YOURSAY | ‘Clean water and street lighting are basic facilities.’
Beneath Paloh's quiet streets, a 'ghost town' fights for light, water and hope
PinkJaguar7289: The article’s real power is that it exposes development failure at the basic level.
Politicians often talk about mega projects, investment corridors, high-value industries, and growth plans.
But for residents, the immediate question is simpler: Can I drive safely at night? Can I drink clean water? Can an ambulance reach me? Can my children earn a living here?
That is why Paloh becomes a symbol of rural Malaysia’s deeper problem. Connectivity alone is not development.
The Electric Train Service (ETS) can take someone from Paloh to Kluang in 10 minutes, but workers still ride motorcycles on dark roads because train timing, cost, and accessibility do not match working-class daily life.
The most damning part is the residents’ fear. One elderly man refuses to give his name because he worries he may lose government assistance.
That line is politically powerful because it suggests a patronage culture: people may suffer, but they fear speaking openly because aid feels like a favour, not a right.
There is also a credibility problem in the water issue.
Officially, only four complaints were received, and water quality met standards. But if residents see yellow water and journalists also find yellow water in three locations, then the issue is not solved by saying “it meets specifications”.
The government must explain the gap between technical compliance and public experience.
Koel: Such villages and towns are the shame of this country. Shame on Kluang district for this failure to serve.
No lighting on roads, fatal accidents, elderly left helpless and to fend for themselves. Not even decent drinking water.
Shame on this political party for this failure to step up and solve these easily solvable problems.
If the Public Works Department cannot fulfil its duty to citizens, heads must roll. Why is this BN candidate Lee Ting Han singing distress songs instead of taking action?
But why do these residents keep voting in apathetic parties that fail to deliver? Their choices have been the source of their misery, it seems.
They have to step up and demand that their assemblypersons and MPs deliver; otherwise, kick them out and bring in new fellows. And if they fail, vote another lot in.
Keep calling your representatives’ offices to address the problems. Their primary duty is to serve the people. Many appear not to know this important fact.
If all else fails, call the press.
As for water quality, it is time our university researchers put their expertise to work. Independent research on water quality and the possibility of contamination or poisoning of waterways in Kluang district should be looked into.
In the United Kingdom, there have been ongoing problems with faecal contamination in some areas due to poor treatment plants. Are we seeing a similar problem in Malaysia?
Exile: This is more than a story about a neglected community. It is a reminder of those who were left behind by decades of developmental authoritarianism.
A time when development was measured by grand projects, industrial growth, and national statistics rather than by whether ordinary citizens had reliable water, electricity, and livelihoods.
The tragedy of Paloh is one of governance. Decisions were made from the top down, often by planners and politicians convinced they knew what was best for local communities.
The voices of the rakyat were rarely part of the equation. Consultation was minimal, participation limited, and local accountability weak because local democracy itself was absent.
Roads, factories, and investment are important, but development ultimately succeeds only when people themselves have agency over their communities.
This is why restoring local council elections is a democratic necessity.
Elaine Morais: This is an excellent, insightful article with many specific details that give the reader a very clear picture of what life must be like for the residents of Paloh.
Timely and decisive action is needed to improve their quality of life on many fronts.
The town needs, among other things, more job opportunities, better roads and other infrastructure, improved water quality, as well as an enhanced family and community life to restore hope and the possibility of new beginnings in Paloh.
Well done, Malaysiakini journalist B Nantha Kumar.
Apanama is back: In the article, a man said that if he gave his name, the government would stop assisting him.
This must be a crazy government.
People in Paloh, especially the elderly, are just airing their lack of facilities there, and here we have the government using assistance as a bargaining chip.
Clean water and street lighting are basic facilities. Yet we found a place in central Johor that lacks them in 2026!
The arrogant Johor caretaker menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi said Johor is very developed. Maybe Onn is waiting for the yellowish water to become teh tarik before he starts studying.
Without power or authority: Paloh, oh Paloh. You’re another forgotten town in the country! When my late eldest sister’s family moved there in the mid-60s, once in a while my late father would visit them, taking the old locomotive.
Sadly, perhaps due to political alignment or support, it has degraded to the present-day decay instead of progress, despite being an agricultural hinterland.
Well, maybe the caretaker menteri besar of Johor’s standards are low.
The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.
These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.
