Petaling Jaya

Infobox City |official_name = Petaling Jaya
other_name = ڤتاليڠ جاي
nickname = "PJ, Bandar Raya Inai Merah"
motto = Mesra, Cepat, Tepat
(English: Friendly, Expedient, Precise)
website = http://www.mbpj.gov.my


image_

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map_caption = Location within Petaling District and the state of Selangor
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name = flag|Malaysia
subdivision_name1 = Selangor
established_title = Establishment
established_date = 1954
established_title2 = Granted city status
established_date2 = 2006, June 20
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Mohamad Roslan Sakiman
area_magnitude =
area_total_sq_mi =
area_total_km2 = 97.2
population_as_of = 2004
population_total = 480000
population_density_sq_mi =
population_density_km2 =
timezone = MST
utc_offset = +8
timezone_DST = Not observed
elevation_m =
elevation_ft =
latd =
latm =
lats =
latNS =
longd =
longm =
longs =
longEW =
footnotes =

Petaling Jaya (commonly called "PJ" by locals) is a Malaysian city developed as a satellite city of Kuala Lumpur. It is located in the Petaling district of Selangor with an area of approximately 97.2 km². On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted city status.

History

It was first developed by the British as an answer to the problem of overpopulation in Kuala Lumpur in 1952 and has since witnessed a dramatic growth in terms of population size and geographical importance. The development of Petaling Jaya centered around the area currently known as “Old Town” today.

Lieutenant-General Sir Gerald Templer (then the British High Commissioner of Malaya and Petaling District council chairman) planned for Petaling Jaya to be a satellite town to prevent people from assisting the communists and the earlier housing areas were all fenced up. The first road built in Petaling Jaya was simply called "Jalan 1" or Road 1, and is now called Jalan Templer.

Until the end of 1954, the town was administered by the Kuala Lumpur District Officer and the Petaling Jaya Town Authority. Administratively and historically, it was considered part of Kuala Lumpur. However, Petaling Jaya ceased to be part of Kuala Lumpur when the latter became a Federal Territory on February 1, 1972. It then became a township in its own right within the state of Selangor.

PJ South (also known as PJS), from Section 8 until PJ Old Town, had the first settlements, which were established around 1953. As development progressed, PJ North, located on the other side of the Federal Highway, was developed.

The first shopping complex in Petaling Jaya – Jaya Shopping Centre (better known as Jaya Supermarket) – was built in 1974 in Section 14.

On 1 January 1977, the Petaling Jaya Town Authority was upgraded to become Petaling Jaya Municipal Council or Majlis Perbandaran Petaling Jaya (MPPJ). Petaling Jaya progressed rapidly due to the massive rural-urban migration. As more people from rural areas immigrated, Sungai Way and Subang districts along with new areas such as Subang Jaya, Seksyen 52 (New Town or colloquially known as State; the name of the first, former cinema in the area) developed in areas under the jurisdiction of the municipality.

Eventually, in a boundary realignment exercise in early 1997, parts of Petaling Jaya such as Subang Jaya, Sunway, Puchong and USJ were placed under the jurisdiction of the newly formed Subang Jaya Municipal Council or MPSJ.

Petaling Jaya also acts as one of the centre hubs of Klang Valley (comprising of Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Shah Alam, Subang Jaya and surrounding areas) for industry. True to its name "Jaya" (Malay for success), Petaling Jaya quickly became the most prosperous municipality in Selangor.

On 20 June 2006, Petaling Jaya was granted its city status and Dato' Ahmad Termizi Puteh, a former Yang di-Pertua MPPJ, automatically became the first mayor "(Datuk Bandar)" of Petaling Jaya. Petaling Jaya's local authority changed its name to Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) or Petaling Jaya City Council following the granting of city status. On 15 August, Dato' Ahmad Termizi Puteh retired from the post of mayor [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/17/central/15161671&sec=central] and he was later replaced by Tuan Hj. Mohamad Roslan Sakiman.

