Where are the rural folks?

Beruas New Village on CNY Day 1 (26 January 2009)
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New village community hall
. The hall is named after Dato’ Seri Lim Keng Yaik (of Gerakan) who is formerly the MP for Beruas Parliamentary Constituency (in Perak)
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Beruas town on CNY Day 1 (leading to Taiping direction)
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(opposite direction) Leading to Ipoh
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The photos above were taken in Beruas town in Perak at 3pm on Day 1 of Chinese New Year ("CNY") - Monday 26 January 2009. Do you notice anything unusual? Yes, where are the rural folks and teenagers on that auspicious day?

I went back to my hometown for the CNY celebration. There is a phenomenon that is slowly taking place – the rural-urban migration. Every year, I see fewer friends come back to their hometown to celebrate the CNY.

When I was young, the new village and the town areas are full of people with a host of activities during CNY – people moving around and visiting from houses to houses in joyous mood.

On the other hand, I do hear friends from Kuala Lumpur who say that there are more people in Kuala Lumpur during CNY days. In future, people travel on CNY days may not be going back hometown; instead, more people are traveling to the holiday resorts with the long holiday break.

I have a nephew who has just completed his Form 5 education. When I chatted with him, I realized that there is no opportunity for further studies and no job opportunity either. He has to leave Beruas! So, in most small towns, only the young ones (before Form 5 level) and young once (elderly folks) are left behind.

One day, when my parents are too old to live there and decided to join their children in Kuala Lumpur, my friends in Beruas would take over this task of continuing the saying: “sigh… lesser folks are coming back to celebrate in the CNY”.

Written by KC