UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT REPORT NAME OF NEW VILLAGE: AYER KEROH 爱极乐 MELAKA

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1 UTAR NEW VILLAGE COMMUNITY PROJECT REPORT NAME OF NEW VILLAGE: 爱极乐 MELAKA Project carried out by: Student Name Student ID Course Year/ Semester 1. Ong Liqing 09ABB06216 Accounting Y3S1 2. Ang Yuwei 09ABB06215 Accounting Y3S1 3. Khong Kok Hooi 09ABB07713 Accounting Y3S1 DATE OF COMPLETION AUGUST 2011

2 ABSTRACT Ayer Keroh is a new village situated in the state of Malacca Malaysia. Its main entrance is right next to the Ayer Keroh Toll through the North-South Expressway. This makes it easily accessible from army part of Peninsular Malaysia. Residents in Ayer Keroh have experienced improvements in their standard of living over the years. They have access to piped water supply, electricity, telecommunication services, welfare services, security services and public transport. Although residents complain that the drainage system needs improvement they do enjoy the benefits of many public utilities and amenities. The main problem facing this village is its declining and aging population. 1

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We would like to thank those who have been helping us in carrying out this project. First, we would like to express our appreciation to Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman for giving us an opportunity to carry out this project. We also want to convey our sincere gratitude to Ms. Hee Chwen Yee for guiding us through the whole process of this project. In addition, we would like to thank Mr. Bala for his helpfulness and for giving us information regarding Ayer Keroh New Village. This report is the collaborative effort of all members of the project team. Figure 1: Khong Kok Hooi with Mr Bala Figure 2: Ang Yuwei and Ong Liqing with Mr Bala 2

4 HISTORY Figure 3: Exit to Ayer Keroh through the North-South Expressway The establishment of Ayer Keroh New Village dates back to the early 1950s during the anti-communist war in Malaya. The main purpose of the new villages in Malaysia was to separate the villagers from the Malayan Communist Party during the Malayan Emergency. Rural folk were relocated into new villages and the authorities monitored their movements to prevent them from providing support to the communists. During the Malayan Emergency, 450 new villages were set up throughout Peninsular Malaysia and Air Keroh was one of them. Since then, Air Keroh New Village has become the permanent settlement of the original inhabitants and their descendants. Ayer Keroh New Village is one of the oldest new villages in Malacca. It can be reached by road via the Ayer Keroh Toll exit of the North-South Expressway. Ayer Keroh New Village is about a 10-minute drive from the Ayer Keroh Toll and it is just 10km away from the Malacca town centre. The nearest town is Bukit Beruang which is located only 4km away. 3

5 The current (2011) headman of Ayer Keroh New Village is Mr. Wee Sung Lok. The population of Ayer Keroh new village has been increasing over the past 10 years. While we failed to obtain the exact population size, we were nevertheless able to find out about the ethnic composition of the village: 70% Chinese, 20% Malays and 10% Indians. As with other new villages, the land tenure type of Ayer Keroh New Village is a combination of 99-year, 60-year and 30-year leases. Approximately 5% of land are on 30-year lease, 10% on 60-year lease and 85% on 99-year lease. There is no change in the proportion of land tenure types since the establishment of the new village. While road and drainage conditions may have improved in the Ayer Keroh new village, there is still room for improvement. In the past, the roads were very narrow and not properly surfaced. The drainage system is poor and the village is flooded if it rained continuously for a few hours.. 4

6 INFRASTRUCTURE Basic infrastructure is available in Ayer Keroh New Village. Syarikat Air Melaka is responsible for water supply to every household in Malacca State, including Ayer Keroh New Village. Tenaga National Berhad (TNB) is the electricity supplier. Telekom Malaysia is the provider for fixed line phones. Mobile phones are also widely used by the villagers who subscribe to Maxis, Digi or Celcom networks. In terms of emergency and security services, villagers have easy access to a fire station and police station. Besides the Ayer Keroh Fire Station, the Bukit Beruang Fire Station provides additional support when necessary. Figure 4: Fire Station Garbage collection service is provided by the Majlis Perbandaran Melaka. Garbage is collected approximately twice a week. In addition, there is a medical center located just a stone s throw away from the new village. This is the Poliklinik Ayer Keroh which is well equipped to support emergency cases and minor surgery. However, if there is a major surgery, then the patient would be sent to the Melaka General Hospital for further treatment. 5

