A majority of the residents in Jerlun New Village comprise the elderly and young children. — Photos: foong pek yee/the Star
RUBBER tapper Weng Chong San knows every nook and corner of his village.
His latest findings included a broken fire hydrant and poorly patched roads.
“Many villagers complain about the uneven patches.
“The roads are bumpy, the tyres get spoilt and make a lot of noise,” he said at Jerlun New Village in Kuala Kangsar recently.
That’s not all.
Badly patched roads also pose a risk to motorcyclists, and villagers, including Weng, who is in his 70s, who rides his motorcycle around the village daily.
The uneven roads were said to be caused by repairs on burst underground water pipes.
Weng (right) relating the problems of uneven road surfaces and drainage problems to Wai (left).
Kuala Kangsar village development chief Wai Bee Hoon said the authorities had taken steps to increase the water pressure in the village following complaints on low water pressure.
The surge in pressure, she said, could have caused the pipes to burst.
“The villagers have been plagued by low water pressure problem for years.
“It (problem) became worse during festive seasons due to increase in water consumption when more people return home during celebrations,” she added.
Jerlun New Village came into existence in 1952 and has its share of ageing problems.
But it cannot be denied that the basic facilities in the village with about 500 households had seen vast improvement over the decades.
The entrance to Jerlun New Village.
Its village chief Wong Sai Cheun, 57, who grew up there, said major problems in the past such as floods, and bad roads and drainage had been resolved.
The Chinese primary school in the village – SJK(C) Jerlun – continued to be the flagship of the village, but its enrolment had dropped to 102, added Wong, who had studied there.
“The lack of job and economic opportunities in and around the village saw many young people, especially those with tertiary qualifications moving to cities in search of jobs.
“Our village population is ageing. Many are supported by their children working outside,” said Wong, a father of three.
He added that there were about 3,000 villagers, of which, 90% were rubber tappers.
He also tapped rubber on his 0.8ha land from 6am to 9am on alternate days.
Weng showing a broken drain with overgrown plants at the village.
Wong said the villagers who finished tapping rubber by late morning liked to mingle at the coffeeshop.
Another of their favourite place are the temples at the village, which were run by people affiliated to both the ruling and opposition political parties.
As the village chief, Wong said he patronised all the temples in the village,adding that the villagers were close-knit irrespective of their political affiliation.
On what the village needed currently, Wong said the villagers had long hoped to have a community hall in the village and was grateful that the government had recently announced the construction of a new hall there.
“This facility (hall) is important for events like wedding dinners and festive celebrations.
“The friendship and neighbourliness in village is still much alive and the residents will turnout in full force during celebrations,” Wong said.
