Segamat (town)

Segamat is a town and district capital located in Segamat District, Johor, Malaysia.

History
In the 16th century AD, Sultan Ahmad and his followers left Melaka because they were attacked by the Portuguese and settled in Pagoh. After being attacked at Pagoh they retreated with the aim of Penarikan and then downstream to Pahang. On the way to Penarikan in the middle of the road, by the riverbed, in a big wooden tree, Datuk Bendahara Paduka Tuan (The Treasurer of Melaka) sat leaning on the wooden banir facing the hollow in front of him, Sultan Ahmad and his father were not far from there, they together stopped being tired and rested for two days.

While sitting, Datuk Bendahara threw his hands around to get rid of the numbness and then he reached a piece of stone which he then hit. While his face twitched in annoyance, he said "I feel thirsty, take a sip of water from the river". While saying he looked at Selamat Gagah. Selamat Gagah understood that what was meant was to take the water from the river and search for water and then make temika. Then he scooped up the water until it was full and gave it to Datuk Bendahara. While his hand welcomed the water, the stone in his hand was thrown into the riverbed, he said in his heart, "If the stone comes up, I will return to Melaka". Listening to the Treasurer's words, Sultan Ahmad turned to the Treasurer with a meaningful look, but the Sultan did not say a word.

The water in the bowl was drunk to its entirety by Datuk Bendahara mainly due to the water being clear and cold.

"So fresh." I feel this body, it is really delicious to drink, what is the name of the safe river?", "Yes, very fresh, I feel as if my energy has recovered." said Datuk Bendahara. "Yes, very fresh, this river if the water is drinkable." They said at the same time who sipped it. "Yes, very fresh." Thus, Segamat began to be called Segamat until today.

Buyong Adil in his book "Sejarah Alam Melayu" wrote that Segamat is one of the 9 states that became a part of Negeri Sembilan as a result of the above events. Martin Lister, the British Resident of Negeri Sembilan between 1895 and 1897 also mentioned that Segamat was one of the states that was said to be collectively known as Negeri Sembilan in the past which was controlled by Temenggong Ab. Rahman and appointed a local governor, Temenggong Konit to administer Segamat and Muar from 1801. Segamat was then seceded to Johor by the British, along with Ulu Pahang (Bera and Temerloh) to Pahang, Beranang (Kajang, Semenyih and Hulu Langat) and Klang (Sepang and Kuala Langat) to Selangor excluding Lukut which is now part of Port Dickson.

The local council of Segamat, Segamat Municipal Council was originally a Town Board established in 1912 to register vehicles and dogs, provide street lighting, manage water supply, fire services and public markets. Only in 1925, the control of public health was made one of its main functions. Then in 1935, the control of public and private roads, buildings, urban development, urban planning and other services and facilities were added to the list of functions and responsibilities.

In 1933, the district of Segamat was formed after its separation from the district of Muar following a major district boundary realignment by the government of Johor to split the original 4 districts (Muar, Batu Pahat, Johor Bahru and Sedili) into 8 districts (before the 2008 realignment which added the Kulai and Tangkak districts to form 10 districts in Johor).

After the formation of Segamat District, the government began to develop Segamat, mainly with agricultural activities to boost the economy of Segamat. This included the construction of the national railroad system passing the town of Segamat and also the construction of the main road known today as Federal Route 1.

In the 1970s, Tun Razak Highway was constructed to boost the economy of Segamat as an agricultural hub, to shorten the travelling time to Kuantan and to speed up the development progress of the poorly developed areas in southern Pahang.

The Johor branch campus of Universiti Teknologi MARA was constructed at Jementah in the end of the 1980s and started its operation in 1991. The construction of UiTM campus in Segamat district turned Segamat into another important educational hub in Johor besides Skudai, which houses Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, Parit Raja which houses Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and Pagoh which is the home to the Pagoh EduHub comprising UTHM, International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), Politeknik Tun Syed Nasir Syed Ismail (PTSN) and Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara Pagoh.

In 1996, the Segamat Land Port was constructed to make Segamat an important transport hub like Nilai, Negeri Sembilan. By constructing the land port, manufacturers may just transport their goods to Segamat Land Port which then will be transported to the nearest sea ports such as Pasir Gudang by train. However, the plan did not materialise as planned; the space was subsequently rendered largely vacant as of February 2012.

In 1999, the second bridge of Segamat, funded mainly by private developers, was constructed to reduce congestion at the main bridge. The second bridge was included as a part of Segamat Inner Ring Road package consisting the road upgrade to 4-lane road at Jalan Pemuda, Jalan Hassan, Jalan Pee Kang Hai and Jalan Chia Chin Koon, which was completed in August 2005. The inner ring road package is useful to divert the traffic flow when the main roads at the town center are closed for special occasions and events such as National Day.

Segamat experienced floods during the 1950s, 1984, 18 December 2006 and most recently 2 March 2023, which was caused by 3–4 days of nonstop rain. The one in 2006, which was caused by Typhoon Utor in the Philippines, was generally considered to be the worst flood to have happened in Segamat and Johor.The Latest Flood to happen was in March of 2023.It was the worst in 17 Years.

Government and politics
Segamat Municipal Council (Majlis Perbandaran Segamat), formerly known as the Segamat Town Board (Lembaga Bandaran Segamat) from 1912 until 1951, Segamat Town Council (Majlis Bandaran Segamat) from 1951 until 1976, the North Segamat District Council (Majlis Daerah Segamat Utara) from 1 January 1977 until 29 November 2000 and the Segamat District Council (Majlis Daerah Segamat) from 30 November 2000 until 31 December 2017, is the local authority of Segamat town.

Notable people

 * Yeo Bee Yin (Batu Anam), Minister of Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment
 * Lee Boon Chye
 * Penny Tai