April 29, 2008
IT will be a trip down memory lane in more ways than one when a group of 450 riders of British-made motorcycles converge on Ipoh for the Malaysia International Classic Bike Festival.
The bikers will ride both pre-war and post-war machines to visit heritage buildings like the Ipoh Railway Station and Kellie’s Castle and the tin dredge in Batu Gajah.
The three-day festival, beginning May 2, will be held for the first time in Perak.
Ipoh British Classic Bikers’ Club deputy president Azman Omm said it was the seventh time the club was organising the annual event with last year’s ride held in Klang.
“We expect local and foreign bikers to take part in this year’s event which we hope will help promote tourism in the state,” he added.
Azman said among the classic bikes that would be used for the gathering at Dataran Ipoh for the festival were Norton, BMW, Triumph and a 1908 Sunbeam.
He said three women bikers had already signed up for the event and the oldest participant would be an 86-year-old teacher.
Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin, who was present at the press briefing yesterday, said the state would be funding RM70,000 for the event.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Celebrate Mother’s Day with Mawi - The Star
April 29, 2008
MOTHERS in Perak will get the chance to celebrate Mother's Day in a glittering event with both their families and local heartthrob Mawi.
Come May 17, Anugerah Amal Sdn Bhd and Al’ Najwa Productions Sdn Bhd are organising an Arabian Night-themed affair at the Impiana Casuarina Hotel in Ipoh.
Besides Mawi, there will also be comedian Nabil, dubbed Raja Lawak, and singer Heliza also of Akademi Fantasia fame.
Al’ Najwa Productions consultant Zunaidah Idris said children could nominate their mothers for the Mother’s Day Award.
“There will also be awards for the Best Dressed Mum and Most Sporting Mum and a special prize for the family with the biggest turnout.
“Patrons can also expect to win special lucky draw prizes which include hotel stays, buffet meal vouchers and exclusive items from Syria and Turkey,” she said.
Impiana Casuarina would sponsor 50 single mothers at the event, while Anugerah Amal would sponsor another 50.
Direct-selling company DCL and its subsidiary D’Navecee are main sponsors of the special night starting at 8pm.
For tickets or details, call 05-7584176 (Kaza), 012-7947522 (Iman), 016-3344022 (Azhar) or visit the event’s booth at the hotel lobby.
MOTHERS in Perak will get the chance to celebrate Mother's Day in a glittering event with both their families and local heartthrob Mawi.
Come May 17, Anugerah Amal Sdn Bhd and Al’ Najwa Productions Sdn Bhd are organising an Arabian Night-themed affair at the Impiana Casuarina Hotel in Ipoh.
Besides Mawi, there will also be comedian Nabil, dubbed Raja Lawak, and singer Heliza also of Akademi Fantasia fame.
Al’ Najwa Productions consultant Zunaidah Idris said children could nominate their mothers for the Mother’s Day Award.
“There will also be awards for the Best Dressed Mum and Most Sporting Mum and a special prize for the family with the biggest turnout.
“Patrons can also expect to win special lucky draw prizes which include hotel stays, buffet meal vouchers and exclusive items from Syria and Turkey,” she said.
Impiana Casuarina would sponsor 50 single mothers at the event, while Anugerah Amal would sponsor another 50.
Direct-selling company DCL and its subsidiary D’Navecee are main sponsors of the special night starting at 8pm.
For tickets or details, call 05-7584176 (Kaza), 012-7947522 (Iman), 016-3344022 (Azhar) or visit the event’s booth at the hotel lobby.
Reopen office at market, council urged - The Star
April 29, 2008
IPOH central market traders are appealing to the Ipoh City Council to reopen its office at the market to make it convenient for traders to make payments.
Their spokesman Chan Kok Kee said the office was closed down following the closure of Super Kinta Supermarket a few years ago.
With the closure of the office, the traders had no choice but to go the council to make payments for licences, rental and utility bills.
“This is inconvenient to the traders as they have to stop trading for a while to settle their bills. Sometimes it is difficult to find parking lots at the council premises,” he said after handing over a memorandum on the matter to Perak MCA Youth chief Datuk Tan Chin Meng yesterday.
Chan noted that the traders had highlighted the matter to the council but did not get a response.