7 Figure 5: Poliklinik Komuniti Ayer Keroh 6

8 SOCIAL & COMMUNITY FACILITIES Overall, Ayer Keroh New Village is reasonably well equipped with modern amenities. There is a medium-size post office located about 1km from the new village. Figure 7: Post Office Furthermore, there are 2 petrol stations: a Petronas station and a Shell station. There is a recreational park located nearby. This recreational park includes facilities such as a field, jogging path, and some basic exercise facilities. 7

9 According to our interviewee, many teenagers and middle-aged villagers visit this park in the evening. The picture below shows the old folks and their grandchildren in the playground. Figure 8: Playground equipped with court There is another field in front of the Chinese temple in the new village. Several children often hang around the field in the evening. 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 burial ground is just behind the Hang Li Poh Well in the town. 8

10 EDUCATION Figure 9: Front view of SJK (C) Ayer Keroh In 1947, thanks to the efforts of community leaders like Mr. Yong Swee Liang, Mr. Yong Law and Mr. Chong Fee, the SJK (C) Air Keroh was established. The school was established through fund-raising projects as well as the donations from residents of nearby villages. There were only 38 students when the school was first established. The number of students has increased over the years. Currently, the school has 460 students and 34 teachers. There is an Air Keroh Kindergarten situated right next to the primary school. 9

11 \ Figure 10: Kindergarten in Ayer Keroh Currently, there are 1 teacher and 25 students in the kindergarten. There is a small playground within the compound of the kindergarten. Figure 11: Playground of Ayer Keroh Kindergarten Ayer Keroh primary school is equipped with the basic facilities of a primary school such as a multipurpose hall, canteen, classrooms, library, toilets and laboratories. 10

12 Figure 12: Multipurpose hall of SJK (C) Ayer Keroh. However, due to limited supply and source, there are only a limited number of books in the library. Because of the limited space, there is no basketball court or field in the school compound. The school handles this problem by providing students with two movable basketball backboards. Figure 13: Movable basketball backboard There are only 3 rows of classrooms available in the school. This is adequate at the moment because of the small number of students. 11

13 Figure 14: Classrooms Figure 15: Recycle corner along the corridor The students of Ayer Keroh Primary School are encouraged to recycle. The picture above shows the recycling bins along the corridor. Students are required to separate the garbage and place it in the appropriate bin. 12

14 Figure 16: Planting area behind the classrooms Following recent awareness of global warming and the need for ecofriendly efforts, the school promotes relevant programmes among its students. There is a small plot of land for growing vegetables behind the rows of classrooms. Figure 17: Noticeboard along the corridor Ayer Keroh primary school has Chinese, Malay and Indian students. The main language of the students is Chinese. As there are a number of Malay students in the primary school, there is a religious teacher called Usta teaching them. However, there is no Tamil class for the Indian students as there are very few of them. There is no secondary school within the new village. However, there are two secondary schools -- SMK Bukit Baru and SMK Taman Tasik -- just a stone s 13

15 throw away from the village. There is also a Muslim religious school, a Sekolah Agama close to the village. This school has only one religious teacher teaching Muslim students. TRANSPORTATION The main modes of transportation used by the villagers are motorcycles and cars. Normally, villagers prefer to ride motorcycles as this is an economical means of transport. 14

16 Figure 18: Motorcycle of one of the villagers of Ayer Keroh New Village Public transportation available are buses and taxis. The fare for a bus ride from the new village to Melaka town centre is approximately RM2.30. Buses are available at hourly intervals during working hours. It is to be noted that the buses are very old and not well maintained. Taxis are available at all times of the day. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive to travel by taxi: approximately RM15 for a one way trip from the new village to Melaka town centre. It is no surprise that the villagers prefer to travel by bus if they want to go to town. ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES The main economic activities of Air Keroh New Village are agriculture and manufacturing. There are a many factories located in Air Keroh town and these provide an important source of employment for the villagers. There are also a number of villagers who work in Malacca town. Besides that, some of the villagers engage in agricultural activities. A small number of villagers grow vegetables as their main source of income. 15

