LIMA KEDAI

UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT

REPORT

NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:

LIMA KEDAI五间店

JOHOR

Project carried out by:

Student Name Student ID Course Year /

Semester

1.Ng Min Yee 09AAB06196 Public Relations Y 2 T 3

2.Chan Yin Yee 09AAB02845 Business Administration Y 1 T 3

DATE OF COMPLETION:

DECEMBER 2010

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ABSTRACT

Lima Kedai was established in the year 1948. Its name ―Lima Kedai‖ (five

shops) refers to the original 5 shops in the village. These shops were owned by a

Sikh and five Chinese villagers. Today, there are approximately 6,000 residents in

Lima Kedai. The majority of whom are Malays, followed by Chinese and Indians.

The current headman of the village is Mr. Chan Wah Chi. The education

institutions in Lima Kedai are Tadika Hamson, Sekolah Agama Lima Kedai and

SJK (C) Ping Ming. When the village was first established, rubber tapping and

farming were the villagers‘ main source of income. As the village developed and

expanded, manufacturing became much more important in the local economy.

Facilities and amenities available in Lima Kedai include a police station, a clinic,

a community hall, public transport, a recreation park, postal services, a sewerage

plant, electricity and piped water supply. Besides the Neighborhood association,

several political parties such as UMNO, PAS, Gerakan Rakyat and MCA have set

up offices in Lima Kedai. The village‘s security and Development Committee

(JKKK) administers local infrastructure and development. Tokong Xuan Tian is

the only Chinese temple in Lima Kedai. It has also two buildings: one building is

45 years old while the other was built recently on 2 May 2008. Villagers have

several concerns on matters related to its schools, security and safety

environmental problems and general availability of facilities.

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HISTORY, BACKGROUND AND POPULATION

Lima Kedai was established in 1948, during the Emergency. During that

time, Lima Kedai was surrounded with estates and most of the Chinese settlers

were scattered throughout the place. When the Briggs Plan was launched by Sir

Henry Gurney, the Chinese were gathered and resettled at Kampung Baru. The

police force was introduced to break off any contact between the villagers and the

communists by blocking the supplies of food, medicine and information to the

communists.

The name of the village ―Lima Kedai‖ came about because originally this

village had only five shops which were owned by a Sikh and five Chinese. Before

1985, 90% of the residents were Chinese. Lima Kedai was known as a ―black

area‖ due to the presence of many gangsters and secret societies. In 1985, the

government built low cost houses and consequently, there was a change in the

demography of the residents—60% Chinese and 40% Indian and Malays. The

total number of households in 2000 was 454 and the average household size was

4.9. Currently, there are approximately 6000 residents staying in Lima Kedai, the

majority of which are Malays (60%), Chinese (35%) and Indians (5%). The

current headman of the village is Mr. Chan Wah Chi.

Table 1: The difference in number and percentage of ethnic group in 1991 and

2000

Ethnic Group 1991 2000

No. % No. %

Chinese 906 40.4 809 36.2

Malay 1010 45.0 1167 52.2

Indian 239 10.7 247 11.0

Others 87 3.9 14 0.6

Total 2242 100 2237 100

Source: Census 2000, Dept. of Statistics.

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Table 2: The number of male and female residents according to different age

group

Age Group

(2000)

Male Female Total

0-14 353 332 685

15-64 768 720 1488

65 and above 35 29 64

Total 1156 1081 2237

Source: Census 2000, Dept. of Statistics.

Entrance signboard of Lima Kedai Sign board showing the direction to

Lima Kedai housing area and SJK (C)

Ping Ming

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EDUCATION

There are a kindergarten and primary schools in Lima Kedai. Tadika

Hamson is the only kindergarten in Lima Kedai. One of the primary schools,

Sekolah Agama Lima Kedai was established in 2001. The school is graded ‗C‘ as

there are only 363 students—21 students in the morning session (Standard 5-

10students; Standard 6-11 students) and 342 students in the afternoon session.

There are 7 teachers in this 6-classroom school – one in the morning session and

the rest are in the afternoon session. There is only one male teacher in the school.

The facilities and infrastructures provided include a staff room, an office, a library,

a surau and a canteen. According to one of the teachers we interviewed, all the

students in Sekolah Agama Lima Kedai are well-behaved and there is no

disciplinary problem.

Front view of Sek. Agama Lima Kedai Sek. Agama Lima Kedai‘s logo

SJK (C) Ping Ming was established in 1947. There was a fund-raising for

the school building by a few persons including the first headmaster of the school.

The total amount of funds collected was RM1600. During the year, SJK (C) Ping

Ming was a simple and crude ―atap house‖ consisting of 50 students and 2

teachers. The school outlay relied on the gardener and estate workers‘ funding. In

1952, the number of students and teachers increased to 170 and 4 respectively due

to subsidies from the government. After reconstruction of the school in 1953, the

number of students and teachers rose to 200 and 6 respectively.

