The legend of Pontian

The former Pontian government office which has since been demolished.

PONTIAN: The south-western district of Johor, derived its name from a not-so-glamorous source.

The old mosque in Pontian Kecil.

A sundry shop in Kukup, which was once the district capital.

Stilt houses are still common in Kukup.

If you think it was from the blood-sucking pontianak, or vampire, you would be wrong.

Rather, the name has to do with the pirates in the Straits of Malacca, who hijacked vessels near Kukup at the south-westernmost tip of the peninsula.

One of their hiding grounds was called Perhentian Besar (Big Stopover) while another was Perhentian Kecil (Small Stopover), both located at the estuary of two different rivers.

The pirates shortened the names to Pontian Besar and Pontian Kecil, and the rivers to Sungai Pontian Besar and Sungai Pontian Kecil.

Ironically, Pontian Besar is merely a small fishing village today while Pontian Kecil has evolved into the district's capital and commercial centre.

Some, however, say Pontian does not have its roots in either Pontian Besar or Pontian Kecil but in Kukup. Yet others say the name came from Pulau Pisang.

According to historical records, an Arab merchant from Singapore, Syed Muhamad Alsagoff, appealed to the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar, to let him develop a piece of agricultural land in Johor in 1878.

Not only was his request granted, he was also allowed to choose his site.

The merchant left Teluk Belangah in Singapore in a boat and toured along the southwestern coast of Johor to find this ideal land. He earmarked Kukup, a fishing village populated by Malays from Malacca.

During the era, Kukup was the capital of Kukup District.

The Sultan of Johor granted the land at Sungai Pontian Besar, Sungai Pontian Kecil, Sungai Permas and Sungai Jeram Batu to Syed Muhamad, who later brought in the Javanese to plant rubber, sago, coconut, coffee, pineapple and spices.

He named his farms Constantinople Estate, and printed his own currency in denominations of two, one, 25 and 50 cents for use in his farm.

All produce were sent to Singapore by sea through Kukup.

Syed Muhamad also leased out part of the land to his workers and other merchants.

His ambitious plan for the land prompted more and more Javanese to migrate to Kukup, and the port grew in size.

When Syed Muhamad died in 1906, his son Syed Omar Alsagoff took control of the land until the British came in 1914.

For administrative purposes, the state government eventually bought back the land at RM1 million in 1926.

To further develop Kukup, the state government built a road linking Kukup and Pontian Kecil.

In 1929, another road was built to link Pontian Kecil and Johor Baru.

The Kukup folk were happy with the two projects, but what they did not realise was that the roads would eventually lead them to their economic demise.

The Pontian Kecil-Johor Baru road helped Pontian Kecil to boom due to its proximity to Johor Baru and Batu Pahat.

With more businesses and government offices set up in Pontian Kecil, Kukup's days of glory were numbered.

Eventually, Pontian Kecil replaced Kukup as the district capital while the district was later renamed Pontian.

Another version says Pontian was first established in Pulau Pisang, a small island with a lighthouse off Pontian Kecil.

Hundreds of years ago, the island and Pontian Kecil were so close to each another that if a cock were to crow in Pulau Pisang, it could be heard in Pontian Kecil. Because of earth movement, the two places are now 12 nautical miles apart.

Based on records, it was Penghulu Merdang who established Pulau Pisang, with villagers planting padi and fruits, especially mangoes.

After his death, his son Basok migrated with some villagers to Pontian Besar to develop the place.

Another story has it that it was Hassan Koris who turned Pontian Besar into an agricultural land and sold its produce to Singapore.

For the older generation, Pulau Pisang is a legendary island formed from a shipwreck.

Legend has it that the only son of a couple from Tanjung Piai ventured into the world and became a big merchant with many vessels years later.

When his vessel stopped at the existing Pulau Pisang one day, his parents were so happy that they prepared much delicious food and travelled in a boat to see their long lost son.

However, their son refused to acknowledge them and chased them away.

While travelling back to Tanjung Piai, the mother cursed her son.

Suddenly, the sky changed colour and a storm came, sinking the vessel, which became Pulau Pisang.

It was named Pulau Pisang as many banana trees were found there.

But whichever version is right, Pontian is inarguably an important agricultural district in Johor today, offering many resources for agro- and eco-tourism.

Kukup has the world's biggest mangrove forest, and Tanjung Piai is a landmark due to its location on the southern-most tip of continental Asia.

Pulau Pisang remains as remote as it was, although the lighthouse there remains a contentious issue as it is run by Singaporeans although the island belongs to Malaysia.