The Batu Pahat District is a district in the state of Johor, Malaysia. It lies southeast of Muar, southwest of Kluang, northwest of Pontian, south of Segamat and Tangkak District. The capital of the district is Bandar Penggaram.

Batu Pahat District
Malaysia District of Malaysia
Daerah Batu Pahat
Other transcription(s)
 • Jawiباتو ڤاهت
 • Chinese峇株巴辖县
 • Tamilபத்து பகாட்
Flag of Batu Pahat District
Official logo of Batu Pahat District
Location of Batu Pahat District in Johor
Location of Batu Pahat District in Johor
Map
Batu Pahat District is located in Malaysia
Batu Pahat District
Batu Pahat District
Location of Batu Pahat District in Malaysia
Coordinates: 1°55′N 103°0′E / 1.917°N 103.000°E / 1.917; 103.000
CountryMalaysia
StateJohor
SeatBatu Pahat
Local area government(s)Batu Pahat Municipal Council
(West)
Yong Peng District Council
(East)
Government
 • District officerHaji Zulkiflee bin Haji Abbas
Area
 • Total
1,872.58 km2 (723.01 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total
495,338
 • Density260/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+8 (Not observed)
Postcode
83xxx and 86xxx
Calling code+6-07-42 to +6-07-46
Vehicle registration platesJ

Geography

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Batu Pahat River

The capital of the district Bandar Penggaram, Batu Pahat is located at 1°51′N 102°56′E / 1.850°N 102.933°E / 1.850; 102.933. It is 239 km (150 miles) from Kuala Lumpur. The next nearest town is Muar which is 50 km (30 miles) northwest of Batu Pahat. The town of Kluang is located about 52 km (32 miles) to the northeast. Johor Bahru is located about 70 km to 100 km (43 miles to 62 miles) to the southeast of the town.

The district itself borders the districts of Segamat to the north, Kluang to the east, Muar to the west and shares a border in the southeast with the district of Pontian. The coast of the Straits of Melaka lies to the south.

History

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A plaque next to the Batu Pahat Well depicting the town's origin.

The town acquired the name Batu Pahat, which means "chiselled stone", from the quarries near the estuary.[3] There are multiple theories as to the origin of this name. In around 1456, the Siamese army, led by Admiral Awi Di Chu, camped in Batu Pahat before attacking Malacca.[4] Legend has it that the invading Siamese troops were chiselling rocks at a rocky spot in the coastal village of Kampung Minyak Beku, in hope to get fresh water during their retreat from the Melaka troops, led by Tun Perak, the famous Bendahara (Prime Minister) of the Malacca Sultanate. Another possible explanation for the origin of the name is the fortress ("A Famosa") built by the Portuguese after capturing Melaka, which was made from granite rocks taken from the mouth of Sungai Batu Pahat.[citation needed]

Renowned for its salted fish in the past, Batu Pahat was formerly known as Bandar Penggaram, which means "town of salt-makers". In 1893/1894, the present township was founded by Dato' Bentara Luar, Mohamed Salleh bin Perang, acting on the orders of the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar.[5]

Batu Pahat was the location of the headquarters for the Fiji Infantry Regiment, serving as part of the Commonwealth forces during the Malayan Emergency, from 1952 to 1956. The 1,600 strong force saw considerable action during the campaign and contributed to the securing of the area during that period.[6]

16 October 1980 was marked as one of Batu Pahat's bloodiest day in recent history. At approximately 9:30 AM, 20 Muslim extremists led by Mohd. Nasir Ismail, stormed into the Batu Pahat Police station with machetes, slashing and injuring 23 police staff and civilians. 8 of the extremists were shot dead by the police. The motive of the attack was never fully determined.[7]

Today, the ancient well can still be found in Minyak Beku, though little was done to maintain this ancient landmark which gives name to the town. For the town's centennial celebration in the early '90s, a quaint monument depicting a floating hand chiselling a rock was set up in the town square. It became the landmark of the town instantaneously. Currently, the newly refurbished town square is popular with locals on weekend nights and also provides as a venue for many public festive celebrations.