Etymology Of Name

The acronym "PJ" did not always stand for Petaling Jaya. When the area was initially being developed by the British, it was decided upon by the founding members of the newly formed municipal council that the area was to be called Palanivel Janarthanan after the council's President. However, racial politics and firm opposition from other councilmen, Alvin Liew and Philip Tan, caused the name to be changed to Petaling Jaya instead. They retained the acronym as a show of respect for the President who then relocated to Putrajaya in 1997 and unsuccessfully campaigned to change that city's name to "Palajaya".

City sections

Petaling Jaya is divided into several sections. Some sections themselves are subdivided into smaller neighborhood ("kejiranan"), for example SS5D. Some sections have their own names (SS1 as Kampung Tunku), while other sections are grouped together (SS5, SS6 as part of Kelana Jaya).

These sections names are used in the addressing format for locations in Petaling Jaya.

No. xx,
Jalan SS3/5,
47300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.
This system would point to house number xx, 5th street, section SS3, Petaling Jaya. This would remove the need to have an additional address line for the housing estate name like most addresses used for the rest of the country.

The city sections are numbered as such that the older sections have no prefixes to their section number (Seksyen 1, Seksyen 9) while later sections have prefixes such as SS (Sungei Way-Subang), PJS (Petaling Jaya Selatan) and PJU (Petaling Jaya Utara).

Demographics

As of 2000, Petaling Jaya claimed 355,530 inhabitants within the area of 51.4 sq.km. The actual population by 2003 would have been a little over 450,000 inhabitants without taking into account the total population of the Kuala Lumpur-Petaling Jaya conurbation which would have resulted in a total population of 1.5 million. Its population is made up of 55% Chinese, 30% Malays, and 13% Indians, whereas the remainder consists of other races. Petaling Jaya residents are served by four Members of Parliament, DAP's Tony Pua in PJ Utara, PKR's Hee Loy Sian in PJ Selatan, PKR's R. Sivarasa in Subang and PKR's Loh Gwo-Burne in Kelana Jaya.

Landmarks

A prominent landmark is the Kota Darul Ehsan arch which symbolically marks the boundary between Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya. This arch straddled the Federal Highway (Lebuhraya Persekutuan) which was originally the only highway link between Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur. However, many links now exist as alternatives to the congested Federal Highway.

Close to the Kelana Jaya Line's Taman Jaya Station is the Thai Wat Chetawan Temple. This ornate building is probably the only authentic-design Thai temple in the Klang Valley and is very popular amongst the Buddhist community. A short drive ahead is PJ State, the nickname for the Central Business District of Petaling Jaya with the landmark Menara MBPJ as a focal point. PJ State is more formally referred to as PJ New Town.

Commerce

Residents of Petaling Jaya have a wide selection of traditional shops as well as a choice of several medium to large shopping complexes. The shops are situated at various strategic locations such as SS2, Damansara Utama, Kelana Jaya, Damansara Jaya, Taman Megah, SS3, Section 14, SEA Park, PJ New Town and PJ Old Town. During Petaling Jaya's early days, local shopping mostly meant patronizing the shops at either PJ Old Town, New Town or Section 14. PJ New Town is also commonly referred to as PJ State or simply State.

The first institution that resembled a shopping centre in Petaling Jaya was the Thrifty Supermarket that used to operate along Jalan Barat. However, the very first supermarket to operate in Petaling jaya is perhaps either Ben's Mini Market or Pok Brothers Mini Market, both of which operated in PJ New Town.Not too long afterwards, Fitzpatrick's Supermarket commenced operations at the Asia Jaya Complex.

A while later, during the mid-seventies, Jaya Supermarket commenced operations at Section 14. It is now going to be closed down and torn down. Most of the shops in the supermarket are being relocated to the nearby Jaya 33 supermarket on Jalan Semangat. The Fitzpatrick Supermarket did not survive the 1980s recession. The Asia Jaya Complex itself was transformed to become the Armada Hotel during the mid-1990s. Thrifty Supermarket did not survive the 1990s economic recession.

Today Court's Mammoth is operating at this Jalan Barat location. In SEA Park, the Emporium Supermarket operated during the 1970s in the premises located above the SEA Park wet market. The Emporium too did not survive the 1980s economic downturn.