Market traders, he added, were also hopeful that an anchor tenant could be found soon to replace the Super Kinta Supermarket.
“The ongoing market refurbishment had helped boost business at the market. But we hope an anchor tenant can be found soon to further revitalise the market,” he said.
The project is funded by the Local Government and Housing Ministry, the state government and Ipoh City Council.
IPOH central market traders are appealing to the Ipoh City Council to reopen its office at the market to make it convenient for traders to make payments.
Their spokesman Chan Kok Kee said the office was closed down following the closure of Super Kinta Supermarket a few years ago.
With the closure of the office, the traders had no choice but to go the council to make payments for licences, rental and utility bills.
“This is inconvenient to the traders as they have to stop trading for a while to settle their bills. Sometimes it is difficult to find parking lots at the council premises,” he said after handing over a memorandum on the matter to Perak MCA Youth chief Datuk Tan Chin Meng yesterday.
Chan noted that the traders had highlighted the matter to the council but did not get a response.
Market traders, he added, were also hopeful that an anchor tenant could be found soon to replace the Super Kinta Supermarket.
“The ongoing market refurbishment had helped boost business at the market. But we hope an anchor tenant can be found soon to further revitalise the market,” he said.
The project is funded by the Local Government and Housing Ministry, the state government and Ipoh City Council.
Monday, April 28, 2008
‘Green the city to boost trade’ - The Star
Dec 9, 2007 By CLARA CHOOI
IPOH: Perak exco member Datuk Chang Ko Youn is pushing to add more green to the city, which he believes will help boost the businesses of traders here.
For a start, Chang said the city's two main roads - Jalan Sultan Idris Shah (formerly Jalan Brewster) and Jalan Sultan Iskandar (formerly Jalan Hugh Low) - should be lined with large, shady trees.
"Scrap one lane from these streets and turn them into four-lane roads instead of five.
"The extra space can be used to plant rows of beautiful trees so that people can actually walk along the pathway and shop, even during the daytime," he told reporters after attending a prize-giving ceremony of the national-level annual Orchid Competition and Year-End Mega Sales 2007 at the Ipoh City Council here on Sunday.
The added greenery, he said, would also help lower the temperature in the city thus making it more pleasant for shoppers to stroll about the five-footways.
Chang, who is state Urban and Local Government Committee chairman, said that he had proposed this to several businessmen two years back but they had not been agreeable.
"The state government will not want to do something like this unless these businessmen are for it.
"However, the feedback I got from some of them was that they feared scrapping one lane from these roads would worsen the traffic jams in the city," he said.
Chang disagreed with this however, saying that traffic jams were merely short-term problems.
"In the long-term, businesses along these two main streets will boom because people will tend to slow down and look at what these shops have to offer.
"After all, city centres are not meant to be sped through," he said.
He added that he had proposed the idea to members of the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry but they had yet to give their feedback.
IPOH: Perak exco member Datuk Chang Ko Youn is pushing to add more green to the city, which he believes will help boost the businesses of traders here.
For a start, Chang said the city's two main roads - Jalan Sultan Idris Shah (formerly Jalan Brewster) and Jalan Sultan Iskandar (formerly Jalan Hugh Low) - should be lined with large, shady trees.
"Scrap one lane from these streets and turn them into four-lane roads instead of five.
"The extra space can be used to plant rows of beautiful trees so that people can actually walk along the pathway and shop, even during the daytime," he told reporters after attending a prize-giving ceremony of the national-level annual Orchid Competition and Year-End Mega Sales 2007 at the Ipoh City Council here on Sunday.
The added greenery, he said, would also help lower the temperature in the city thus making it more pleasant for shoppers to stroll about the five-footways.
Chang, who is state Urban and Local Government Committee chairman, said that he had proposed this to several businessmen two years back but they had not been agreeable.
"The state government will not want to do something like this unless these businessmen are for it.
"However, the feedback I got from some of them was that they feared scrapping one lane from these roads would worsen the traffic jams in the city," he said.
Chang disagreed with this however, saying that traffic jams were merely short-term problems.
"In the long-term, businesses along these two main streets will boom because people will tend to slow down and look at what these shops have to offer.
"After all, city centres are not meant to be sped through," he said.
