Kepala Batas

Overview

In the northern part of Penang lies Kepala Batas, previously surrounded by rubber trees which were later replaced by oil palm plantations and paddy fields in the 50s and 60s. In the past 10 years, Kepala Batas has undergone a rapid transformation into a bustling township.

Kepala Batas, named in the year 1786, is made up of two Malay words. Literally, ‘Kepala’ means head and loosely used in the local dialect to refer to something important, while the word ‘Batas’, describes a road or a junction in the local dialect. Therefore, Kepala Batas simply means the Primary Road.   

The area started to flourish with the opening of the Bertam estate. From a mere 200, the population was dramatically increased due to a need for workers. Consequently, with the opening of the first school in 1924, the simple town was set to be transformed into one of the main education and business hubs. 

Kepala Batas is the hometown of Malaysia’s former Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi. He started as the Kepala Batas MP in 1978 before he was appointed as a minister in 1981. The town witnessed much development and the pace picked up after he became Deputy Prime Minister in January 1999 and Prime Minister from 2003 until April 2009.

Under the Kepala Batas parliamentary constituency, there are three state seats - Penaga, Bertam, and Pinang Tunggal. While Pinang Tunggal has breathtaking views of rice fields and some vegetable farms, Penaga is a coastal town with some 1,000 fishermen staying there. The village was badly hit by tsunami in 2004 and the Federal Government provided aid to rebuild the damaged houses. However, Bertam is developing into a modern mixed development township. Most residential areas such as Bertam Perdana, Bertam Indah and Bandar Putra Bertam can be found here.

This rapid development created job opportunities for the townsfolk, but many, especially the youths, still prefer to work elsewhere such as in the factories at Prai and Bayan Lepas. There is no significant night life in Kepala Batas since most shops and outlets close around 9pm.

 

Amenities and Facilities

Public amenities were upgraded during the transformation of Kepala Batas, when roads were widened, potholes were patched up and additional street lights were installed. The tallest building in Kepala Batas is Hotel Seri Malaysia, where tourists can stay to visit the Pantai Kamloon Recreation Park, apart from the option of homestays in the kampung houses offered by the villagers at the outskirts of Kepala Batas.

Among the recent developments in Kepala Batas is a new building for the Fire and Rescue Department and also the new Masjid Abdullah Fahim, with a capacity for at least 5,000 people. 

There are a number of public primary and secondary schools such as SMK Datuk Hj Ahmad Badawi - Kepala Batas, formerly known as SMK Kepala Batas. Many higher education institutions have made their homes in Kepala Batas namely, Allianze University College of Medical Services, Penang Matriculation College, Mara Skills Training Centre, Industrial Training Institute, Dental Institute and Kolej Komuniti Kepala Batas.

Kepala Batas also has several community halls. One is Dewan Dato Haji Ahmad Badawi located along Jalan Bagan Luar. It faces an open field called Padang Pemuda Merdeka, near the junction with Jalan Heng Choon Thian, Butterworth. Major programmes are held at Dewan Milenium. Sports events are organised opposite it at Kompleks Sukan Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai. The Federal Government agencies are located under one roof at Wisma Persekutuan.

The Penang Golf Resort (PGR), a 36-hole golf resort nestled in Seberang Perai Utara, also offers a venue for the community to entertain friends or families with excellent facilities and service.

Accessibility and Transportation

Visitors entering Kepala Batas from the highway will have to pass through the old Kepala Batas town lined by shop houses. Rapid Penang provides reliable public transportation connecting Penang Central in Butterworth to Kompleks Datuk Kailan in Kepala Batas.

One of the three transit lines proposed in Seberang Perai to connect with the newly­-completed KTM Komuter line includes monorail from Raja Uda to Bukit Mertajam/Alma (with BRT extension to Kepala Batas and Kulim).