Bandar Penggaram, Batu Pahat is growing rapidly and has now developed to become the second major town in Johor state after Johor Bahru.

Subdivisions and administration

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The district's 525 gazetted villages (kampung-kampung) and village-clusters (kampung rangkaian) were annexed to their bigger immediate neighbours into mukims for the purpose of administration. The villages are represented by their village heads (ketua-ketua kampung) who answer to the subdistrict chief (Penghulu) administering the mukim. The mukim itself is under the jurisdiction of the Pegawai Daerah or District Officer. The district office of Batu Pahat also has five district engineers (Jurutera Daerah) to oversee all the subdistricts.[8]

The district (daerah) is divided into fourteen mukims,[9][10] each designated with a number (Mukim 1 to 12, 17, 18):

Type UPI Code Name Population
(2020 Census[11])
Area
(km2)
Density
(km2 per person)
 
Mukim 010101 Bagan 8,506 40.75 208.8
010102 Chaah Bahru 5,509 306.2 17.99
010103 Kampung Bahru 9,636 67.12 143.6
010104 Linau 30,439 110.2 276.1
010105 Lubok 6,898 44.75 154.2
010106 Minyak Beku 19,374 126.0 153.8
010107 Peserai 9,933 19.00 522.9
010108 Sri Gading 89,834 207.0 433.9
010109 Sri Medan 26,319 248.1 106.1
010110 Simpang Kanan 182,071 128.1 1,422
010111 Simpang Kiri 25,505 116.6 218.7
010112 Sungai Kluang 15,563 103.0 151.0
010113 Sungai Punggor 10,177 91.17 111.6
010114 Tanjung Semberong 38,539 341.6 112.8
Town (Bandar) 010140 Ayer Hitam 525 0.2895 1,813
010141 Bandar Penggaram 11,837 3.982 2,973
010142 Rengit 494 0.2939 1,681
010143 Senggarang 1,991 0.8313 2,395
010144 Yong Peng 2,188 1.016 2,154
  1. Lubok (Mukim I) established 1921
  2. Bagan (Mukim II) established 1921
  3. Peserai (Mukim III) established 1921
  4. Simpang Kiri (Mukim IV) established 1925
  5. Simpang Kanan (Mukim V) established 1927
  6. Linau (Mukim VI) established 1935
  7. Tanjung Semberong (Mukim VII) established 1940
  8. Sri Gading (Mukim VIII) established 1942
  9. Minyak Beku (Mukim IX) established 1943
  10. Kampung Bahru (Mukim X) established 1946
  11. Sungai Punggor (Mukim XI) established 1949
  12. Sungai Kluang (Mukim XII) established 1952
  13. Chaah Bahru (Mukim XVII) established 1957
  14. Sri Medan (Mukim XVIII) established 1965

Growth in small and medium industries such as textiles, garments and electronics helped to boost development, and Batu Pahat was upgraded to town status (Majlis Perbandaran) in 2001, alongside Muar, Kluang and Skudai.

Local authorities

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Bandar Penggaram, Batu Pahat is administered by Batu Pahat Municipal Council which was upgraded from the previous District Council (Majlis Daerah Batu Pahat Barat) on 9 June 2001 while Yong Peng is administered by Majlis Daerah Yong Peng or Yong Peng District Council which previous named Majlis Daerah Batu Pahat Timur.

As population in Batu Pahat District is about 495k, by merging of both councils’ income, which are Majlis Perbandaran Batu Pahat (MPBP) and Majlis Daerah Yong Peng (MDYP), Batu Pahat is potential to upgrade as Majlis Bandaraya Batu Pahat (MBBP) in the coming years.

Minimum requirement eligible for a council to upgrade as City Council (Majlis Bandaraya 市政局) are:-

  • Population: >500k
  • Council Income: >100 million
  • Others: Availability of best public services (transportation, tertiary education hub, important industrial hub, etc.)