17 There are a few retail shops in Ayer Keroh new village. These include sundry shops, coffee shops, mini market and a wet market called Pasar Air Keroh. According to our interviewee, Mr. Bala, there is a night market every Sunday. The night market sells various products ranging from kitchen appliances to vegetables and fruits. The hypermarkets in Ayer Keroh town are Tesco, Mydin and Jusco. The Mydin outlet is located just about 1km from the new village. However, the Tesco and Jusco outlets are located in Ayer Keroh town. Figure 19: Mydin Hyper market The financial institutions available in Air Keroh are Bank Negara Malaysia, CIMB and Public Bank. CULTURE The vast majority of people in Air Keroh New Village are Chinese and the most common dialect used is Hakka. The new village has two Chinese temples and one mosque nearby. 16

18 Figure 20: Chinese Temple located in Ayer Keroh TOURISM VALUE There is a Medan Selera in Air Keroh new village. Many villagers grab their lunch and dinner there. Close to Ayer Keroh New Village, there are many tourist spots. In the Air Keroh town centre for instance, the tourist attractions include Mini Malaysia Garden, Mini Asean Garden, Zoo Malacca, Malacca Bird Park, Crocodile Farm, Butterfly Park and Snake & Reptile Sanctuary Park. 17

19 Figure 21: Mini Malaysia & Asian Garden In Taman Mini Malaysia, visitors can view traditional houses of the 13 states of Malaysia. In the Mini Asean Garden, visitors can find out about the history and cultures that make up Asean countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, and Singapore. Figure 22: Crocodile Farm Malacca Zoo has 44 species of animals, some of which are native to different parts of Africa and Asia. 18

20 Figure 23: Melaka Wonderland Theme Park & Resort Besides, there is also a water theme park located in Ayer Keroh Town. This theme park resort is popular among local and foreign tourists. The photo above shows the high-speed water slides and thrill rides at the theme park. ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITY Many tourists are attracted to Air Keroh town centre as there are several main attractions in the town. Perhaps Ayer Keroh new village could set up a museum or exhibition centre to display the culture, traditions and history of the new village. Besides that, some local Hakka practices and specialty items of the village could be included. 19

21 Perhaps more housing development projects in or near the new village could bring in a larger population. This will in turn bring in more business opportunities for the new village. PROBLEMS & RECOMMENDATIONS Due to the rapid growth of nearby towns such as Bukit Beruang and Malacca town, more and more villagers have migrated away from the Ayer Keroh new village. As a result of this, the population of the new village is dominated by the middle-aged and old folks. Perhaps a bigger budget allocation for the new village s development projects would help to change this trend. 20

22 Ayer Keroh new village faces a drainage problem. A few hours of continuous rain will give rise to floods in the new village. The headman could bring this problem up to the authorities as their assistance is needed to improve drainage in the new village. The roads in the new village also need widening. Currently, most roads are too narrow for two-way traffic. Public transportation also needs improvement. The buses are not in good condition and the bus service is not punctual. Unfortunately, taxi fares are much higher and villagers have little alternative but to use the bus. Perhaps, controls could be established on taxi fares and the authorities could look into the condition of the bus service. Ayer Keroh new village also faces security problems. According to our interviewee, there are quite number burglaries. Perhaps the police could have more frequent village patrols, especially at night. There is also the problem of illegal motor racing in the village. CONCLUSION Through this community project, we have learnt quite a number of things. We have obtained a deeper knowledge and insight regarding the history and culture of Ayer Keroh New Village. It has given us an awareness that we, as the next generation, should learn to appreciate the culture and heritage of the new villages. In addition, we should play an important role in retaining and developing 21

23 the heritage of the new villages. Finally, we hope that the infrastructure and facilities in the Ayer Keroh new village will be 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: ext 8274, 8656, 8269 (Klang Valley Campus) ext 2297/2299/2300 (Perak Campus) 22