chow, one of the earliest residents of Kampong Rajah, the village
area was once a swamp but became a “new village” in 1948 during the period of Emergency
under British rule. The British authorities resettled many residents from the Rawang area
particularly those from a nearby village called Kuala Garing, into this new village and
imposed strict rules and curfew hours to prevent the locals from providing supplies to the
communists.

Before it was officially renamed as Kampong Rajah, this village was known as
Kampong Tokong because of a well known “Guan Yin” temple (tokong) at the entrance of
the village. Mr Chow recalls that the village’s development was aided by officials from the
Ministry of Health and it was renamed after J.P Rajah, a founding Village Committee
representative.

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POPULATION, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION

POPULATION

Before the 1970s, Kampong Rajah’s population size was at its peak of approximately
140 families. At that time, there were about 450 Chinese in the village and they formed the
majority of the population. Later in the 1970s, due to expansion and development in Rawang,
Kampong Rajah witnessed the inflow of Malays and Indians who were mainly family and
staff from Jabatan Kerja Raya (JKR). As the nearby city of Kuala Lumpur developed, there
were more promising job opportunities in the city and this attracted the younger generation of
Kampong Rajah to move out, leaving behind the older generation and the some Indonesian
laborers.

HOUSING

All land in Kampong Rajah are non-freehold, which means the government can
reclaim the land under certain conditions. All houses carry “TOL” (temporary occupation
license) house numbers.

In recent decades, there have been proposals from developers which offer houses or
apartments nearby in exchange for the land in Kampong Rajah. These developers had
planned to build residential and commercial units in the village. However none of the
proposals has materialized so far. Currently, most houses in Kampong Rajah are wooden
structures which were built many years ago.

Wooden houses in Kampong Rajah

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Traditional toilet outside some houses

During our visit to Kampong Rajah, there were only about 40 occupied houses in the
village and the rest were abandoned. A fire at the end of September 2015 destroyed 12
houses and caused 1 death. After this incident, the number of residents dropped from 120 to
around 70 people.

The recent fire that burnt down 12 houses

In the 1980s, Kereta Tanah Melayu’s (KTM) railway track passed through Kampong
Rajah and part of the village was turned into houses for KTM staff. These houses now cover
an area of 160m x 87m only.

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Google Map of Kampong Rajah

KTM staff housing

KTM Railroad behind staff hostel

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TRANSPORTATION

Most villagers own cars and motorcycles. Besides that, public transportation like
Rawang KTM station are within 500meters from the village while the Rawang Bus
Terminal provides daily bus services to the north, south and east coast of Malaysia. For travel
over short distances, bus providers like SJ Bus address the demand for public transport.
Many oldies in Kampong Rajah travel by foot to nearby coffee shops or the local market.

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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

In the early years of this village, like several others in Selangor, many men of
Kampong Rajah were working as construction workers while some of them were engaged in
the plantations in this area. Down the road, many younger generation villagers pursued
tertiary education and a significant number moved away to the cities to seek better
opportunities. Very often, the older generation villagers are left behind. Some of these elderly
villagers work as craftsmen and skilled labor. For instance, a villager named Mr Yew spends
his “retirement” crafting handmade Thai amulet frames upon special order from customers.

Mr Yew demonstrates the amulet handicraft process

Mr Yew also has a small garden in front of his house where he grows flowers and
“bon zai” plants which he sells at a good price.

On the other side of the village, we spotted a few plantations and orchards with crops
such as sugar cane and ubikayu (tapioca). The output from these plantations/orchards is more
than needed for domestic consumption which makes us believe that the owners sell part or all
of the harvest to nearby markets.

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Mr Yew’s small garden

Sugar cane plantation

Shortly before our departure from the village, we meet a lady from Kampong Rajah
who sells soya bean drinks at JalanBesar (the main street outside Kampong Rajah) in the
evenings. This is another example of how some of the adults are employed in small
businesses.

Other than the locals, we were told that some Indonesian workers who are staying in
Kampong Rajah work as construction workers.

