Ahmad Zahid Urges Jenjarom Residents To Preserve Unity, Heritage For Future Generations

KUALA LANGAT, June 6 (Bernama) -- The third and fourth generations of Kampung Jenjarom must continue to uphold unity, shared thinking and the spirit of togetherness to ensure the village continues to grow as a progressive and proud community in the future, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said that despite differences in views and backgrounds, unity of thought, conscience and action should serve as the foundation for developing Kampung Jenjarom over the next 100 years.

“We must have a common platform, wahdatul fikr (unity of thought), wahdatul qulub (unity of conscience) and wahdatul amal (unity of action) so that, insya-Allah, Kampung Jenjarom will, in the next 50 or 100 years, become a developed area with a growing population. What is important is the unity of thought among us, even though opinions may differ.

“Differences of opinion should be celebrated, but there must be tolerance, good morals and proper conduct in addressing such differences, or adabul ikhtilaf. Most importantly, traditional values must be preserved as long as there is no asabiyah (issues) that could divide us because of differing beliefs, skin colour or other ideologies,” he said.

He said this in his speech at the Kampung Jenjarom 100th Anniversary Carnival at Sekolah Kebangsaan Jenjarom here today, which was also attended by Kuala Langat Member of Parliament Datuk Dr Ahmad Yunus Hairi and Kuala Langat UMNO Division chief Datuk Zurihan Yusop.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Minister of Rural and Regional Development, said residents should continue to respect their origins and ancestral roots without neglecting their responsibilities as Malaysians who uphold the country’s democratic system and laws.

He said the history of Kampung Jenjarom, founded by settlers from the Banjar and Javanese communities, demonstrated that diversity of backgrounds can become a strength in building a harmonious and progressive society.

According to him, the progress achieved by Kampung Jenjarom today is the result of the efforts and sacrifices of earlier generations who opened up and developed the area about 100 years ago.

At the event, Ahmad Zahid also presented the Kampung Jenjarom Oldest Resident Award to Saodah Yatim, who is now 102 years old and belongs to the village’s second generation.

Saodah, who has seven children, 47 grandchildren, 103 great-grandchildren and 22 great-great-grandchildren, is a living witness to the development of Kampung Jenjarom, having grown up when the area was still covered by forest and personally witnessed its pioneering, migration and settlement-building processes.

-- BERNAMA