Compare And Contrast Essay - Of Tanjung Malim and Pasir Gudang

Of Tanjung Malim and Pasir Gudang

      For 18 years, I've been living in the quaint town of Pasir Gudang. Mainly an industrial town, Pasir Gudang has it's charms and I could say I'm proud to recognize it is my hometown. However, since last year, I've begun moving into the quiet town of Tanjung Malim, Perak. I've been adjusting myself to the humble lifestyle of the town and I must say Tanjung Malim isn't a hard town to get use to. I've began to see some similarities and a few discrepancies between the two towns.

      The first thing I noticed is the geographical landscape of the two towns. Tanjung Malim is located near the vicinity of the Titiwangsa Range, smacked-dabbed at the heart of the Malaysian Peninsular. It has scenic mountains and lush forests with the town nestled in between. And since the town is located right in the middle of the Malaysian Peninsula, you can't expect to smell the salty breeze of the sea, though at least there are large, rapid rivers and smaller streams running from the mountains. On the other hand, Pasir Gudang is a coastal town. The sea is just a couple of kilometers away from the town center. The landscape of the area is that of vapid plains and fields. There is hardly any elevation in Pasir Gudang and the vegetation isn't as dense as you'd find in Tanjung Malim.

      Next is in terms of infrastructure. Tanjung Malim is pretty well developed as compared to neighboring towns. Much of this is due to the presence of the Sultan Idris Educational University in the town, which has brought many social and economical development into the town. The town has well maintained roads, a grand railway station and an opulent bus-station. The town itself is pretty well developed for a rural settlement, with plenty of shops and administration buildings. Pasir Gudang is almost the same in that sense. Although the town is rapidly undergoing urbanization, the town is still considered a rural town in the province of Johor Bharu. Though more developed than Tanjung Malim, Pasir Gudang has all the same necessities as of Tanjung Malim. The town center is a tall tower conjoined to a shopping mall, with rows of shop houses and administrative buildings in its vicinity. The roads are very well developed and it does have a railway though its for private and trade uses only. However, as I've said, the town is undergoing rapid urbanization and I'm pretty sure that only 5 years from now, the town could look completely different.

      Lastly is in the composition and concentration of the populace in each town. Tanjung Malim is pretty well-diverse. If you take into the university students, then you can say that there's a representative for every ethnicity living in Tanjung Malim. If we don't take that factor into account, the major percentage of the population is comprised by the Chinese, followed by Malays and Indians. The same is also the case for Pasir Gudang. However, unlike Tanjung Malim, the different races of Pasir Gudang are divided to differnt parts of the town. The chinese are more common in the areas of Masai, while Malays are more dominant in most of the town's center and new housing areas. Indians are more concentrated in the old residential areas such as Taman Air Biru and Kota Masai.

      From my observation, there are indeed some similarities and differences in the towns. To summarise, Pasir Gudang is the more modernized and urban counterpart of Tanjung Malim, however both have traits which are unique to themselves. Through this similarities, perhaps there would be a chance in the future for both towns to collaborate each other to build a better understanding.