Selangor Journal

Petaling: Heart of Selangor


By Muhaimin Merican

Dubbed the ‘Heart of Selangor’ due to its location right in the middle of Selangor, the Petaling district is one of the most populated districts in Selangor. It borders multiple districts in the state such as Kuala Selangor to the North, Klang to the West, Gombak to the East, and Hulu Langat to the South. It also borders the nation’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur, in the Southeast direction.

Once a part of Kuala Lumpur, the Petaling district is located right in the midst of the Klang Valley and is home to 1.6 million people. Even so, the district only covers an area of 484.32 sq. km, making it the smallest district in Selangor.

The Petaling District houses multiple cities, towns and municipalities that are known as urban centres, such as Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and Damansara.

The district is comprised of four mukim (sub-districts), namely Bukit Raja, Sungai Buloh, Damansara and Petaling.

 

Governance

Although the district is made up of four mukim, its local administration is divided into three local governments: the Shah Alam City Council, the Petaling Jaya City Council and the Subang Jaya Municipal Council.

The Shah Alam City Council administers the Shah Alam city centre as well as the Klang District, Bukit Raja, Setia Alam, Subang and the Sungai Buloh area.

The Petaling Jaya City Council administers over the Petaling Jaya city centre and Damansara.

The Subang Jaya Municipal Council administers over the south of the district, with heavily populated areas such as Subang Jaya, UEP Subang Jaya (USJ), Putra Heights, BatuTiga, parts of Puchong and Seri Kembangan under its jurisdiction.

The district is home to eight Parliamentary seats that are represented in the Federal Parliament (Dewan Rakyat). In addition, the district also has 16 DUN seats which are represented in the Selangor State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri).

 

Founding and Growth

The Petaling District was founded in 1952 by the then-British High Commissioner of Malaya, Sir Gerald Templer. Named after the Petaling tree that was common in the area during its development, Petaling was created on the old Effingham estate in order to deal with the overpopulation affecting Kuala Lumpur at the time.

Its location within 10 km of Kuala Lumpur made Petaling an ideal location for a satellite town. A satellite town was necessary, according to Sir Gerald Templer, to help move some of the population out of Kuala Lumpur, as well as to curb the then- rampant communist activity in the area. Because of this, the first few settlement areas were fenced off from the surrounding areas.

The development of Petaling Jaya commenced in 1952 with the construction of 800 houses in the area known as “Old Town” today.

In addition, the southern and western parts of the district were developed as industrial areas for tin mining. Modern-day towns such as Puchong, Subang Jaya and Sungai Way are all results of early mining activities in the Petaling District. The tin mining industry in the Petaling District was one of the main reasons that the towns boomed and became populated.

The Petaling Jaya Town Authority was in charge of the district’s local governance from 1954 up until 1974, when Petaling was split from Kuala Lumpur and the latter was declared the capital city of Malaysia.

After the split, the Petaling Jaya City Council was set up to govern the Petaling District. The Damansara and Bukit Raja mukim were added to the Petaling District.

In 1997, the Subang Jaya Municipal Council was created to administer over the Southern part of the Petaling District.
In 2006, Petaling Jaya or PJ, as it had come to be fondly known, was officially declared a city. As a city, Petaling Jaya received the honour of being awarded the UNESCO Best Learning Cities Award in 2019 for its role in promoting Education and Lifelong Learning.

 

Businesses in the Petaling District

The Petaling district is one of the wealthiest districts in the state and this can be attributed to the economic activity within the district.

There are multiple malls in the district, as well as several business areas. Prominent malls in the area include the Amcorp Mall, The Curve, IPC, and 1 Utama—the latter being the country’s largest shopping mall and the seventh largest in the world!

Through these malls and business areas, multiple franchises are brought in into the district. Popular franchises include Sushi King, Kaison, McDonalds, IKEA, Daiso, H&M and many other international sale and services brands.
The district also supports professional-type businesses. Accountants, architects, lawyers, audiologists, bacteriologists, engineers, dentists, optometrists, osteopaths, physicians, psychologists, surgeons, and veterinarians have established their firms or practices within the four mukim in the district, contributing to the economy of the district.

Moreover, the industrial district in Shah Alam has attracted international names such as Volvo, Nestlé and Cadbury to open their factories and manufacturing plants in the area.

 

Historical Significance

The Petaling District is host to many places of historical significance.

The SJK (C) Han Ming which is located in Puchong Batu 14 today, is known as one of the oldest Chinese schools in the district. It has been in operation since 1921.

In 1954, the then-Chief Justice of Malaya, Michael Hogan, brought a nun, Sister Enda, to Petaling Jaya to set up the Assunta primary school. From then on, during the 65 years it has been active, the Assunta Girls’ School has produced some outstanding alumnae, among them are former Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz as well as Mercy Malaysia founder and former president Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood.

In the north of the Petaling District, you can find the Elmina Estate. The Elmina Estate is the second oldest oil palm plantation in Malaysia. Established in 1917, the estate was bought over by The Selangor Oil Palm Company Ltd., who purchased the 3,407-acre estate in 1923 and opened a new oil palm factory there in 1927. The estate is also the site where Japanese Airlines (JAL) flight 715 crashed as it was approaching Subang Airport in 1977. Remains from the crash were found in the soil surrounding the estate up until 2011.

One of Petaling’s most famous landmarks is the first drive-through restaurant in Malaysia. Established in 1965, the now iconic A&W located in the heart of Petaling Jaya was the country’s first introduction to the drive-through concept popular in the West in the 1950’s. Today, the outlet itself makes about RM 4 million. Sadly, the outlet will be closing down by the end of this year to make way for a parking area.

 

Petaling Jaya: Satellite Town turned City

Having started out as town to accommodate overpopulation in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling has now grown to a district containing a city.

However, many residents who witnessed the growth of this district feel that it is important to avoid overpopulation and overdevelopment in order to preserve the special and nostalgic ambience of this district.

 

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