Permatang Pauh to celebrate festival in memory of lost rice fields

Over the years, many plots of vibrant green padi fields in Seberang Perai have been sacrificed at the altar of development, and replaced by concrete slabs of homes, commercial buildings and construction sites.

To those not tempted by the lure of office jobs in the city, padi planting remains but a hazy memory.

Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Penanti assemblyperson Norlela Ariffin are determined to change this with a padi festival.

For three days this month, Permatang Pauh will celebrate its second Padi Festival, with activities related to the padi planting heritage.

Kicking off at the Kampung Terus Jetty on Aug 16, the annual festival aims to showcase the past triumphs of the padi farmers through storytelling sessions, music, traditional rice planting sessions and traditional games.

As Norlela told Malaysiakini, the Padi Festival is based on the concept of the Malay kampung and the community's padi growing heritage.

She added that various rice-related products will be on display, including artworks and crafts designed by locals.

The event, Norlela explained, was inspired by Penang Legislative Assembly speaker Law Choo Kiang and former Penang Tourism, Arts and Culture executive councillor Danny Law visiting similar festivals in Taiwan and Japan.

"Traditional ways of growing padi and how to protect the fields – for example, by chasing birds away – will be taught to the public," she said.

"Guests will get to play traditional games which were played during harvesting season, to catch fishes in padi fields, take a boat ride along Sungai Perai from the Kampung Terus Jetty, and many other activities.

"But since we have very little funding this year, we are using a more relaxed santai (communal meal) approach, which focuses on traditional food, like that we enjoyed when we were kids."

Other than heritage activities, Norlela said the Padi Festival will also feature a 'PadiKu WarisanKu' scavenger hunt on Aug 17 in collaboration with NGO Green Daily Planet, as well as the Penanti River Run the following day.

Under British rule, Tengku Sulaiman – the younger brother of Sultan Abdullah of Kedah – led some 45,000 people to Kampung Terus.

Most of them were prominent farmers from Alor Setar, and their mission was to plant rice and build up the underground state administration.

Kampong Kota, as it was known at the time, became the first settlement in Central Seberang Perai, while Sungai Terus served as the main transportation route.

Sultan Abdullah settled here, where the British defended him from the Siamese army. Kampung Kubu, also within the vicinity, became a fortress, protecting the community from Siamese attacks.

The story is often related to locals and tourists to remind them of the importance of padi to Seberang Perai.

"Without rice security, there can be no food security. 

"With this festival, we hope to highlight the rapid urbanisation of Seberang Perai, where many tracts of agriculture land are being converted for housing and commercial purposes," Norlela said. - Mkini