He added that he had proposed the idea to members of the Perak Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry but they had yet to give their feedback.
Ipoh losing its shine - The Star
May 8, 2007
YEARS ago, Ipoh was a pleasant place to live in. But over the years, the city scenery has been on the decline and it now appears lawless and dirty.
The streets in the city centre are littered with discarded parking coupons.
The residential areas are seldom cleaned and there are garden refuse and discarded furniture dumped along roadsides.
City Hall seems unable to cope.
Food outlets are flouting the law by putting chairs and tables across walkways, parking bays and roads. City Hall seems unable to contain their illegal activities.
In addition, there is now an almost invincible and odourless danger hovering over a large part of this city that may affect public health.
The source of this danger are the twin silos of the cement factory in Tasek Industrial Estate, now a prominent city landmark.
Residents had opposed the setting up of the factory when it was first proposed because of the environmental pollution it would cause.
But the Ipoh City Council pushed through the approval despite the strong objections. People living near the factory began to suffer the effects after the factory began production.
Now that the factory exists, the authorities are failing in their duties to minimise the danger to public health.
Ipoh is now “proudly” the only city having a cement factory with twin silos.
Residents want to know whether an environment impact assessment was conducted before approval was given.
It appears that the decision makers have failed to consider the long term damage the factory is causing especially to the population living within a four kilometre radius of it.
A large amount of dust is produced at all stages in making cement until it is bagged.
The dust nuisance is getting so bad that I have to vacuum the house once weekly.
The amount of dust collected is quite scary.
It is unlikely the factory will be relocated after its owner has invested millions of ringgit in it. We also cannot rely on the government agencies that has allowed this dust-spewing monster to be created to conduct strict and regular surveillance.
On another note, residents along Jalan Kuala Kangsar have to put up with the police shooting range.
Almost every morning, shooting practice takes place in Padang Tembak for hours.
The loud noise disturbs senior citizens and babies.
It is quite difficult to sleep or take a nap. Students of the religious school and residents of the two police flats located less than 100m away are also affected.
Can the police relocate the shooting range?
YEARS ago, Ipoh was a pleasant place to live in. But over the years, the city scenery has been on the decline and it now appears lawless and dirty.
The streets in the city centre are littered with discarded parking coupons.
The residential areas are seldom cleaned and there are garden refuse and discarded furniture dumped along roadsides.
City Hall seems unable to cope.
Food outlets are flouting the law by putting chairs and tables across walkways, parking bays and roads. City Hall seems unable to contain their illegal activities.
In addition, there is now an almost invincible and odourless danger hovering over a large part of this city that may affect public health.
The source of this danger are the twin silos of the cement factory in Tasek Industrial Estate, now a prominent city landmark.
Residents had opposed the setting up of the factory when it was first proposed because of the environmental pollution it would cause.
But the Ipoh City Council pushed through the approval despite the strong objections. People living near the factory began to suffer the effects after the factory began production.
Now that the factory exists, the authorities are failing in their duties to minimise the danger to public health.
Ipoh is now “proudly” the only city having a cement factory with twin silos.
Residents want to know whether an environment impact assessment was conducted before approval was given.
It appears that the decision makers have failed to consider the long term damage the factory is causing especially to the population living within a four kilometre radius of it.
A large amount of dust is produced at all stages in making cement until it is bagged.
The dust nuisance is getting so bad that I have to vacuum the house once weekly.
The amount of dust collected is quite scary.
It is unlikely the factory will be relocated after its owner has invested millions of ringgit in it. We also cannot rely on the government agencies that has allowed this dust-spewing monster to be created to conduct strict and regular surveillance.
On another note, residents along Jalan Kuala Kangsar have to put up with the police shooting range.
Almost every morning, shooting practice takes place in Padang Tembak for hours.
The loud noise disturbs senior citizens and babies.
It is quite difficult to sleep or take a nap. Students of the religious school and residents of the two police flats located less than 100m away are also affected.
Can the police relocate the shooting range?
Revamp of local councils sought
IPOH: March 24, 2008
A non-governmental organisation sees the formation of the new tripartite state government as the perfect opportunity to have a re-look at the appointment and function of local councillors.