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Lady with her soya bean beverage stall

EDUCATION

We were informed by the village leader, Mr Wong CheeWai, and resident Mr Chow,
that many generations of inhabitants in Kampung Rajah studied at S.R.J.K (C) San Yuk
(Rawang). In the past, pupils walked or cycled to this primary school.

For secondary school education, many villagers travel to S.M.K. Kuala Garing which
is located about 2km from Kampung Rajah. The nearest tertiary education institution is
KolejAsa, Jalan Bandar Rawang which is 500m away from Kampung Rajah. However, many
of the younger generation pursue their tertiary education at TAR University College (Tunku
Abdul Rahman University College), Setapak.

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SMK Kuala Garing

KolejAsa, Jalan Bandar Rawang(Source: Twitter, KolejASA)

SOCIAL, CULTURE AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

SOCIETY

From our interview with villager Mr Chow (88 years old), we were informed that
many elderly residents of Kg Rajah as well as those from surrounding villages love to gather
at coffeeshops in the afternoon. “Mahjong” is another local favourite pastime. We also
observed that there are a few Chinese clubhouses (“hui guan”) at JalanBesar and these are
another avenue for the seniors to socialize.

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Kelab Kong Yue – One of the nearby Chinese clubs

The village is tranquil and serene. Nevertheless, the serenity of this area is sometimes
broken by crimes such as the snatch theft by motorcyclists which occurred moments before
we arrived at the village.

We can find convenience stores, grocery shops and other small shops at JalanBesar,
JalanSilang and Rawang town centre which is about1km from Kampong Rajah. Villagers can
stock up their daily needs or dine at these places.

Mr Wong Chee Wai (representative from the Federal Government) informed us that
the committee he leads has no follow up plan in organising social activities to uphold the
unity of fellow villagers as the ruling party of the territory is from Pakatan Rakyat. This is an
awkward position for Mr Wong and some of the villagers’ concerns, hygiene and safety
issues may have been compromised.

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Road maintenance done by Federal Government

Maintenance of drainage system by State Government

Mr Wong CheeWai’s federal village leader’s service office

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CULTURE

According to Mr Wong, the majority of villagers are from the Hokkian dialect group
and Mr Yew’s family is the only Hakka family in Kampong Rajah. However all Chinese
residents speak Mandarin and Cantonese as well. The Chinese villagers seem to know each
other well.

There are a few Indian residents in Kampung Rajah. Also there is a growing number
of Indonesian workers in the village.

Planting behind residence area

RELIGIONS

Chinese and Indian residents in Kampong Rajah pray to different gods and deities
whose statues are placed in their homes. Other than that, there is a house which is partly
converted into a small temple named the “JiGong Temple”.

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Ji Gong Temple

Multiple statues of Taoist deities, including “Ji Gong” and Guanyin, are placed in this
temple. The temple conducts prayer ritual service every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday and Saturday night. The ritual service attracts people of different ethnic groups from
other parts of Selangor. These visitors come forth and seek blessings from the deities.

The interior of the “Ji Gong Temple”

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“NaTuk”(aka Datuk) statues

Newspaper cut-out regarding the “Ji Gong” ritual services

Besides the “Ji Gong” temple, there is a “Guan Yin” temple which this village was
originally (Kampong Tokong) named after. This temple is approximately 150 years old and it
is currently under renovation.

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Guan Yin temple under renovation

Statues of Guan Yin and various deities’

At Jalan Besar outside Kampong Rajah, there is a Hindu temple named “Sri
VeerakathyVinayagar” Temple. This is a place of worship for Indian villagers who are Hindu.

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Sri VeerakathyVinayagar Temple

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PROBLEMS AND NEEDS OF THE PEOPLE

Double Parking Issue

Twelve houses were razed in a big fire on 9 September 2015. According to the New
Straits Times, there was an elderly Indonesian who was killed in the fire. According to The
Star, delay in the arrival of the rescue team is a possible cause of this fatality. The main road,
JalanWelman, is the only route to enter Kampong Rajah. However, double and triple parking
made it difficult for the rescue team to reach the scene of this tragedy. This fire destroyed 12
houses.

