Embrace our history

Malay Mail article about Tanah Melayu

Salam for the last time.

Tanah Melayu has been through many transformations since it was first found until the name changed to Malaysia in 16^th September 1963. After 1963, revolution and changes for the better increased speedily to put Malaysia on the map of the world. As of 2012, Malaysia is well recognized among the top countries in the globe.

Tunku Abdul Rahman shouting Merdeka Merdeka Merdeka!

Merdeka Day is celebrated every year by Malaysians with great pride, tears of joy and thankful to the people that worked hard to achieved freedom and maintaining it until in the present day. For 55 years, Malaysia changed so much with the existence of tall modern skyscrapers yet still able to preserve history in the midst of it modernization.

Article about Merdeka Day

While writing posts about histories of my hometowns has made me realized how I have little knowledge and level of awareness about the places I’ve been going all 20 years of my life. History is something that should be implemented in the mind and hearts of the new generation. Even though, the subject of history has been made compulsory for all students of school and colleges to learn, still, the awareness of the significance of history are lacking among them. We couldn’t just rely on school and college syllabus to convey the awareness but students themselves should put up an effort to learn the history of their motherland.

I still remember when my late grandfather used to take me for a ride in his car and he would drove around the PJ old town and told me how the town was once the centre of everyone’s attention. I could never forget how every time I came back to my father’s hometown in Kelantan and he would tell me how the Kelantanese like my late grandparents used to live during the reign of Japanese. He told me how lucky he was to be born after Tanah Melayu has reached independence.

For the pleasure of your viewing, I leave you with a video about history of Malaysia’s capital city.

“ Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total; of all those acts will be written the history of this generation. “ – Robert Kennedy

Kota Bharu: Now

Hello to all my readers. I will continue my musing about Kelantan. These days, Kota Bharu has been modernized yet it still maintains its heritage and its uniqueness. Albeit, there are still wooden houses hidden in the jungle of concrete building that is ever slowly growing, Kota Bharu managed to rise into the modernization call.

Large buildings are not strangers since transformation was introduced to the old town that was used as a place where Japanese Army landed before the Independence Day. Hotels scattered around the town is a common sight for the people in Kota Bharu. The town is slowly emerging as one of the famous destination to be visited in by the tourists. One of the famous hotels in Kota Bharu is Grand Riverview Hotel located near the Kelantan River.

Grand Riverview Hotel

Grand Riverview Hotel (Right) from the across the river view. 

Shown below are the pictures of the transformation of Jalan Temenggong or known as the gateway to Kota Bharu.

Jalan Temenggong 1927

Jalan Temenggong 1980

Jalan Temenggong 2012

Kota Bharu also has quite a few malls to accommodate the demands of the growing population of its residents and tourists to shop at. KB Mall which was launched in 2005 and Kota Bharu Trade Centre which was opened to customers in 2009 are the newest shopping mall in Kota Bharu. Tesco Kota Bharu was also launched in 2006.

KB Mall

Kota Bharu Trade Centre (KBTC)

Tesco Kota Bharu

To sum it all up, Kota Bharu has faced transformation but still it managed to keep the tradition and what makes it different from other town in Malaysia. From my personal experience, I’ve been going back to Kelantan ever since I was a child because my second hometown is situated in Machang. From the way I see it, many roads have been built to give easy access to people and Kelantan will continue to rise through the call of modernization without a fail. 

Sources:

http://muhammadismailibrahim.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/kota-bharu-dulu-kini-menggamit-memori/

Kota Bharu: Past

After the modern city of Petaling Jaya, we move to the east coast side of Malaysia. I will write about one of the towns in Malaysia that contains a lot of history since before Independence Day that is slowly forgotten by generation nowadays. Kota Bharu is a part of Kelantan. It is more famously known as the royal town of Kelantan since 1800’s.

Kota Bharu was established during the reign of Sultan Muhammad II in 1844 and it is known till today as the oldest town in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia. Kota Bharu was named by Sultan Muhammad II. “Bharu” represents new to symbolize that the town is new.

Before Independence Day, Kota Bharu was only an old town that keeps growing because many residents move there due to job opportunity and trying to lead good lives. 

Bank Kerapu

The first bank that was erected in Kota Bharu was Bank Kerapu on 1912. The bank still exists even though now it has turn into a museum that shows the memorial of World War 2. During the Japanese time in power, the building was used as the head quarter of Japanese secret police (Kempetai).

