Traditional Malay ‘Kampong’

The Malay traditional settlement or "kampung", spell in the English language as "villages" or "kampongs". From 771 units of kampongs sample in Johor, four types of kampongs have been identified namely as Kampung Nelayan, Atas Air, Kampung Parit and Kampung Daratan. Houses layout in kampongs basically forms from three types of layout namely as centralized or concentric form; linear form; and scattered or unclear form. Different types of kampong have different physical characteristic that may influence social characteristic of the community. Thus aims of this study are to identify the significance of communal space on social characteristic in traditional kampong setting. Through the study, it hopes will can acknowledge and recognize some potential design in kampongs settings in order to enhance social relations among the community in a modern living environment.

Traditional Malay Settlement or "kampung" (spell in the English language as "kampongs") normally can be found located in rural area of Peninsular Malaysia. Kampongs have been inherited from one generation to another by the Malay community from hundreds of years. This vernacular settlement never challenge physical constraints that imposed by nature, particularly the climate or topography in a way that it was harmoniously merged with their surroundings. This kampong located in rural area exists naturally and organically without clear physical boundaries. This settlement has been believed can fulfil social needs of residents by its unique physical design attribute. It can enhance social relations among the settlers with it opened environment living concept. Thus, the study aims to identify the physical design attribute in this living environment setting and its relations with the settler's social characteristic by focusing on "traditional kampongs" in Johor state. In Johor, there are 771 samples of "traditional kampongs" scattered throughout the state. From the observation in 10 districts of Johor there are three types of traditional kampongs at Johor known as kampung parit, kampung air and kampung nelayan. Also, there are three types of houses arrangement form in the traditional kampongs at Johor, namely as cluster or concentric form, linear form and unclear form. This study only focuses on house arrangement, compounds, boundaries, communal space and road system. Thus, social characteristic like how settlers interact with neighbours, where they children plays and how they optimise their surrounding spaces in this arrangement, were a result from a certain physical design attribute concept that exist in this kampongs settings. Through the study, it hopes will can acknowledge and recognize some potential design in kampongs settings in order to enhance social relations among the community.

This paper illustrates a counter to the dominant, elite-centric narrative of the Malay Kampong by using life histories as a research tool of investigation. Through the life histories of settlers from Kampong Bedok and Kampong Potong Pasir, this paper has proved that kampongs were evidently not a static, unchanging, ethnically homogenous geographical space as dominantly portrayed.

Malaysia is a country rich in both art and culture accumulated from the richness of the Malaysian society's culture in the primeval times. One aspect of said art and culture is in the form of the Wau. Wau is a traditional game that fully utilizes wind power and have high aesthetic value. The might of the Wau tradition in Malaysia can be judged from several aspects such as the art of carving, flight altitude levels, durability
and humming sound from the Wau. Each source to the cultural values must indeed come from one stem. However, traditional Wau in Malaysia are divided into three types of different Wau which turn out to be the mother of all Wau. This study focuses on three types of traditional Malaysian Wau which is Wau Bulan, Wau Jala Budi and Wau Kucing. These three types of Wau will be studied through testing to assess the levels of altitude and endurance levels of the Wau in the air. The study involves the testing of 156 samples of Wau in one test. Results of the study revealed that the three Wau all have strengths and weaknesses of their own. Wau Bulan strength is in their flight levels, Wau Kucing was found out to be the premier to the resilience of the Wau in the air and Wau Jala Budi is the basis to the history of the wau in Malaysia. Studies of the Wau are expected to be an early development into deeper studies regarding traditional Wau.

