ROMPIN: When Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Campus (KSHAS) was opened near here in 2001, it turned the once sleepy Muadzam Shah town into a bustling oasis in South-East-Pahang.
Eighteen years down the road, the move to merge Uniten's Rompin and Putrajaya campuses as a single entity in the federal administrative capital from 2020 is likely to affect the town, more known for its agricultural products.
When the Southeast Pahang Development Authority (Dara) was dissolved in 2000, Bandar Muadzam Shah became a sleepy town.
This was before Rompin member of parliament Tan Sri Jamaluddin Jarjis, who died in a helicopter crash in Semenyih on Sept 4, 2015 , established the Uniten campus during his tenure as TNB chairman.
Rompin District Council member Datuk Jalaluddin Mohamed Deli described the Uniten campus in Muadzam Shah as the "livewire" of the town. It was the students and staff who helped the locals who operated businesses including food outlets, printing shops and homestays generate a regular income.
He said since Uniten took a footing in Muadzam Shah, the town developed rapidly, and the 'University Town' concept introduced by Jamaluddin and adopted by Uniten saw the campus sharing same public facilities with the people living here.
"Uniten's presence saw new roads, faster internet, public halls, housing schemes, sports facilities and even a new satellite township with fast food outlets operating in the vicinity. I doubt all this could have been achieved here within a short time if Uniten was established elsewhere.
"News on the relocation of the campus to Putrajaya has shocked the people here as those involved in the food and stationary sector are going to be badly affected. The students and staff are those who frequent the premises, and now they are facing the possibility of losing hundreds of regular customers," he told New Straits Times today.
"The people here will certainly agree that Uniten was the driving force behind the town's progress and in fact there are talks that Muadzam Shah is set to become a 'sub district'. The move to relocate (Uniten Campus) is seen as taking a step backwards in education," he said, describing the campus as Jamaluddin's brainchild to help the once deserted town to grow.
Former Bukit Ibam assemblyman Datuk Wan Kadri Wan Mahussain said locals running businesses and Uniten students had formed a close bond as the town, which comprises a few rows of shops, was where the students always went for their meals and to buy things.
"Everyone knows each other and when the students' parents are in town, they will also have their meals at the eatery outlets here or stay in the homestays or hotels. When the town becomes quiet, then everyone knows that the students are on their semester breaks.
"I hope TNB will consider its decision as there seems to be no reason to relocate the campus. Everything was progressing smoothly and now this sudden decision has left the people here restless," he said.
Wan Kadri said many of Uniten’s academic and non-academic staff, who worked at the campus, had also bought houses at the planned town, they will now be left in a quandary.
He said although TNB had assured that it will continue to assist the people here after the campus moves, things would not be the same as there would be no more students.
The Uniten campus here was opened by Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad during his tenure as the country's fourth prime minister on May 4, 2001.
The former Sultan of Pahang,Sultan Ahmad Shah had proclaimed the campus as KSHAS on Oct 4, 2003.
On Sept 24, a press statement issued by Uniten vice-chancellor’s office stating it would centralise campus operation through the merger of its two branches – the Rompin and Putrajaya campuses as one entity.
The implementation of centralised campus operation which is expected to take place in stages from June next year has been approved by Uniten's board of directors as the ‘Reimagining Uniten’ initiative and mandated the management to carry out the centralised campus operation.
Various organisations including political bodies and non-governmental organsations have expressed concern over the closure and urged TNB to reconsider the decision.