UTAR NEW VILLAGE SURVEY PROJECT
REPORT
NAME OF NEW VILLAGE:
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN) 林鲁(雅逸旺满)
MELAKA
Project carried out by:
DATE OF COMPLETION:
NOVEMBER 2013
Student Name
ID Number
Course
Year/ Trimester
1. Ng Mei Gee 10UKB06804 Bachelor of
Economics (Hons)
Global Economics Y3/T3
2. Heng Hwa Fook 11UKB02756 Bachelor of
Economics (Hons)
Global Economics Y3/T2
3. Loke Jianxin 11UKB02919 Bachelor of
Economics (Hons)
Global Economics Y3/T3
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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ABSTRACT
Kampung Baru Lendu is a Chinese New Village situated in Lendu. Lendu is a
place situated close to Alor Gajah and Masjid Tanah. The main highway exit near
to it is the Simpang Ampat exit of North South highway. Furthermore, it is
connected by a main road known as Lebuh AMJ. This report covers the following
aspects of the village: Population, Housing and History, infrastructure, social and
community facilities, education, transportation, economic activities, social,
cultural and religious practices, tourism value, entrepreneurship opportunities,
problems and recommendations. To obtain the relevant information, survey
methods such as interview and field observation were used.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
First and Foremost, we would like to express our gratitude towards all related
parties for their kind support and assistance in guiding us throughout this new
village survey. We appreciate that UTAR has provided us the opportunity to
conduct this survey and gain insight into a Chinese new village. Furthermore, we
would also like to thank Mr Tan, head of the village, for providing us with
valuable information about this village.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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HISTORY, POPULATION & HOUSING
Figure 1: Kampung Baru Lendu entrance.
Kampung Baru Lendu is one of the Chinese New Villages which was established
in the 1950s. It is located in the district of Alor Gajah. This village has a
predominantly Chinese population. The main purpose of forming new villages in
Malaysia was to separate the villagers from the Malayan Communist Party during
the Malayan Emergency. Rural folk were then relocated into the new villages
according to their race and the authorities monitored their movements so as to
prevent them from providing support to the communists. During the Malayan
Emergency, 450 new villages were set up throughout Peninsular Malaysia and
Kampung Baru Lendu was one of them. Since then, Kampung Baru Lendu has
become the permanent settlement of the original inhabitants and their descendants.
Residents of Kampung Baru Lendu named the village “雅逸旺满” in mandarin.
“雅”means “beautiful”, “逸” means “a comfortable place”, “旺”means “full of
prosperity” while “满” means “satisfied/content with the current situation”. In
other words, Kampung Baru Lendu is a beautiful village that provides prosperity
and a comfortable place for everyone and people who live here are satisfied/
content with everything they have.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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Kampung Baru Lendu can be reached by road via Exit 227- Alor Gajah
Interchange exit of the North-South Expressway. The nearest town is Masjid
Tanah and Alor Gajah is a 10-minute drive from Kampung Baru Lendu. Malacca
town centre is approximately a 30-minutes drive or 26 km away.
The current (2014) chairperson of the Kampung Baru Lendu village committee is
Mr Tan Kim Hock. According to Mr Tan, the population of Kampung Baru Lendu
has been increasing over the past few years. While the vast majority of villagers
are Chinese, there are 4 Indian families and 2 Malay families who live in Kg. Baru
Lendu.
Figure 2: A rubber estate which is being cleared for a new housing development.
In the past, the village was surrounded by rubber and oil palm estates. In recent
years, a rubber estate (about 24 hectares) has been cleared for the construction of
78 detached houses. Local infrastructure has been upgraded lately. For example,
the drainage system has been improved and the village is no longer flooded during
the rainy season. The roads have also been widened and resurfaced.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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INFRASTRUCTURE
Before the 1960s, residents were using well water to drink, wash clothes and so
forth. Before the 1970’s electricity came from a power generate owned by the
government. Electricity supply was available from 6.30 a.m. to 6.30 p.m. daily. In
contrast, villagers now have access to piped water (under Syarikat Air Melaka
Bhd or SAMB) and 24-hour electricity supply and Tenaga Nasional Bhd or TNB.
Most importantly, the standard of living of residents has improved overs the years.
Telekom Malaysia remains as the service provider for fixed line phones. Mobile
phones are also widely used by the villagers who subscribe to Maxis, Digi or
Celcom networks. For emergency and security services, villages have easy access
to the police station which is just a 5-minute drive away. However, the nearest fire
station is located in Alor Gajah. Garbage collection service is provided by the
Majlis Perbandaran Melaka. Garbage is collected approximately twice a week.
Apart from this, volunteer charity groups visit the village. Once every five months
to collect the used glass, plastic or aluminum containers for recycling.
Figure 3: Government Clinic.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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Figure 4: Medical treatment schedule.
The Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (Ministry of Health) runs a clinic which is
just a stone’s throw away from the Dewan Orang Ramai (community hall) of
Kampung Baru Lendu. However, due to the increasing number of old people in
the village, there is a growing demand for medical care for minor ailments, minor
surgery and emergency cases. Facilities at the clinic cannot cater to all these cases.
Villagers often have to travel to Melaka General Hospital for medical care. Some
travel to the private clinic’s in Alor Gajah.
Social and Community Facilities
Kampung Baru Lendu is reasonably well equipped with modern amenities. There
is a post office located in Alor Gajah which is about a 10-minute drive from the
new village. Besides, postmen sometimes come to collect letters which the
villagers want to send out.
Two petrol stations (Caltex and Petronas) are located roughly 10-minutes away
from Kampung Baru Lendu. The nearest government departments are located in
Alor Gajah.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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Figure 5: Dewan Orang Ramai.