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In 1981, the school built a canteen. Not only that, a multi-purpose hall, a

staff room and a library were built through fund-raising. A charity banquet was

organized for the purpose of building new classrooms and a comprehensive hall

on 27 November 1994 and it successfully raised RM30000. A double-storey

building- Block A (6 classrooms) was constructed with a RM300000 fund from

The 6th

Malaysia Plan. Furthermore, a four-storey building- Block B together with

a comprehensive hall was built as a result of a charity fund, sponsored by

―Guinness Stout Sdn. Bhd.‖ in collaboration with the organizer ―Nan Yang Siang

Bao‖.

In 2000, the total number of students and teachers grew to 189 and 12

respectively. The government also subsidized RM100000 for the reconstruction

of the school canteen. In addition, special education classes were introduced in

2001. The Chairperson of MCA Zon Gelang Patah, Mr. Chew Kong Huat donated

RM 94000 for the construction of a sports complex in 2002. In 2004, the number

of students reached 900 and there were 37 teachers. Some of the classes were

conducted at the Music room, ABM room, Life Skills room due to lack of

classrooms. The school is also facing the problem of insufficient teachers.

Consequently, 43% of the teaching staff are part-time teachers. There is also an

increase of students to 1425 in 2007 and the number of teachers was 65 during the

year. This caused insufficient number of classrooms and facilities for use.

Today, there are 89 teachers and 1814 students which include 1718

Chinese, 38 Malays, 27 Indians and 31 from other ethnic groups such as Sikh,

Dusun, Iban, Kadazan, Murut, Kenyah, Bidayuh and Thai. There is also a special

education programme which consists of 4 classes with 34 students and pre-school

with 18 students. The facilities available are a basketball court, a field, a library,

and a lab. According to Ms. Lim, the GPK Co curriculum, a multi-purpose hall is

needed to gather such a large amount of students. So far, the school had organized

plenty of activities such as Mid-Autumn Evening, Sports Day, Book Fair,

Children‘s Day, Talks and Parents‘ Day.

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School bus provided by Tadika Hamson Entrance sign of SJK (C) Ping Ming

which is under SJK (C) Ping Ming

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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

During the early years, Lima Kedai was a village surrounded by rubber

estates. Hence, most of the residents were estate workers. They did rubber tapping

to get their daily income. Besides that, some of the residents engaged in business

and did farming as well. These activities were important sources of livelihood for

the residents at that time.

However, as the village developed and expanded, industrial activities have

become the main economic activity in Lima Kedai especially manufacturing

industry. Consequently, the agricultural and farming activities have reduced. Most

of the villagers work for in factories, private companies and government

department such as police station, clinic and school. There are also local retail

businesses such as motor workshops, coffee shops and mini markets. This led to

an increase in job opportunities. By taking up those jobs either as factory workers

or shopkeepers, the villagers have a regular income and thus increase their living

status. For instance, they are able to afford better transportations such as

motorbikes and cars. It was found out that each family in Lima Kedai has at least

a car as their basic need for transportation.

Although there are employee opportunities in the village, many youngsters

still prefer to move out after secondary school year in order to look for better jobs

elsewhere due to higher income. Most of the youngsters left the village and went

to Johor Bahru or Singapore to work. They usually come back during weekends or

once in awhile when there is an occasion. As a result, a majority of the factory

workers are foreign workers.

Farm Fresh Agriculture Sdn. Bhd. Dj Coatings (M) Sdn. Bhd.

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Xern-Lim Wood Works Huat Ming Trading

Hiap Huat Recycling Enterprise A coffee shop at the factories area

Mini Market Fatt Choy Retail Store Empat Z Entrprise

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INFRASTRUCTURES

The infrastructures, utilities and facilities of the village provided in Lima Kedai

are shown below:

1. Water and electricity supplies

Tenaga Nasional

2. Sewerage plant and disposal

Sewerage treatment plant Indah Water truck

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3. Police station

Lima Kedai Police Station

4. Clinic

Clinic Lima Kedai

5. Community hall

Side view of Lima Kedai community hall

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6. Food stalls

Food court Majlis Perbandaran Johor Bahru Tengah

7. Morning market

Morning wet market

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8. Public transport

Causeway Link- a public bus

Bus stop

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9. Recreation park

Recreation park

10. Posting service

Post box

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SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

The political parties available in the village are UMNO, PAS, GERAKAN

and MCA. One of the associations in Lima Kedai is the Neighbourhood

Association. Villagers volunteer themselves to be home guards in their housing

area. Some of the members of the association are members of the community

police and RELA. These volunteers will patrol once a week, usually during

weekends. However, sometimes it depends on situation. For example, if there are

crimes happening often, they will patrol more regularly.

