The new village Nixon visited

1 Jalan SS9A/1, the main road for Seri Setia New Village. A typical morning scene at the new village’s commercial area.2 Despite its official name of Seri Setia New Village, even the newly erected arch denotes SS9A as Sungai Way New Village.3 SJK (C) Sungai Way, the school that then-US vice president Nixon and his wife Thelma visited the school, while stopping by in the village back in 1953.4 Cook Chai Yoon Wa salts ikan kembung to be deep-fried – the specialty at the stall with no name in Jalan SS9A/14. However everyone calls the stall ‘Tai Shue Thou’ (literally under big tree).5 Ong Mok Ong Yen, who still works as a “tie da” Chinese physician, holds up a photocopy of his Home Guard identification from the Emergency years.6 Ah Sang Bak Kut Teh opens from morning and usually caters for the lunch crowd craving their pork ribs and herbal soup. The place usually cleans out by lunch.7 Ani (back) preparing desserts with her worker to sell at their stall in Jalan SS9A/1.8 Less than 200m up the road

BOUNDED by the Federal Highway on one side and the Damansara-Puchong Expressway (LDP) on the other, Seri Setia New Village and its surroundings are a far cry from the Emergency-era settlement it once was.

As part of the Kampung Tunku state constituency, and designated SS9A in the Petaling Jaya City Council’s subdivisions, the new village received its present name more than 10 years ago, although it is still commonly called “Sungai Way New Village”, after Sungai Way, a tributary of the Penchala River.