This hall has basic exercise equipment, a basketball court, a badminton court and
public toilets. It is also used by the Kg Baru Lendu Veterans’ clubs. Apart from
that, this hall also serves as the venue for events which involve large crowds.
Sometimes, there are competitions organized by Malaysian Chinese Association
(MCA) such as basketball competitions. Entrance fees are not charged for these
events. According to our interviewee, Mr Tan, many teenagers come here to
exercise in the afternoons, while old folks come over here to chit chat, watch
television dramas, and enjoy karaoke in the afternoons and evenings.
There is no burial ground in the new village. However, there are 1 Hindu and 1
Chinese burial ground in Malacca town which is not far from the new village. The
Chinese cemetery is just behind the Hang Li Poh Well in the town.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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Figure 16: Chinese temple
In terms of religious buildings, there is only a Chinese temple and a mosque in the
new village.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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EDUCATION
Figure 17: MCA Langkawi Project
There is a kindergarten in Kg Baru Lendu which is operated by the Langkawi
Project, organized by the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA). This
kindergarten has been operating for more than 10 years. The tuition fee of each
child is only RM100+ per year. Classes start from 8am to 12pm, every Monday to
Friday during public and school, except holidays. Currently, there are more than
thirty students with two teachers in this kindergarten. In the afternoon, the
kindergarten also conducts dance classes for children for additional fees.
Figure 18: Surrounding of the kindergarten
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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Figure 19: Surrounding of the kindergarten
Figure 20: SJKC Lendu
SJK (C) Lendu is the primary school located in this village. It was established in
the 1950s. Once upon a time, this school educated students who performed very
well in public exams. Support in the past from Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and the
MCA has helped to increase this school’s enrolment. However, currently, this
school has only 130 students and 12 teachers. As a result, this school runs only
one session (morning school) a day.
There is no secondary school in this village. The nearest secondary school is
located in Alor Gajah. It is a government school named Sekolah Menengah Dato’
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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Dol Said. The nearest private school is Pay Fong High School which is located in
the city of Malacca.
Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) is only a 5-minute drive from this new
village. UiTM offers a variety of courses at Diploma and Degree levels. There are
courses in Business and Management, Science, etc.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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TRANSPORTATION
Cars and motorcycles are the main modes of transportation. Usually,
villagers prefer to ride motorcycles as this is an economical mode of
transportation.
Figure 21: Cars and motorcycle of the villagers
Buses are the only available public transportation. They are available at
half-hourly intervals. It is no surprise that the villagers travel by bus if they want
to go to town. The nearest bus terminal is Alor Gajah Sentral Bus Terminal,
approximately 7 km from this new village.
Figure 22: Bus station
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
The main economic activities of Lendu New Village are agriculture and
commerce. And, there is a factory located near the new village. There are also a
number of villagers who work in Malacca town.
Most of the villagers engage in agricultural activities. They plant
vegetables, oil palm and rubber as their main sources of income. Normally, these
crops are for sale. Nonetheless, some vegetables are kept for the farmer’s own
consumption. The total area cultivated is approximately 1,000 acre, i.e. average
area per household is approximately 4 acres.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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Figure 23: Plantations and smallholdings of Lendu New Village
There are a few retail shops in Lendu New Village. These include sundry
shop, coffee shops, and a wet market. The financial institution in Lendu is Bank
Simpanan Nasional (BSN).
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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SOCIAL, CULTURAL & RELIGIOUS PRACTICE
The vast majority of people in Lendu New Village are Chinese. The new
village has a Chinese temple nearby.
Figure 25: Chinese temple located in Lendu
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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TOURISM VALUE
There is a “recreation park cum garden” in Lendu New Village. It has a
small playground and the scenic beauty of its garden has tourism value.
The Recreation Park
The Recreation Park
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Basically, the villagers’ main source of income is from the agriculture sector.
Many villagers work in their own rubber smallholdings and they sell the rubber to
traders. The relatively low and fluctuating price of rubber means that villagers do
not earn much. New entrepreneurial activities could increase the villager’s
income. For example, instead of selling raw rubber to the vendors, the villagers
with the help of the relevant parties can set up a factory to process the raw rubber
into finished goods such as rubber bands and other related products. Furthermore,
villagers can set up restaurants selling local Chinese cuisines to lure outsiders to
taste their traditional food. Apart from that, some villagers could operate home
stay programs for tourists who wish to experience life in a new village.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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PROBLEMS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
First of all, there are no public phones in Kg Baru Lendu. As public phones are
vital when there is an emergency, it should be provided at the village. Next, the
village needs a fire station and better medical facilities such as a bigger clinic
instead of a small rural clinic. This can improve the living standards of the
villagers.
Figure 27: Dark lightings inside the public toilets in the community
Certain facilities in the community hall need to be improved. For example,
disable friendly facilities are lacking. There is only a staircase between the ground
floor and first floor and this makes it impossible for these who are wheelchair-
bound to reach the first floor. Lighting in the toilets is rather dim and this poses a
danger for users.
SJK(C) Lendu’s recent performance in public examinations has been
sliding. This issue needs to be handled urgently. Perhaps the quality of teaching
staff and/or their training needs to be looked into.
LENDU (AIR BEMBAN)
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CONCLUSION
Last but not least, the local authorities could provide facilities in the community
hall for the elderly who form a significant proportion of the population. Board
games and mahjong tables would probably be useful.
We learned several new things during this project. Firstly, we learned about the
history and culture of Kampung Baru Lendu through our visit. We became more
aware of the importance of preserving and maintaining the traditional culture of
the Chinese community in this new village. Apart from that, we found out about
improvements which could be made to provide villagers with a higher standard of
living.
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)