LIFE in Labis is slower-paced and somewhat laid-back.

It is part of the Segamat district which is situated in the northern part of Johor.

The name of this quaint township is said to have come from the Bahasa Melayu term labi-labi which means a type of freshwater turtle.

Legend has it that in the days before Malaya’s independence, a British official who came to the township, which was known as Kampung Paya Merah back then, was surprised to see many freshwater turtles there.

Curious, he asked a local about the animals, to which the villager replied “labi-labi, tuan.”

Hearing it for the first time, the official decided to rename the place Labis by adding an “s” at the end of the word to pluralise it.

Located a mere 30-minute drive from Segamat town, Labis is dotted with rows of old shops selling traditional handmade biscuits and local delicacies aside from vehicle workshops.

Labis is said to have gotten its name from the word labi-labi which means ‘freshwater turtle’.

The small town sitting south of Labis called Chaah, is also a popular breakfast spot for travellers and locals alike.

Lim Siew Chei, who works at a florist in Kampung Baru Labis, feels the area can thrive if its tourist attractions are developed.

“With today’s busy lifestyle, many people look forward to a slower-paced life and I think Labis offers them just that.

“We have many small businesses and eateries catering to the crowd.

“There is also a scenic hill called Bukit Tahan Rimau in my village that is popular with locals for leisure and recreation.

“I think more can be done; the related government agencies should put up proper signage and turn the hill into a proper recreational and tourist destination.

“This can benefit locals and boost the economy,” she said when met by StarMetro.

Lim says Labis can thrive if more attention is given to its tourist attractions.

Lim said there were other parts of Labis that could be used to attract tourists, by introducing fun tours and tour packages.

The 21-year-old added that locals had many ideas to make Labis a more interesting place, so they hoped that the next MP would reach out to the electorate and help bring development to the area.

Labis, like many second and third-tier towns, is faced with a similar situation where its youths are opting to work in bigger cities in search of better opportunities, said restaurant owner KM Rajuna.

The 43-year-old said Labis was not an industrial area so the lack of factories and related businesses meant there were not many job opportunities.

“This is a shame as our local workforce is heading to Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baru and also Singapore to earn a living.

“There used to be a factory in Labis but it moved to Segamat and the people from here had to take the bus to get to work there.

“However, many were left jobless during the Covid-19 pandemic when the factory shut down,” she added.

Rajuna described the upcoming 15th General Election (GE15) as a good opportunity for the voters to choose an MP to look after the people’s welfare, especially the lower-income groups.

“We want an MP who is not selective about who he or she helps. During the lockdowns when we were all suffering, not all of us received assistance,” she said.

Meanwhile, operations supervisor Ahmad Asri Ripin, 34, is hoping the Gemas-Johor Baru stretch of the Double-Tracked Electric Train Service (ETS), running through Labis, is completed soon as it will help drive the local economy.

“I believe the train service will bring more crowds to Labis and will help the town thrive and prosper,” he said.

He, however, said civic consciousness among locals must improve in order to embrace development, as littering was still a prevalent problem in town.

“I often see people flinging empty plastic cups from their cars and there are others who throw used tissue paper or food wrappers on the ground.

“I want to see stricter fines and enforcement taken by the local councils to curb this problem, so that the people are trained to change their behaviour.

Ahmad Asri hopes more emphasis is given to educating people on being civic minded about cleanliness and littering.

“I hope the next Labis MP can look into this and come up with better policies for something as basic as cleanliness, as this can improve our country’s image,” Ahmad Asri added.

Although it comes across as a quiet place, Labis – which has a Chinese-majority – plays an important role in Johor’s agricultural landscape as it has a sizeable number of rubber and oil palm plantations as well as durian orchards.

Labis also has a number of Felda settlements including Felda Tenang, Felda Chemplak and Felda Maokil.

A total of 49,915 registered voters are expected to cast their votes in the contest for the Labis parliamentary seat on Nov 19.

The Labis constituency has two state seats – Tenang and Bekok.

In the 14th General Election, incumbent MP Pang Hok Liong of DAP won the seat with 16,709 votes against Labis MCA division chief Datuk Chua Tee Yong (13,301) and Datuk Sarchu Sawal from PAS (2,020).

The battle is on again between Pang and Chua as Pakatan Harapan and Barisan Nasional have respectively named them as their representatives for the Labis seat.

Perikatan Nasional will be represented by Bersatu associate member Alvin Chang Teck Kiam.

There are 26 parliamentary seats being contested in Johor this GE15. The state seats are not being contested as the state election wrapped up on March 12.