Towns

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Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±%
1991 294,056—    
2000 336,509+14.4%
2010 401,902+19.4%
2020 495,338+23.2%
Source: [12]

The district of Batu Pahat has a population of about 398,014 local residents.[2] The population growth in 2000 was 1.55%.[13] The most populated mukim is Simpang Kanan with more than 311,862 people and the least populated is Bagan with a population of only 4,692.

The Malays are the majority (51%), while the Chinese is the largest minority (46%) and the Indian (3%).

The major religions are Islam, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Christianity and Hinduism.

Batu Pahat has more than four hundred Chinese temples due to the large Chinese population. Some of these temples are more than one century old and many have also become popular tourist attractions. Many devotees and tourists visited these temples and this has become an important part of the local economy. Chong Long Gong Temple (海口石文丁崇龙宫) was founded in 1864, is one of the popular tourist spot for devotees. A Chinese temple located at Bukit Pasir is the Kian Nam Shee Temple (建南寺). The Lim Sz Chong Su Tian Hou Temple (峇株吧辖林氏宗祠天后宫) was established in 1912 and is located in the downtown. There are also Buddhist temples or centres like Bhaddekaratta Hermitage (一夜贤者禅院), Bhavana Buddhist Society and Batu Pahat Insight Meditation Society.

There are two main mosques in Batu Pahat: Dato' Bentara Luar Mosque (located at Jalan Ampuan) and Sultan Ismail Mosque (located at Jalan Kluang)

Federal Parliament and State Assembly Seats

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List of Batu Pahat district representatives in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)

Parliament Seat Name Member of Parliament Party
P147 Parit Sulong Noraini Ahmad Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P148 Ayer Hitam Wee Ka Siong Barisan Nasional (MCA)
P149 Sri Gading Aminolhuda Hassan Pakatan Harapan (AMANAH)
P150 Batu Pahat Onn Abu Bakar Pakatan Harapan (PKR)

List of Batu Pahat district representatives in the State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri)

Parliament State Seat Name State Assemblyman Party
P147 N17 Semerah Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P147 N18 Sri Medan Zulkarnain Kamisan Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P148 N19 Yong Peng Ling Tian Soon Barisan Nasional (MCA)
P148 N20 Semarang Samsol Bari Jamali Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P149 N21 Parit Yaani Mohd Najib Samuri Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P149 N22 Parit Raja Nor Rashidah Ramli Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P150 N23 Penggaram Gan Peck Cheng Pakatan Harapan (DAP)
P150 N24 Senggarang Mohd Yusla Ismail Barisan Nasional (UMNO)
P150 N25 Rengit Mohd Puad Zarkashi Barisan Nasional (UMNO)

Election results

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Comparison of the parliamentary seat results in Batu Pahat district with PRU-12 (year 2008), PRU-13 (year 2013) and PRU-14 (year 2018)
 
Comparison of the state seat results in Batu Pahat district with PRU-12 (year 2008), PRU-13 (year 2013) and PRU-14 (year 2018)

Due to electoral division by Election Commission of Malaysia, there are three parliamentary and state constituencies (DUN) dividing Batu Pahat town. There are (P147) Parit Sulong parliamentary seat, (N17) Semerah state seat; (P149) Parliament Sri Gading parliamentary seat, (N21) Parit Yanni state seat and (P150) Batu Pahat parliamentary seat, (N23) Penggaram state seat. (Election Results of the 13th Malaysian General Elections) The last election results listed as below:

P150 - Batu Pahat parliament seat

Parliament of Malaysia: P150 Batu Pahat, Johor.
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct
2018 Haji Mohd Rashid Hasnon (PH) 45,929 56% Haliza binti Abdullah (BN) 28,035 34% Dr Mahfodz (PAS) 8,173 10%
2013 Mohd Idris bin Jusi (PKR) 38,667 51% Mohd Puad Zarkashi (UMNO) 36,935 49%
2008 Mohd Puad Zarkashi (UMNO) 32,593 61% Muhammad Abdullah (PKR) 19,625 37%
2004 Dr Junaidy And Wahab (UMNO) 38,982 78% Mohamed Hanipa Maidin (PAS) 9,880 20%

