Pahang
Pahang (
Jawi: ڨهڠ) is the largest state on
Peninsular Malaysia, occupying the huge
Pahang River river basin. It is bordered to the north by
Kelantan, to the west by
Perak,
Selangor,
Negri Sembilan, to the south by
Johor and to the east by
Terengganu and the
South China Sea.
Its state capital is
Kuantan, and the royal seat is at
Pekan. Other important towns include
Kuala Lipis,
Temerloh and the hill
resorts of
Genting Highlands,
Cameron Highlands and
Fraser's Hill.
The Arabic honorific of Pahang is
Darul Makmur ("Abode of Tranquility").
The ethnic composition is roughly - 1,000,000
Malay +
Bumiputra, 233,000
Chinese, 68,500
Indians, 13,700 others, and 68,000
non-citizens.
The physical geography can be broken into roughly three sections: the highlands, the rainforest, and the coastal areas.
Highlands
Peninsular Malaysia straddles a rich
quartz vein that is associated with the mountain range in the center.
Rainforest covers much of the highlands, but it tends to be thinner, with more
deciduous trees.
Ferns are also extremely common, thanks mainly to the high humidity and fog that permeates the area.
The
Cameron Highlands area in the west is home to extensive
tea plantations. The area is the highest on the mainland, and the climate is temperate enough to have distinct temperature variations year round. The area is also known as a major supplier of
legumes and vegetables to both
Malaysia and
Singapore.
Genting Highlands is known as Malaysia's playground. It is home to several hotels, a theme park and Malaysia's only casino.
Genting Highlands was developed by
Lim Goh Tong, who envisioned a hillside getaway destination for people wanting to get away from city hustle and bustle, and is conveniently situated 40 minutes from the capital of
Kuala Lumpur, accessible by highway. The border of Genting Highlands straddles both the states of Pahang and
Selangor.
The famous silk merchant and fashion designer
Jim Thompson mysteriously disappeared in the area, and it was also home to the
Communist guerrillas who fought the
British during the 1950s.
Fraser's Hill was used as a British summer getaway to escape the tropical heat. It is distinctive that the road to and from
Fraser's Hill is a single lane up the hill and traffic limited to a single direction at certain hours. It is now a small hamlet with British architectural buildings and also a holiday destination.
There is also a population of native
Orang Asli who live in the area, although most have been relocated from the forests to other areas.
Rainforest
The south of the state is home to the country's largest
national park,
Taman Negara. This large
primary rainforest is extensive, and is home to many rare or endangered animals, such as the
tapir,
kancil,
tigers and
leopards.
Rainforest covers 2/3 of the area of the state, and the peninsula's highest point,
Gunung Tahan, is located within Taman Negara. Since the equator is so close, the rainforests in Malaysia are among the oldest in the world: roughly 130 million years old.
Lakes
Two famous lakes are found in Pahang.
Tasik Bera is a
Ramsar site and is important for its rich freshwater
peat environment, home to various flora and fauna. The
Semelai Orang Asli live in the area and continue their traditional way of life, hunting, fishing and making use of their natural environment.
Tasik Cini is home to a legend whereby a
dragon was believed to reside in the lake. Talks also abound about a lost city that sunk beneath the water. Famed for its
lotus blooms, recently controversy has sparked with mismanaged tourism development resulting in the massive die off of trees, and recent findings of pollution in the water.
Coastal Areas
The largely mountainous state flattens out towards the coastline, and this is where the state capital
Kuantan is located. There are also many islands offshore, including
Pulau Tioman, with extensive
coral reef systems. Fine stretches of beach are found from Kuantan heading to
Terengganu.
A traditional fishing industry still exists along the coast.
Keropok dried fish cakes are a welcome favourite among locals and traditional industry includes the mass processing of dried fish and seafood as well as the famed
keropok lekor.
For decades, Pahang's main industry centred on tropical
timber production, as large forest swatches supported massive production of wood products, which were the state's main export. Yet a decline in mature trees due to intensive harvesting lately has caused a slowdown and the practice of more
sustainable forestry.
Fishery products are also a main source of income especially for the communities on the long coastline of the state. Dried and salted fish is a speciality here.
Raub in the central Pahang area was the only profitable
gold mining operation in Malaysia but reserves were soon exhausted and the mines were shut down. Recently, newer technology has made extraction profitable again and operations are being carried out once more.
Sungai Lembing in the heydays was a large centre for shaft mining of
timah better known as
tin. Miners dug underground tunnels to reach the ore and brought it up to the surface by the cartloads for smelting into
jongkangs. Now that tin is no longer mined, and the mines are mostly flooded, Sungai Lembing is a dying town with few prospects except tourism based on its history of mining.
Industry mostly centres on wood-based products and
petrochemical processing. Kuantan port is one of the busiest ports in the east coast and transportation networks allow for the fast transportation of goods through the state.
Tourism remains the state's main earner with large natural resources to entice visitors from
Taman Negara's forests,
Pulau Tioman and the
Genting Highlands.
Evidence for nomadic tribes living in the Pahang area go back to the
Mesolithic Era. In more modern times, the
tin and
gold deposits of the
Tembeling River attracted the marine traders of the
Srivijaya empire. In the
eighth and
ninth century, and Pahang covered most of the southern half of the
Malay Peninsula.
After the Srivijaya empire collapsed, around the 1000, Pahang was claimed first by
Siam, and then by
Sultanate of Malacca. Pahang was fought over by the
Portuguese, the
Dutch,
Johor, and
Aceh for most of the 16th century. During this time, its population was mostly killed or enslaved, its rulers murdered and its economy ruined. After the decline of Aceh in the mid-17th century, Pahang came under the rule of Johor. However, Sultans of Pahang, descended from the
Malacca and the
Bendahara Johor royal dynasties, have ruled the state almost continuously from 1470, and gradually recovered a great degree of autonomy.
From 1858 to 1863, Pahang was fought over in a civil war between the two sons of the reigning sultan. The war ended when Wan Ahmad was proclaimed the new sultan in
1887, but his role from that point onward was largely ceremonial, as the British forced him to sign a treaty bringing the country under control of a
British Resident.
In
1896, Pahang joined
Selangor,
Perak, and
Negeri Sembilan in the
Federated Malay States. This evolved into the
Federation of Malaya in
1948 and into the Federation of Malaysia in
1963.
Since 1974, the Sultan or hereditary monarch has been
Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah. The post of Sultan is largely ceremonial in nature, with most of the executive power resting in the hands of the
Chief Minister or
Menteri Besar. The current Chief Minister is currently
Dato' Seri Adnan Yaakob from the
United Malays National Organisation, a major component party of the
Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition. Adnan's deputy is Datuk Tan
Aminuddin Ishak.
The state also has a
unicameral legislative body, the
Pahang State Assembly or
Dewan Undangan Negeri. The Chief Minister, who is appointed by the Sultan, typically comes from the political party with the most seats in the assembly. According to Deputy Chief Minister Aminuddin Ishak, the BN-led state government does not have a policy of assisting constituencies with opposition members of the state assembly. Replying to an Assemblyman who asked if the government had a policy of doing so, Aminuddin answered no such plan existed, but "If you want to help the opposition, you can do so."
Administrative divisions
Pahang is divided into 11 administrative divisions:
Bera,
Bentong,
Cameron Highlands,
Jerantut,
Kuantan,
Kuala Lipis,
Maran,
Pekan,
Raub,
Rompin and
Temerloh*Mohamad, Roslina (Nov. 17, 2005).
"Pahang BN rep ticked off over question".
The Star.