By the 1980s, the Daya and Fajar Supermarkets had commenced operations at SS2 and Damansara Utama respectively. Daya did not survive the 1997 economic crisis whereas Fajar relocated to Banting in 2006. Fajar's former Damansara Utama location was extensively renovated and by early 2007 became "Uptown 37". This location is today occupied by upmarket tenants such as HSBC and Starbucks. At SS2, the Savemart Supermarket has been a popular choice for groceries since the 1980s.

Current developments

The 1980s saw the establishment of the Atria in Damansara Jaya and Subang Parade in Subang Jaya. The Atria provided the opportunity for residents to patronise either the Japanese Kimisawa or the French Printemps department stores. Both of them did not survive the 1980s economic recession. By the mid-1990s, One Utama had commenced operations at Bandar Utama. Jaya Jusco, a Japanese Department Store which had operated since the late 80s at Taman Tun Dr Ismail later relocated as one of the anchor tenants of 1 Utama.

Tesco Supermarket commenced operations at Mutiara Damansara in 2003. This was quickly followed by the Ikano Power Centre in 2004 and the Curve in 2005. The Ikano Power Centre houses South East Asia's largest IKEA Swedish furniture store. IKEA had previously operated at the nearby 1 Utama. At about the same time, the 1-Utama new wing had commenced operations. By 2006, these establishments had synergised to make Bandar Utama and adjacent Mutiara Damansara to become very popular shopping destinations in the Klang Valley.

In 2004 the Giant Mall commenced operations in Kelana Jaya. This complex houses the Giant Hypermarket which is off the Damansara-Puchong Highway.

Transport

Transportation facilities and infrastructure are well developed in Petaling Jaya. Bus services since Petaling Jaya's early days until the early 1990s were provided by "Sri Jaya". Some SEA Park residents may recall the old "Sri Jaya" Leyland Albion buses on the No.241 service struggling to climb the relatively steep Jalan 21/1. The mid-eighties saw the introduction of mini-buses. For the first time then, Petaling Jaya residents had a quick means to travel to Kuala Lumpur. Waiting time for a mini-bus to arrive was often less than 10 minutes. The introduction of the "IntraKota" bus system by DRB-Hicom saw the replacement of "Sri Jaya" and the mini-buses by the early 1990s. At the same time, some of the Petaling Jaya-Kuala Lumpur bus routes were also serviced by "Metrobus". The demise of the mini-buses meant that the waiting time for buses was back to the 30 to 60 minutes regime.

The introduction of the Putra LRT service in the late 1990s saw the addition of the Putraline feeder bus services. The combination of Putraline and Putra LRT brought a relief to many Petaling Jaya residents especially those who had had to rely on public transportation. In 2005, the Triton buses briefly supplemented the Putraline feeder services.

In 2006 RapidKL took over the operations of "IntraKota" as well as both Star and Putra LRT. Today, public transportation is provided by RapidKL in the form of buses as well as the KL Light Rail Transit System - Kelana Jaya Line, which extends slightly into Petaling Jaya.There are five Kelana Jaya Line stations in Petaling Jaya. Petaling Jaya has three access points to the national highway system North-South Expressway via Kota Damansara, Damansara, and Subang. Internally, highways such as the LDP or Damansara-Puchong Expressway, Sprint Expressway and the Federal Highway also exist.

By 2010, the extensions to the existing Klang Valley light rail transit network will be completed and this will include a new 30km line from Kota Damansara in PJ North all the way to Cheras (South KL) with stops in Mutiara Damansara and Taman Tun, to name a few. Another line will connect Subang Jaya to the Kelana Jaya Line via an extension from the Kelana Jaya station.

Education

There are more than 23 colleges and universities in Petaling Jaya including the International Islamic University Malaysia matriculation campus in Section 17, MARA University of Technology (UiTM) campus branch on Jalan Othman in Section 1, Tunku Abdul Rahman University (UTAR) campus branch in Section 13, Tun Abdul Razak University (UNITAR) main campus in SS6 Kelana Jaya, Malaysia University of Science, Technology (MUST) main campus in SS7, Kolej Damansara Utama (KDU) in Damansara Jaya, Kolej Bandar Utama (KBU) in Bandar Utama and IACT at Damansara Utama. International University College of Technology Twintech a private college at Bandar Sri Damansara.