N23 - Penggaram state seat
(Cover most of the area of Batu Pahat town)

Johor State Assembly: N23-Penggaram, Batu Pahat, Johor.
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct
2022 Gan Peck Cheng 颜碧贞 (PH-DAP) 18208 53.67% Ter Hwa Kwong 戴華光 (BN-MCA) 8252 24.32% Ronald Sia 謝委健 (PN-BERSATU) 5276 15.55% Zahari Osman (IND) 2190 6.46%
2018 Gan Peck Cheng 颜碧贞 (PH) 26,825 64.43% Kang Beng Kuan 江明光 (BN) 9,620 23.10% Misran bin Samian (PAS) 5,185 12.47%
2013 Gan Peck Cheng 颜碧贞 (DAP) 24,277 62% Dr. King Ban Siang 龚万祥 (MCA) 14,226 37%
2008 Datuk Koh Chee Chai 高志财 (MCA) 12,761 47% Gan Peck Cheng 颜碧贞 (DAP) 12,186 45%
2004 Datuk Koh Chee Chai 高志财 (MCA) 16,845 69% Gan Peck Cheng 颜碧贞 (DAP) 6,247 26%
1999 Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek 蔡细历 (MCA) 20,809 74% Gan Peck Cheng 颜碧贞 (DAP) 7,349 26%
1995 Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek 蔡细历 (MCA) 20,174 77% Gan Peck Cheng 颜碧贞 (DAP) 6,137 23%

P149 - Sri Gading parliamentary seat

Parliament of Malaysia: P149 Sri Gading, Batu Pahat, Johor.
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct
2018 Dr Shahruddin Salleh (PH) 21,511 49% AB AZIZ BIN KAPRAWI (BN) 18,223 41% Haji M Ashari Sidon (PAS) 4,548 10%
2013 AB AZIZ BIN KAPRAWI (UMNO) 22,453 57% MOHD KHUZZAN BIN ABU BAKAR (PKR) 16,692 42%
2008 Datuk Mohamad Aziz (UMNO) 19,641 68% Ali Markom (PKR) 8,767 31%
2004 Datuk Mohamad Aziz (UMNO) 21,512 80% Dr Ahmad Faidi Saidi (PKR) 5,316 20%

N21 - Parit Yanni state seat
(Part of the division in Batu Pahat town e.g.: Taman Maju, Taman Flora Utama, Parit Besar, BP Mall)

Parliament of Malaysia: N21 Parit Yanni, Batu Pahat, Johor.
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct
2018 AMINOLHUDA BIN HASSAN (PH) 12,309 54% Soh Lip Yan 蘇立言 (BN) 7,475 33% Haji Nasir (PAS) 2,943 13%
2013 AMINOLHUDA BIN HASSAN (PAS) 11,278 52% TEO YEW CHUAN 张有全 (MCA) 10,090 47%
2008 Ng See Tiong 黃世忠 (MCA) 9,419 61% Hashim Jusoh (PAS) 5,562 37%
2004 Ng See Tiong 黃世忠 (MCA) 10,535 76% Muhamad Yusof Masran (PKR) 3,259 24%

P147 - Parit Sulong parliamentary seat

Parliament of Malaysia: P147 Parit Sulong, Batu Pahat, Johor.
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct
2018 NORAINI BINTI AHMAD (BN) 24,281 49% Anis Afida (PH) 18,140 37% Ahmad Rosdi bin Bahari (PAS) 7,148 14%
2013 NORAINI BINTI AHMAD (UMNO) 30,258 61% KHAIRUDDIN BIN A RAHIM (PAS) 18,505 38%
2008 NORAINI BINTI AHMAD (UMNO) 26,066 66% Faisal Ali (PAS) 12,467 32%
2004 NORAINI BINTI AHMAD (UMNO) 26,974 71% Suhaizan Kaiat (PAS) 9,788 24%

N17 - Semerah state seat
(Part of the division in Batu Pahat town e.g.: Taman Pantai, Jalan Syahbandar, Jalan Rugayah)