Kota Bharu was also the place where Japanese armies landed which was on 8 December 1941 during World War 2. The residents in Kota Bharu in those days were underprivileged and the economy was declining slowly due to the war that occurred. Kota Bharu doesn’t receive a lot of help from other states during that time but still, residents from other province moved to Kota Bharu.

Under here are some pictures to show the old Kelantan before it was modernized.

Kota Bharu from the river view

Balai Besar gateway

Padang Merdeka

Sources

http://www.kelantan4me.com/p/sejarah-kota-bharu.html

http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kota_Bharu

http://muhammadismailibrahim.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/kota-bharu-dulu-kini-menggamit-memori/

Petaling Jaya: Now.

Salam. 

In my previous blog, I wrote about the “then” Petaling Jaya. In this post, I will write about the “now” Petaling Jaya that is growing larger and accepting a high number of residents each year.

Petaling Jaya reached the highlight of its history when on 20 June 2006, it was granted a city status. Before it was granted the status, Petaling Jaya also reached a milestone when in 1964, its Local Authority was upgraded to Petaling Jaya Municipal Board. Petaling Jaya was also extended to area of 19.9 square kilometres. The population at that time raised high at 35,100. The first shopping complex in Petaling Jaya was Jaya Shopping Centre and it was built in 1974 in Section 14.

Jaya Shopping Complex

Jaya 33
(replaces Jaya Shopping Complex that was demolished)

Then by 1977, Petaling Jaya had grown into an expansive town that included Seksyen 52, Sungai Way- Subang (SS) and Subang Jaya. Afterwards, PJ developed to the north area and the rise of the vast area called Damansara existed. In Damansara, there are a few areas which are Bandar Utama, Kota Damansara, Damansara Perdana, Bandar Sri Damansara and Damansara Impian.

In the present day, Petaling Jaya’s strategic position has made it a metropolitan area in its own right. Spreading out around the 97.2 square kilometres of the city are up to date shopping complexes, international hotels, and entertainment outlets that could be compared to the modern city of Kuala Lumpur.  Seksyen 52, more popularly known by the local as the 'New Town' or 'The State', has remained the heart of PJ and it offers many services for its locals.  In addition, Subang Jaya has gone on to launch itself as the satellite town of PJ.

The growth made by Petaling Jaya is speedy that it has turn into a fitting alternative to Kuala Lumpur in basically every part, for locals and tourists. Petaling Jaya’s most encouraging accomplishment, on the other hand, may well lie in its aptitude to stay green and roomy.

PJ Old Town

PJ New Town

Source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petaling_Jaya

http://motherearthtravel.com/malaysia/petaling_jaya/history.htm

Petaling Jaya: Then.

Salam to readers.

  Histories are made every day and as time fades, the new generation tends to ignore or forget the history that moulds Malaysia today. I, myself, am not much different. I’m not an avid history fan thus I don’t know histories in Malaysia. Today, I have done some research and I choose Petaling Jaya which is a part of the Selangor state and also my beloved hometown. I want to invite you to venture or walk down memory lane with me as I write about the history of the district that I love.

Where PJ is located in Selangor.

 Petaling Jaya (PJ) was born due to the ever growing hustle and bustle that caused congestion in Kuala Lumpur. Furthermore, Kuala Lumpur was also slightly overcrowded by the amount of people migrating into the city in the early 1950’s. Petaling Jaya was originally a 1,200 acres of rubber plantation owned by a British company which is Effingham Estate at Jalan Klang Lama, so to solve the problem that Kuala Lumpur were having, this rubber plantation was slowly turned into an area were houses and industrial were built so that people will move their attention away from only residing in Kuala Lumpur. In addition, Sir Gerald Templer planned to make Petaling Jaya, a satellite town, to prevent the communists from getting any help.

  Albeit, this town had existed since the early 1950’s, the name Petaling Jaya was officially bestowed upon it on 1953. “Jaya” represents success. This town in the past started out as a minute town that was scattered with low-cost wooden houses. Throughout 1952 until 1957, wooden houses, shops and also factories were built and this makes the town into a large town with many opportunities.

  Even before Independence Day, Petaling Jaya had shown signs of success in its history. That’s all my post for today. For my next post, I’ll post about Petaling Jaya after Independence Day. 

Sir Gerald Templer

First Hospital in Petaling Jaya: Hospital Assunta.

sources: 

http://motherearthtravel.com/malaysia/petaling_jaya/history.htm

http://ms.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petaling_Jaya