Janda Baik

History

Foundation and etymology

Before Janda Baik was founded in 1930, the area was primarily inhabited by Orang Asli tribes. The village was founded when some residents moved from Bentong to an area with a higher elevation due to the 1926 floods that affected Bentong and other low elevation areas. The earliest founders for this village are Haji Deris, Haji Kadir, and Haji Yasir, who built a hut and stayed in the area for almost a week before others start to populate the area. The village was originally given the name Kampung Tiga Haji to refer to the three early settlers.{{cite news | trans-title = Originally it was Kampung Tiga Haji, now it renamed to Janda Baik | access-date = 2020-07-07

The rising population in Janda Baik caught the attention of Abu Bakar of Pahang, the Sultan of Pahang, who first visited the village in 1932. The Sultan disliked the village's name and asked for it to be changed.{{cite news | access-date = 2020-07-07

An argument between the Orang Asli chief Tok Batin Wok and his wife Siah caused both to separate for a month before they reconciled. Four weeks later after their reconciliation, Bentong district officer Henry Peacock suggested that the name should be changed to Janda Baik, as janda in Malay means "divorcee" (or "widow") and baik refers to the relationship between Orang Asli chief Tok Batin Wok and his wife Siah, which improved since they reunited. The village was officially renamed to Janda Baik on 19 September 1936.{{cite news | trans-title = | access-date = 2020-08-15

Another reason Janda Baik was chosen as the village name is that a widow had helped treat the injured Pahang army returning to their base in Pahang when they fought in the civil war in Selangor. She offered medicine to treat the injured people. Because of this, the village was given the name Janda Baik to honor her kindness, where janda and baik respectively mean "widow" (or "divorcee") and "good" in the Malay language.{{cite news | access-date = 2020-07-13

In the village, there used to be an island called Pulau Santap that was located in the middle of the big stream that ran through it.{{cite news | access-date = 2020-07-13

Post-independence

Janda Baik started to become popular after the late Tan Sri Muhammad Ghazali Shafie, the former Foreign Affairs Minister of Malaysia, survived the Cessna 206 air crash on January 11, 1982, in Janda Baik when he was going to Kuala Lipis to attend a UMNO division committee meeting.{{cite book |author-link= | access-date = 2020-07-07 | author-link = BERNAMA | access-date =2020-07-07 | trans-title = Ghaz king: Becoming vice prime minister before Mahathir era | access-date = 2020-07-07

As Kuala Lumpur became more crowded and congested, a proposal was made to build a new administrative center known as Putrajaya, where the administrative buildings and offices would be relocated to. In 1990, the government listed six possible places to build Putrajaya, one of which was in Janda Baik. They decided to build it in Perang Besar, Selangor.{{cite journal |access-date = 2020-07-07 |archive-date = 2020-07-08 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200708154254/http://eprints.utm.my/id/eprint/6622/1/HoChinSiong2006_Putrajaya-AdministrativeCentreOfMalaysia.pdf |url-status = dead

In August 2019, villagers protested further development of ecotourism in this area that were silently implemented by authorities without the residents' consent. They claimed that ecotourism development would erode cultural and traditional values, and disrupt the villagers' daily lives. The residents demanded that the authorities should focus on improving the road conditions and cleaning the river instead.{{cite news | access-date = 2020-07-07

Geography

Janda Baik is located on the Titiwangsa Range of Peninsular Malaysia. The area is a mountainous terrain where the altitude ranges between 600 m and 800 m above sea level. The village is surrounded by coniferous forest. However, there are deforestation threats due to increases in agricultural activity in this area and the proposed TNB transmission tower wiring project which was cancelled in 2015 after protests from residents over concerns of river erosion.{{cite news | access-date = 2021-07-08 | access-date = 2021-07-08 | access-date = 2021-07-08 | access-date = 2021-07-08

Climate

Janda Baik's climate is classified as tropical. Rainfall is significant in this area throughout the year. The climate is Af according to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification system. The temperature here averages 27.8 °C,{{cite web |access-date=2021-07-08 | access-date = 2021-07-08

Economy

Most early residents made their living in agriculture through small rubber plantations and paddy (oryza sativa) cultivation mainly because Janda Baik has a rich natural network of rivers. In addition, farmers also plant bananas on paddy fields. However, due to lack of maintenance on the paddy fields, the yields declined rapidly and the fields were invaded by Imperata cylindrica. About 55% of the residents surveyed identified as farmers in 2001.

In recent years, some people moved from urban areas to Janda Baik to set up farming businesses, experience a cooler climate, or escape from an urban livelihood. Urban farmers sold their vegetables to customers and restaurants in Janda Baik. Fig plantations became a tourist attraction in Janda Baik.{{cite news | access-date = 2020-07-07

The electronics industry in Janda Baik started when Elektrisola, a German-based electronics corporation, opened its factory in 1990. It focused on manufacturing copper wires and litz wires to support the rapidly growing Asian market and economy, and created 1,000 jobs for villagers and nearby inhabitants. 90% of the products produced are exported to Asia, Europe, and Latin America.{{cite news | access-date = 2020-07-07

Sports and recreation

In recent years, Janda Baik has become a popular spot for cyclists and trail runners. The town has become popular among cyclists who perceive it as an ideal place for cycling due to its route's hill terrain were perceived as challenging, in addition to scenic views, little traffic, cold climate and a cuisine haven.{{cite news | access-date = 2020-07-07 | archive-date = 2020-07-09 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200709151341/https://www.cyclingplus.my/travel/janda-baik-jaunt | url-status = dead | access-date = 2020-07-07

References

Bibliography

• Harold Brookfield (2001). Exploring Agrodiversity. New York City: Columbia University Press.

References

5. Brookfield, p. 36 - 37
6. Brookfield, p. 37
7. Brookfield, p. 38