The UiTM facility in Section 1 commenced life as the "Dewan Latehan RIDA" in November 1956. It was later renamed as the "Dewan Latihan MARA". This was a training centre under the auspices of RIDA or the Rural and Industrial Development Authority. Essentially it was also the inspiration of Dato' Onn Jaafar, the founder and former president of UMNO or the United Malays National Organization. This UiTM facility can be regarded as Petaling Jaya's oldest college.

One of the upcoming prominent Automotive-focused College, [http://www.otomotif.edu.my/ The Otomotif College] or simply called "TOC" is based in Petaling Jaya. Started in Asia Jaya, the college eventually shifted to Section 19. It is also one of the top-notch college for certification of City and Guilds in Modern Automotive Technology in Malaysia and also a college of preference for automotive students worldwide.

There are many secondary schools in Petaling Jaya including SMK Assunta,Sri Aman Girls School, Catholic High School, La Salle PJ, SMK Damansara Jaya, Damansara Utama Secondary School, Bukit Bintang Boys School S.M.K. Sultan Abdul Samad and S.M.K. (P) Taman Petaling

Malaysia's first private nursing college is located at Assunta Hospital in Petaling Jaya. The Tun Tan Cheng Lock College of Nursing was founded in 1961 by the Catholic Sisters of the Missionaries of Mary.

The Deutsche Schule of Kuala Lumpur is an International School that is located on Lorong Utara B near the Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital. This school is based on the German Education Curriculum System.

Places of worship

Residents of Petaling Jaya can fulfil their religious obligations at various places of worship .

The Muslim community can pray at mosques such as those located at Jalan Templer, Section 17, Section 14, Section SS1 and Damansara Utama. A new mosque, Masjid Kelana Jaya Putera was recently completed in Kelana Jaya. Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah at Jalan Templer is likely the oldest mosque in Petaling Jaya.

The Roman Catholic Christian community can attend mass at churches such as St Francis Xavier located at Jalan Gasing, Assumption on Jalan Templer as well as at St Ignatius in Taman Mayang. A Methodist Christian church is located in Section 5. An Anglican as well as a Lutheran church is located at Jalan Utara. A Glad Tidings Christadelphian church is located at Jalan Gasing. Several shophouse-based churches exist across Petaling Jaya. In 2005, the former Ruby Cinema in SEA Park became the Damansara Utama Methodist Church.The Grace Assembly of God Church is located on Jalan SS23/6E in Taman Megah

The Buddhist community can fulfil their religious obligations at the Thai Chetawan Temple along Jalan Gasing and at the Cempaka Buddhist Lodge in SS23 Taman SEA. Chinese temples such as "Poh Lum Fatt Yuen" along Jalan Gasing fulfil the needs of the Taoist community. Taoist temples can also be found in PJ Old Town and in Section 11.

The Sri Siddhi (Sanskrit:श्री सिद्धि) Vinayaga Temple located at Section 4 along Jalan Selangor serves as the main religious facility for Petaling Jaya's Hindu community. The main God worshipped here is Ganesh, (Sanskrit: गणेश). Vinayaga is a common name for Ganesh. There is a Mariamman Temple in Jalan 17/47, and the Geeta Ashram is a north-Indian style Hindu Temple dedicated to Krishna. The Geeta Ashram can be found in Lorong Utara B in Section 52.

There is also a Sikh Gurdwara located in Lorong Utara B, beside the Tun Hussein Onn Eye Hospital and the Geeta Ashram.

References

* [http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/4/central/17595851&sec=central PJ set to undergo major redevelopment] , The Star, May 4, 2007.
* [http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/7/central/17651121&sec=central One of PJ’s earliest supermarkets] , The Star, May 7, 2007.

External links

* [http://www.disini.net/info/gis/main/search.asp?keyword=petaling+jaya PJ Map and Street Photo] - PJ Map and Street Photo
* [http://www.pjnet.com.my/ Petaling Jaya Net] - PJ Community
* [http://www.petalingjaya.com.my Petaling Jaya Guide]
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