Besides that, there is also a Development and Security Department in the village.

This department is responsible for the village development such as building of

houses and factories. Furthermore, it ensures the security of the village.

Development and Security Department of Lima Kedai

The religious buildings seen in the village are as follows:

a) Chinese temple

Tokong Xuan Tian is the only Chinese temple in Lima Kedai. It has two

buildings whereby one has a history of 45 years and the other was built recently in

2 May 2008. The newer building is sponsored by people including the villagers

and outsiders. The donations range from RM 100-RM30000. Tokong Xuan Tian

opens from 5am-8pm daily and till 9pm on the first day of Chinese lunar calendar.

The caretaker of this temple has been working in the temple for 11 years. He said

that there are not many devotees who go to the temple for prayers and offerings

even on the first and the fifteenth days of the Chinese lunar calendar month except

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for the third day and third month of Chinese lunar calendar. During the day, the

temple will invite people to attend a banquet.

Tokong Xuan Tian

b) Surau

. Surau Nur Hidayah Perumahan Lima Kedai

c) Hindu temple

Sri Maha Mariamman Alayam

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ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Lima Kedai provides good entrepreneurship opportunities for the industry

especially the manufacturing industry such as electronics, metal and wood

industries. The private sector can further develop more factories. This not only

will increase the business opportunities but also can boost up the economy in

Lima Kedai. When the number of factories increases, it provides more job

opportunities for the residents. The more workers they hire, the higher

productivity of products and services. Consequently, it can help to expand

business to other states or even overseas. When there is entrepreneurship

opportunities, the population will increase and this will mean that the housing

areas need to be extended too.

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PROBLEMS

There are several issues faced by the villagers of Lima Kedai that have become a

barrier to the development of the village.

1. Schools

Sekolah Agama Lima Kedai and SJK (C) Ping Ming are the only education

institutions in the village which means the education system for the villagers is

limited as there is no secondary school for them. The nearest secondary school

would be SMK Taman Mutiara Rini. This has causes inconvenience for the

residents because they need to fetch their children to and fro from school five days

in a week. Cycling to the school is not a good idea due to the distance and it is

dangerous to do so. In addition, there is need for a SK school because the majority

of the residents are Malays but SJK (C) Ping Ming is a Chinese primary school

which uses Mandarin as the main medium of teaching. It would be difficult for

other ethnic students to catch up with studies.

2. Environment

Pollution is one of the biggest problems faced by all the residents. The main

road in Lima Kedai serves as a shortcut to Singapore; many people are taking the

pathway to Singapore. Hence, air pollution has becomes worse due to high traffic.

In addition, land pollution is another factor that affects the cleanliness of the

village. Although there is a recycling business in Lima Kedai, the amount of

garbage produced is increasing daily. This has caused the rubbish at the garbage

dumps to pile up. The villagers even practice open burning. The release of toxic

gases aggravates the air pollution in this area.

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Rubbish pile up at garbage dumps Open burning

3. Facilities

According to Mr. Haji Sulamian bin Surib, president of the Neighbourhood

Association Lima Kedai, a field is needed for the villagers to pass their time. He

added that there is a recreation park but it is not in a good condition. This is

probably due to poor maintenance and vandalism done by the villagers. On top of

that, the residents are in need of food stalls that need to be set up in the village

instead of at the factory area. There is also no TM office and post office in Lima

Kedai. The nearest post offices are in Gelang Patah and Skudai. Thus, it has

caused trouble to the residents whenever they want to pay their electric and water

bills. They have to drive all the way to these two towns in order to get their bills

settled. For banking services, they have to travel to Gelang Patah and Taman Yu

too. A fire station is also not available in Lima Kedai. For instance, if there is a

fire, the villagers will have to call for help from the fire station either in Taman

Yu or Pekan Nanas.

4. Security and safety

The crime rate in the village is relatively high. The most common crime that

occurs is snatch theft. There were cases reported regarding loss of motorbikes too.

This may be due to lack of the police force in this area. In Lima Kedai, there are

only three policemen. It is so obvious that the area is in short of police force to

guard the security and maintain peace in the village.

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APPENDICES

The caretaker of Tokong Xuan Tian and I

An interview with Ustazah Mariamah, one of the teachers of Sekolah Agama

Lima Kedai

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A picture with Mr. Haji Sulamian bin Surib, president of Neighbourhood

Association Lima Kedai

A picture with Ms. Lim Chew Teng, GPK Co curriculum of SJK (C) Ping Ming

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 (Klang Valley Campus)

05- 4688888 ext 2297/2299 (Perak Campus)