Ipoh City Watch, an NGO based here, is organising a public forum on April 20 to discuss ways of restructuring the local councils. Ipoh City Watch deputy president Lt-Col (R) Fathol Zaman Bukhari said guest speakers, including retired academician and former Penang municipal councillor Dr Goh Ban Lee, have been invited.
Fathol said the forum was also an opportunity for rate payers to give their input. "Our view is that local councillors should not be passive representatives of the people as they are under the current system.
"Their positions should not be reduced to that of robotic rubber stamps."We would love to have representatives from the various professional bodies so that the forum could come out with strong recommendations for the new state government," Fathol said.
The matter of representation of NGOs as local councillors was also raised during Ipoh City Watch's annual general meeting yesterday.
Ipoh City Watch president Chan Kok sun said it was important for local councils to remain apolitical in order to maintain their credibility in voicing out the concerns of residents.
A non-governmental organisation sees the formation of the new tripartite state government as the perfect opportunity to have a re-look at the appointment and function of local councillors.
Ipoh City Watch, an NGO based here, is organising a public forum on April 20 to discuss ways of restructuring the local councils. Ipoh City Watch deputy president Lt-Col (R) Fathol Zaman Bukhari said guest speakers, including retired academician and former Penang municipal councillor Dr Goh Ban Lee, have been invited.
Fathol said the forum was also an opportunity for rate payers to give their input. "Our view is that local councillors should not be passive representatives of the people as they are under the current system.
"Their positions should not be reduced to that of robotic rubber stamps."We would love to have representatives from the various professional bodies so that the forum could come out with strong recommendations for the new state government," Fathol said.
The matter of representation of NGOs as local councillors was also raised during Ipoh City Watch's annual general meeting yesterday.
Ipoh City Watch president Chan Kok sun said it was important for local councils to remain apolitical in order to maintain their credibility in voicing out the concerns of residents.
Find other ways to reward people, says Ipoh City Watch
IPOH: March 20, 2008
The state government should consider other ways of rewarding the people rather than waiving summonses and compound notices, a local council watchdog said.
Ipoh City Watch president Chan Kok Sun said the waiver, announced for all councils by Mentri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin on Monday, may send the wrong message to the people in the state.
“This may provide some kind of financial relief to the defaulters and perhaps this may be the intention of the new state administration, to reward voters.
“But we feel this waiver may set an unhealthy precedent for the state or other councils,” he said in a statement released yesterday.
Chan noted that the move was unfair to many people, pointing out that the summonses and fines had rightly been issued for offences committed.
“The honest pay the fines while those who delayed payment got the exemption – that is not right.
“The intention of the new Mentri Besar may be noble. But the state leader has the responsibility of avoiding making decisions which send wrong signals to the people,” he said.
On Monday, Mohammad Nizar announced the “one-time arrangement” to thank people for supporting the DAP-PKR-PAS coalition and to help reduce their burden.
The waiver was for all unsettled compound notices involving traffic and hawking offences issued until March 17.
Mohammad Nizar, however, reminded the people to abide by the rules after this, adding that this was a not a move to encourage wrongdoing.
The state government should consider other ways of rewarding the people rather than waiving summonses and compound notices, a local council watchdog said.
Ipoh City Watch president Chan Kok Sun said the waiver, announced for all councils by Mentri Besar Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin on Monday, may send the wrong message to the people in the state.
“This may provide some kind of financial relief to the defaulters and perhaps this may be the intention of the new state administration, to reward voters.
“But we feel this waiver may set an unhealthy precedent for the state or other councils,” he said in a statement released yesterday.
Chan noted that the move was unfair to many people, pointing out that the summonses and fines had rightly been issued for offences committed.
“The honest pay the fines while those who delayed payment got the exemption – that is not right.
“The intention of the new Mentri Besar may be noble. But the state leader has the responsibility of avoiding making decisions which send wrong signals to the people,” he said.
On Monday, Mohammad Nizar announced the “one-time arrangement” to thank people for supporting the DAP-PKR-PAS coalition and to help reduce their burden.
The waiver was for all unsettled compound notices involving traffic and hawking offences issued until March 17.
Mohammad Nizar, however, reminded the people to abide by the rules after this, adding that this was a not a move to encourage wrongdoing.
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