This study suggests that, the existing housing configuration should be review and the traditional housing should be explored in order to find a basis guideline for an ideal settlement for peoples. It is important to understand that, in multi-racial country like Malaysia there are variety of way of life and socio-cultural that should be consider in the housing design. In this study, as the majority ethnic in Malaysia, Malay society is selected as the main subject. Most or rural-urban migrant group were coming from kampong area. Kampongs has been tested and evolved slowly through time for generations. As a result, kampongs settings are clearly were manifestation and expression of Malay society cultures. After the 1960’s, many Malay people migrate from rural to urban area in order to improve they wealth due to the economic growth. Kampongs has been replacing by the new housing scheme like the linked-houses. Dwellers need to compromise their socio-cultural and facing with various issues like lack of privacy, safety, level of comfort and social-interaction among neighbourhood due to the monotonous housing design. Nowadays, the ‘taman perumahan’ or literally translate as the ‘mass urban housing scheme’ in Malaysia offer various types of houses and price category either the low cost until the high-end multi-storey categories. Thus, the main purposes of this paper is to highlight the importance of to review the existing mass urban housing like the link-house concept in order to provide a responsive living environment to fulfil the Malay dweller’s socio-cultural needs. It can be answered by exploring the physical configuration of traditional Malay kampongs. Based on the existing various literature sources, this study suggests that there are three contexts the Malay identity can be highlighted through the housing design process, namely as, interior house design, house compound landscape and neighbourhood layout design.

#PRAYFORMH370: Flight Tragedy with Global Search Record
Dear reader, let’s observe a minute of prayer for the crew and passengers of Malaysia Airline flight MH370 which mysteriously vanished into literally “the unknown” since 8th March, 2015.

After having many sleepless nights and hectic days putting things together for this edition of “Get Involved” magazine to go to press, suddenly a tragedy occurred. It was on the early hours of Saturday morning 8th March, 2014 when some 227 passengers with a 12-member crew of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Boeing 777-200ER flight MH370, took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) for Beijing, the Chinese capital. In just about an hour after taking off, the flight literally became invisible to the aviation radar, and mysteriously went missing. Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Najib Tun Razak immediately solicited the support of about 26 countries including Australia, Britain, China, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, United Arab Emirates (UAE), United Kingdom (UK) and United States of America (USA). A sea and air convoy from those countries embarked on what has been so far the biggest search and rescue (SAR) operation in the history of aviation in the world. Huge resources which comprised not less than 22 aircraft, 6 helicopters and 19 ships have so far been mobilized by the good-Samaritan-countries to help the Malaysian Government in the search for the missing airliner. It’s now nearly one month since the SAR operations have been going on in the vast seas, oceans and continental Asia without any trace of MH370. Although Australian, Chinese, French and Thai satellites have lately picked pictures of images in the remotest parts of southern Indian Ocean thought to be debris of the missing aircraft, followed, lately by search for the flight data recorder popularly known as the black box, search is still going on inconclusively.
Since the day the news of the tragic incidence was broken by the media, this tag: #PrayforMH370 or just #MH370 became one of the most trending hash tags on Twitter in Malaysia. Prayer sessions have been held by the Government and people of Malaysia for the recovery of the missing jet with 239 souls on board. Among about six nationals on the plane, about 152 of the passengers were Chinese with about a dozen of Malaysians, a few Americans and Indians, etc.

The editorial board therefore wishes to, on behalf of the entire UPMISA officials and indeed the entire international students’ community of UPM, extends its sincere and heart-felt sympathy to the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew on board MAS flight MH370. We hope that, as painful as the situation is, they would be able to endure the tragedy with great fortitude and sense of responsibility while, at the same time, rendering their support to the Malaysian Government in its unrelenting efforts of searching for the whereabouts of the missing aircraft carrying their loved ones on board. We also wish to sympathize with the Malaysian Government and, by and large, the management of UPM over this sad incident. Please accept the highest assurances of our humble selves in sharing with you the pains and grief of this mysterious tragedy while we keep the flames of the candles of hope burning.

This paper is a result of an attempt to study the evolution of the traditional Malay village in peninsular Malaysia from early settlement to modern times. The main objective is to consolidate information that contributes to a better understanding of the significant role of these villages in shaping the Malay cultural landscape in the traditional setting. Using information through the study of history of dwelling and cultural geography in Southeast Asia and peninsular Malaysia, an effort is made to discern how the social, political and cultural factors have influenced the evolution of Malay villages from their earliest period of establishment to their present form. A detailed discussion of the basic definition and concept of the Malay village is also done, based on social and physical factors. Four main factors portray a Malay village as a social unit: territory, kinship, religion, and administration. These factors, however, are subject to the interplay of both traditional and modern forces. The physical components of the villages, such as the settlement pattern, basic village layout, house compound, and home garden are discussed to reveal the values and attitudes expressed by the Malays in their traditional way of life. The way to preserve and conserve Malay Village is also proposed.