Sweet promises, scant development: Manjoi folk bemoan neglect

Along an alley in between houses, an elderly man in a grey T-shirt stands quietly. He appears to be tidying his house-turned-food stall located in the Manjoi Cluster, a town in Perak.

It was a curious sight to witness pisang goreng and keropok lekor seller Syed Safari Syed Tarmizi have such an idle pace when such delicacies should be fast-sellers this time of day - tea time.

After 20 minutes, during which the 50-something-year-old was observed serving just one customer, this writer approached Safari, for a thirst-quenching coconut water and a quick chat.

On a stifling Tuesday afternoon, the man shared his frustrations with a lack of development in the largest and most populous Malay neighbourhood in Ipoh.

“Whoever takes over (the government), it’s just the same. Where is the development they promised us? Merely promises, only sweet promises.

“There’s no good in any of them (political parties). I’m already bored with them!”

Spanning a total area of 560.8 hectares and with over 57,000 residents, Manjoi is among the largest Malay settlements in the country along with Kampung Baru in Kuala Lumpur.

The enclave, which is located northeast of Ipoh, is situated in the Tambun parliamentary constituency and is made up of a cluster of five Malay villages.

They are Kampung Manjoi, Kampung Tengku Husin, Kampung Sungai Tapah, Kampung Dato’ Ahmad Said, and Kampung Tersusun Jelapang Baru.

Safari, who was born and bred in Kampung Sungai Tapah, said there has not been much development in Manjoi over the past 20 years compared to Ipoh.

In fact, he said it has been five years and he is still waiting for the local authorities to fix a burst drain in front of his house.

“They sent MBI (Ipoh City Council) officers and even personnel from the Fire and Rescue station but nothing has been done.

“I am still waiting for someone to fix it. So, you tell me, what more should I hope from the government?” said the five-time Tambun and Manjoi voter.

Taking matters into his own hands, the father of four young children said he will keep working to ensure his business stays afloat as he has given up hope on any state or federal government.

Neglected development, white elephants

Similar sentiments were shared by a contractor and owner of a mini steel workshop in the enclave, Jamal Saad.

Jamal, 60, highlighted the importance of new infrastructure as well as proper facilities for home business owners, rather than putting up stalls in front of their houses or by the roadside.

“The new government should be more attentive towards the people. There are no proper shop lots for vendors to do their business.

“They should be moved (to better locations) so that there are parking spaces for their customers when they get down to make their purchases and not obstruct traffic.

“We need better infrastructure to entice people to invest in Manjoi,” Jamal said.

His complaints included development projects in the area, the most prominent being the Manjoi mini stadium, which purportedly cost millions to build.

“The mini stadium and former mining ponds are neglected, there are no further developments.”

“There is also a mining pond behind Al Barakah Educational Centre that is left idle but it is an asset to Manjoi,” he said.

In 2018, it was reported that MBI would take over the management of the mini stadium in Jalan Tapah after the facility was abandoned without maintenance, almost 14 years ago.

However, checks by Malaysiakini at the stadium found that its surrounding is littered with trash and the field is in poor condition, with no sign of any repair works being done to maintain the stadium.

Meanwhile, over at the abandoned mining pond that is a stone’s throw away from the stadium, it was observed that keladi bunting (water hyacinth) has spread extensively.

The beautiful but destructive aquatic plant has formed a mat that almost covers the entire surface of the pond.

“It has been abandoned for 17 years and the pond is a breeding ground for Aedes mosquitoes.

“Instead of abandoning it, they could build a fountain in the middle of the pond and it could be a tourist attraction,” Jamal suggested.

Tambun and Manjoi scorecards

For the record, BN’s Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah was the Tambun MP for five terms from 1995 to 2018.

In the 2018 general election, he was defeated by Bersatu’s Ahmad Faizal Azumu, who is now the Perak Perikatan Nasional (PN) chairperson. At the time, Faizal garnered a majority of 5,320 votes.

In the Manjoi state constituency, BN’s Nadzri Ismail defended the seat for four terms from 1995 before announcing he would not contest in the national polls in 2013.

That year, BN’s Mohamad Ziad Mohamed Zainal Abidin went against Asmuni Awi, who was with PAS at that time, and won by a slim majority of 132 votes.

However, in 2018’s 14th general election (GE14), Asmuni, now with Amanah, contested under the Pakatan Harapan banner and won the seat by polling 20,052 votes, defeating Ziad by 3,532 votes.

More investments, safer environment

Meanwhile, for a 39-year-old nasi lemak vendor who wished to be known as Intan, she noted the only development she has seen in Manjoi is a Mydin hypermarket that was opened to the public in 2012.

“I hope for better developments for the kampung. If there is, then it would probably attract others to come to invest,” she said.

Intan shared that she moved to the area over a decade ago from Kuala Kangsar, which is about 40km away, after tying the knot with her husband.

Appearing nonchalant, another food stall operator, Sharifah Haslinda Syed Shamsudin, worries for her children’s future.

“The government doesn’t seem to care much about the well-being of the people here.

“I don’t hope for much. I am not one to depend on others to feed my family but it is important for my children to get proper education and they grow up in a safe environment,” she commented.

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