By: Salleh Buang
It is a kind of "stubbornness", I would say. Ask those born in any of the towns in Johor to describe themselves, they would probably say, "Johorean".
However, if they were born in Muar, the reply would very likely be, "I am from Muar".
This is one peculiar habit of people born in the town located in the northwestern tip of Johor State. I should know, for I was born there too. Sixty-four years ago, to be precise, and though a resident of Alor Star for a decade now, I am not able to shake off my "Muarianisms".
This is not to be mistaken to mean that Muarians do not accept being "Johoreans". It is just our way of saying that Muar has its own special identity, a special place in the history of the State. No, this is not superior behaviour; just a stubborn insistence that Muar is "different".
And yet, for many people who have known the town since the 50s, they regard it as "just a pensioner's town". In stark contrast, Batu Pahat - hardly an hour’s drive away - was in those days regarded as "the Paris of the East".
Unlike Muar, which is dead when night falls, Batu Pahat would come to life with its notorious collection of "night spots". Some have even described it as a "heaven" for business people on the road.
With wisdom gained from hindsight, the assumption that Muar would continue to lag behind other towns in Johor and remain just a pensioner's town is indeed both premature and misplaced.
Today, if you are visiting Muar for the first time, you will not find any trace of its past legacy as a laid back place. It is now a maddeningly crowded town, a motorist's hell and a town planner's nightmare.
More often than not, when I go back to visit my parents and relatives, I make it a point to bypass the town centre. If you want to know the true meaning of urban sprawl in a Malaysian setting, just spend a couple of days in Muar.
In size, the Muar district is not very large, with just over 2,300sq km.
Bordering Malacca, historians tell us that Muar played a significant role in the formation of the Johor Sultanate. It was in Muar that Sultan Mahmud Shah, first ruler of the State, fought the Portuguese after the fall of Malacca. The battle took place in 1519 on Sungai Bentayan, which runs by the edge of the town.
The modernisation of Muar district was undertaken by Sultan Abu Bakar - which explains why the town is also known as Bandar Maharani. Under his rule, the Javanese and Chinese were encouraged to open land for cultivation and settle down in the district.
Agriculture thus became the lifeblood of the settlers. Today, Chinese traders and merchants constitute more than 85 per cent of the town's residents, leaving agriculture to the Javanese, who prefer to make their homes in the interior - such as Air Hitam, Parit Jawa and Parit Zain.
Many of these Javanese, who hailed from central and western Java, later married the local Malays. The result is that many civil servants and captains of industry today are actually the children and grandchildren of these mixed marriages.
If you like going back to nature, Muar's lone attraction, Gunung Ledang, might appeal to you. Less than an hour’s drive from the town, this mountain resort is situated near Sagil.
You will be able to enjoy hiking, its waterfalls and camping site. But I don't think you will be able to meet the legendary Puteri Gunung Ledang. There is, however, a decent Gunung Ledang Resort at the base of the mountain, which is the place to be if your company intends to conduct a weekend seminar or workshop.
Along the way to the mountain resort, you will pass through Tangkak. If you are looking for bargains in textile products, take time to stop for an hour or so. Local residents will tell you that long before Kuala Lumpur and Seremban residents got their Nilai 3, Johor people have had their Tangkak textile paradise.
In the old days, Muar was divided into two halves by the Muar River, and connected only by a ferry service - which was harrowing to use. Today, the two halves are connected by a pair of bridges.
Better infrastructure has enabled the town to have a respectable industrial zone in Tanjung Agas, on its northern side. The commercial and administrative centre, as before, has remained in the southern part of the town.
Media reports last June said that KSL Holdings Bhd is to launch a mixed development in Tanjung Agas. Spanning over 75 hectares facing the Straits of Malacca, barely a kilometre away from the town centre and accessible via the Sultan Ismail bridge, the project should be warmly received by first-time buyers and property hunters.
According to initial information, the developer is offering some 1,500 residential units and almost 400 commercial properties.
Potential buyers who are not used to the place should, however, be aware that property is not cheap in Muar. It has never been, as far as I can remember. Those who think otherwise because the town has been (wrongly) labelled as a town for pensioners, will be rudely let down. Houses are, in fact, cheaper in some parts of nearby Malacca.
Friends used to tell me that Muar can be proud of at least three things - Gunung Ledang, its mee bandung and the fact that the place has produced many of Johor's Menteris Besar.
My answer to that is the mountain is nothing much to shout about - except for its legendary princess and this could very well be just a fairy tale - while the mee bandung can be found in Alor Star as well. As for the Menteris Besar - yes, they did good jobs for the State during their tenures, but not much for Muar.
And on this, a well-known saying comes to mind, but I would be impolite if I say it openly now.
Muar residents have not even been able to get a university college and it hasn't been not for want of trying. Once a sleepy hollow, Muar has unexpectedly developed to become an unruly market place.
Salleh Buang is senior advisor of a company specialising in competitive intelligence. He is also active in training and public speaking and can be reached at [email protected]
- Property Times 22 October 2005 issue -
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