Bandar Muadzam Shah

Shop lot in Muadzam Shah.

Bandar Muadzam Shah, a rather quiet and tranquil but well-planned town situated inland in south-east Pahang, was a brainchild of Malaysia's second Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak.

His vision, amongst others, was for the town to eventually become a fully established educational center with quality schools and higher academic institutions serving the surrounding rural regions, and having its own fully integrated public administration services.

Lembaga Kemajuan Pahang Tenggara (DARA) (or South-East Pahang Development Authority) was formed to undertake and oversee the development and success of the region. DARA started the phased development of the town in 1979 and administered the town for 25 years until it was taken over by the Pekan and then by the Rompin District Office.

Bandar Muadzam Shah is named after the fourth Sultan of modern Pahang, Sultan Abu Bakar Riayatuddin Al-Muadzam Shah, who reigned Pahang from 1932 to 1974.[2]

Muadzam Shah residence.

Although the ideal development as envisaged by the late Tun Razak has yet to be fully materialized, Bandar Muadzam Shah has since quietly grown into quite a well-developed town. It has very good infrastructure and spread of educational and government public services in place, that are not found in some other towns in the Rompin district.

The town has a General Hospital that provides general and also specialist care services, besides having wards for general, women and maternity cases.

Other than the District office and Land office, there area several important government administrative offices and services like the Road Transport Department, Islamic Department, the Police and Fire Departments, and the Courts of Justice.

Already established are various primary and secondary schools, such as Sekolah Menengah Teknik, Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM), Sekolah Kebangsaan and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Muadzam Jaya and SMK (A) Pahang.

University Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), one of Malaysia's top universities with its main campus in Putrajaya, has a branch campus, the UNITEN Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Campus, at Bandar Muadzam Shah.

A big polytechnic complex (Politeknik Muadzam Shah) was opened in 2003.

Around the town centre we can see that there is a big mosque, and scattered rows of retail shops and private offices, and the popular Muadzam Bazaar that connects via a walkway to the bus and taxi terminal.

This bus and taxi terminal serves as a transport hub for rural residents having errands with the government departments or appointments at the general hospital, as the town is surrounded by many rural villages and smaller towns like Bukit Ibam and Keratong.

The residential estates surround the town and they are comparatively well-planned, near to shops, restaurants and public amenities.

According to statistic on 2007, Bandar Muadzam Shah has a total population around 15,000 people.[3]

A satellite town is under construction after launching by Menteri Besar of Pahang, Dato' Seri Adnan Yaakob to support demand from the expanding population at Muadzam Shah [2010][4][5]

Farm Fresh milk production factory also within the town, provides high quality fresh milk to the market.

Homestay programmes are programmes where tourists stay in the homes of local villagers and experience village life and local cultures. Muadzam Shah homestay programs include visits to orang asli (aborigines) villages are so popular in Kampong Kedaik, Kampong Tanam and a few other surrounding villages where the orang asli still carry out traditional activities like making blow pipes.

Bandar Muadzam Shah lends its name to the State electoral constituency of Muadzam Shah, represented by former Deputy Minister Datuk Maznah Mazlan from Barisan Nasional. Its representative to the Malaysian Parliament is Datuk Hasan Ariffin from Barisan Nasional after late Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis dies in helicopter crash near Semenyih.