Fire in Kampong Rajah (Source: The Star)

Lack of Community Activities

According to Mr Wong CheeWai, there is no community-wide activity organized in

this village since 2010. Before this, there were annual village meetings and activities such as
Mid-Autumn Celebration and Chinese New Year Celebration. However, due to lack of
cooperation, these activities have not been organized in the past five years.

Daily social activities for many villagers are often limited to teatime gatherings. Most of the
residents in this village are from the older generation who remain in the village while their
children have outmigrated to the urban areas.

Housing Permit Issue

Currently, all houses in Kampung Rajah are located on land categorized as non-
freehold. Their land can be easily reclaimed by the state government. Unfortunately, many
villagers have already paid up to RM 5,000 for some new reconstruction/development project

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in the village which has been delayed. The villagers are unhappy and dissatisfied with this
situation.

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RECOMMENDATION

Double Parking

The local authority should strengthen the enforcement of the law to deter the habit of
double parking or triple parking. More frequent patrolling by the enforcement personnel is
needed.

Lack of activity

Non-government organizations (NGO) could cooperate with the local authority or

villagers to organise community activities. Clubs and societies which focus on a healthy
lifestyle such as “Qi-Gong” clubs would be useful, considering the number of elderly
residents in Kampong Rahah. Other clubs which would benefit the general wellbeing of
villagers include those which organize singing/music sessions and those which improve the
environment of the village.

Housing Permit Issue

The project to redevelop this village has been delayed for over 20 years and villagers
are dissatisfied with this situation, especially because many have paid an initial deposit. The
local authority should work with villagers to resolve this issue.

TOURISM VALUE

The religious practices and temples in Kg Rajah are a local attraction which could
draw tourists to this village. According to the villagers, the “Ji-Gong Temple” attracts visitors
in the Gombak area as well as others from Kuala Lumpur and beyond. “Ji-Gong” is a deity
whom many believe has the power to cure various diseases and to improve worshippers’
wellbeing. The “Ji-Gong Temple” is open to the public every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
and Saturday.

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Ji- Gong Temple

Another well known temple in this village is the called “Guan-Yin Temple”. It has
tourism value as well as historical value because of its long history of around 150 years. This
temple has witnessed the growth of this new village.

Additionally, there are several tourist attractions close to Kampong Rajah, including
Hutan Lipur Kanching, Taman TakunTempler Park and Hutan Lipur Bukit Lagong. All
these places are close to nature and ideal for camping holidays. Taman TakunTempler also
has a golf club named “Templer Park Golf and Country Club”.

The view of Templer Park Golf and Country Club(Source: ptgc.com)

Hutan Lipur Kanching is a popular spot for picnic. The waterfall and refreshing river
water attract visitors especially during weekends. It is located 9.1km from Kampong Rajah.

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HutanLipurKanching (Source: MalaysiaVacationGuide.com)

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

In our opinion, Kampong Rajah can be developed into a tourist attraction. Compared
with other new villages, this village is one of the closest to the main road/highway. It could
be marketed as a place to experience and enjoy nature and rural life as well as a place to share
in or observe local religious practices and traditions.

Perhaps new hotels or hostels could be built with architecture which reflects the
traditions of this area. Villagers could also be encouraged to start homestay programmes and
advised by the authorities on how to go about developing such enterprises. Some villagers
can use this opportunity to develop their land into beautiful nurseries or gardens which attract
visitors.

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REFERENCE

Arif, Z.M. (2015, September 9). New Strait Time: Senior Citizen Killed in the Fire.

Retrieved 10 October 2015 from http://www.nst.com.my/news/2015/09/senior-

citizen-killed-fire-0

Michael, S. (2015, September 19). The Star: Double-Parking Causing Chaos. Retrieved 10

October 2015 from

http://www.thestar.com.my/Metro/Community/2015/09/19/Doubleparking-causing-
chaos-Rawang-council-urged-to-act-against-motorists-and-businesses-who-block-t/

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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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