Whither the Chinese New Villages? A Case Study of Sagil and Jementah, Johor, Malaysia

ABSTRACT As a colonial product of British social engineering during the militarized emergency of the 1950s, the Chinese new villages have provoked critical contemplation and reflection concerning their role and ramifications within a multi‐ethnic Malaysian society. Seventy years after their establishment, how they have evolved and transformed has captured tremendous public concern. Will the Chinese new villages adhere to the historical trajectory of rural depopulation observed in other Asian developing nations, and what direction will they pursue for their future development? This paper uses a socio‐spatial transformation approach as an explanatory framework to reflect the impact of urbanization leading to rapid rural depopulation resulting from ‘push and pull’ factors marked by scarcity in both economic opportunities and land in Malaysia's remote rural sector. The study first reviews the features of rural depopulation in two selected Asian countries. Following this, the post‐war features in urban growth and rural decline in Malaysia are dealt with, together with an analysis of aging and fertility rate change. This investigation is further enriched by questionnaire interviews conducted with the original inhabitants of two new villages in Sagil and Jementah, Johor. The focus will be directed towards elucidating the causes and effects of the exodus and decline of the new village population, alongside the challenges facing them and prospects.