Parliament of Malaysia: N17 Semerah, Batu Pahat, Johor.
Year Government Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct Opposition Votes Pct
2018 Khuzzan Abu Bakar (PH) 12,619 42.85% MOHD ISMAIL BIN ROSLAN (BN) 12,521 42.51% Ustaz Wan (PAS) 4,314 14.64%
2013 MOHD ISMAIL BIN ROSLAN (UMNO) 14,404 55% MD YSAHRUDIN BIN KUSNI (PKR) 11,755 45%
2008 Datuk Ariss Samsudin (UMNO) 13,156 61% Muhamad Hasmi Hashim (PKR) 8,082 38%
2004 Datuk Ariss Samsudin (UMNO) 15,715 74% Mazlan Aliman (PAS) 5,046 24%

Economy

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The main economy activities in the district are furniture manufacturing, food processing and agritourism.[14] Main industrial towns in the district are Ayer Hitam, Batu Pahat Town, Pekan Sri Wangi, Parit Sulong and Yong Peng. As of 2010, the per capita income was MYR14,122.[13] Local "pasar malam" or night markets are held in residential areas with petty traders setting up stalls and selling a variety of food and daily necessities at bargain prices.

Education

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In Batu Pahat, there are 24 national secondary schools, 3 independent Chinese secondary schools and a vocational school. Among some of the best secondary schools in Batu Pahat are:

  • SMK Dato Bentara Luar
  • Maktab Rendah Sains MARA Batu Pahat (MRSM)
  • SMK Tinggi Batu Pahat (High School Batu Pahat, HSBP)
  • Chinese High School
  • SM Sains Batu Pahat
  • SMK Temenggong Ibrahim (Temenggong Ibrahim Girls' School)
  • SMK Dato' Sulaiman (SMKDS)
  • SMK Tun Aminah
  • SMK Convent
  • SMK Dato' Onn
  • SMK Dato Syed Esa (formerly called SMK Jalan Kolam Air)
  • SMK Munshi Sulaiman
  • SMK Datin Onn Jaafar
  • SM Teknik
  • SMK Banang Jaya
  • SMK Permata Jaya
  • SMK Semerah
  • SMK Tunku Putra
  • SMK Sri Medan

Notable people

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  • Mohid Mohamed, Chief Secretary for the Ministry of Youth and Sport

References

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  1. ^ "Profil Daerah". ptj.johor.gov.my. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Population Distribution and Basic Demographic Characteristics, 2010" (PDF). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ^ Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Website [1]
  4. ^ "83000 batu pahat, johor » Interesting BP Info". Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 13 June 2007.
  5. ^ Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia Website "Sejarah Malaysia". Archived from the original on 13 April 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2006.
  6. ^ "YouTube". www.youtube.com.
  7. ^ Webmaster, MT (31 March 2014). "Malaysians mudah lupa – Malaysia Today". www.malaysia-today.net. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  8. ^ "Portal Rasmi Majlis Perbandaran Batu Pahat (MPBP)". Portal Rasmi Majlis Perbandaran Batu Pahat (MPBP). Retrieved 19 August 2023.
  9. ^ "Kod dan Nama Sempadan Pentadbiran Tanah, Unique Parcel Identifier (UPI) JOHOR" (PDF). Jawatankuasa Teknikal Standard MyGDI (JTSM). 2023.
  10. ^ "Batu Pahat (District, Malaysia) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  11. ^ BANCI MALAYSIA 2020: MUKIM/BANDAR/PEKAN [MyCENSUS 2020: MUKIM/TOWN/PEKAN]. Putrajaya: Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia. 2024. ISBN 978-967-253-706-9.
  12. ^ "Key Findings of Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2020" (pdf) (in Malay and English). Department of Statistics, Malaysia. ISBN 978-967-2000-85-3.
  13. ^ a b Handbook gov.my
  14. ^ "Muafakat ke Arah #Johor Berkemajuan" (PDF). Muafakat Johor (in Malay). Retrieved 17 March 2018.
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