2009/01/29
From Johor Buzz

THERE'S a fresh tingle about old Segamat town nowadays. And it is more than its mythical water or its fabled durians.

Popular legend has it that Segamat got its name from a Bendahara of Malacca called Tepok, who was trying to escape the Portuguese invasion. "Segar amat (so refreshing)," he uttered when he took a sip of the crystal clear water from the river which meandered through Rantau Panjang, a settlement north of old Johor. From then on the river was known as Sungai Segamat, and subsequently the name of the town.

Sadly, these days, Sungai Segamat does not live up to the legend. No one has drunk the water or taken dips in the river for decades. During the rainy season, the banks of the river swell and the town would regularly flood.

Legend has it that a dragon sleeps in the earth beneath Segamat, and changes its sleeping position once in several decades, causing severe flooding. People in Segamat are constantly on standby whenever there's heavy rain or during rainy spells.

Segamat's main economic activity was agriculture. Development began in the 1970s, when the Tun Razak Highway (the present-day Segamat-Kuantan trunk road) was built, linking the town to the southern part of Pahang.  Old Segamat town began expanding, from the rows of old shophouses still standing in Jalan Omar, Jalan Awang, Jalan Aji, Jalan Ismail and Jalan Ibrahim.

The river separates the two halves, with most of the banks, shopping centres and new housing estates in the new town. The old and new towns are linked by a concrete bridge built some 100 years ago. A second bridge was built in 2005. Not too far from the first bridge is a railway bridge.

The three bridges have commercial value but there are two other bridges which hold historical significance. One of them is in Buloh Kasap while the other is at the Gemas border. During the Second World War, the retreating British army blew up the two bridges to slow the invading Japanese army. The remnants of the two bridges serve as a reminder to old folks of their days under Japanese occupation. Younger people view them as just part of Segamat's history.

Two decades ago, Segamat earned a reputation as the "Paris of the East" when the flourishing timber industry lead to a boom in entertainment outlets and pubs. But the glamour faded in the 1980s as the timber business wrapped up. Today, Segamat gets another yield from the forest -- its famous durian. The fruit may not be as refreshing as the water the Bendahara once sipped but it is delicious.

People from near and far never forget this town during the season. Development over the past three years has brought many changes and given the town a new lease of life. Commercial centres have been springing up, after Segamat Baru came up on the south-western end of the town. Banks, shopping centres, shophouses, food courts and hotels have followed. Population growth, and greater tourist traffic to Gunung Ledang have brought good business for the many popular restaurants. More development is also coming up on the western edge of the town. All that just means there is a fresh new taste to Segamat, befitting the legend of its river and the king of fruits.