Comments on: State Government To Keep The Dredge

By: tamna

tamna — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:19:59 +0000

saving the dredge is one thing.
making it profitable is another thing.
creating activities around it is simply THE thing.
however,when the speaker is hamidah,it simply is BORING!

By: Ipohite

Ipohite — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:55:02 +0000

And this is the same Hamidah who said that women couldn’t become Mentri Besar. She’s one man-loving woman who’ll do anything for her man including allowing him to take another wife. The promise of a “payong emas” in the hereafter hold s sway.

By: warmonger

warmonger — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 05:27:24 +0000

It has been US the rakyat and NOT the State Government who have been fighting for the dredge to be saved! If the State Government was wise, they would have done something many years ago!

By: K.Sagadevan

K.Sagadevan — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 07:15:04 +0000

It would certainly be wise to keep the dredge in good shape so that the younger genaration would be able to know and feel what a drege is. Of course funds are needed to up keep the dredge, that is the responsibility of the State Government, but nevertheless attemps could be made to get help from the succcessful cooperate bodies to do their part in contributing towards the up keep of the dredge. We can’t close one eye and shut the other towards the preservation of static machinery, such as a dredge. I wonder how many people have physically seen a tin mining dredge. Thank the State Government for its wise decision.

By: ian Anderson

ian Anderson — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:33:43 +0000

Warmonger, I am sure that they are mentally sound, but simply looking at the problem from an overall viewpoint of cost versus gain to themselves as taxpayers. Bringing in tourists will of course bring in some tourist dollars, but in the main, the ordinary man in the street will not benefit much from these and so can only see more of his taxes money being spent than saved. May I also suggest that you are more careful with what you say about people or you might start that war you seem so keen on.

Another point to bear in mind is the very small sample of voters that have taken part in this poll over the past two weeks plus. 57 people out of some 650,000 Ipoh residents can hardly be judged as an effective measure of public opinion!

Finally, I do agree with the sentiments of Law Siak Hong, but I remain unconvinced that saving the dredge is a viable, businesslike option from which the community as a whole will benefit. Let us hope I am wrong!

By: warmonger

warmonger — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 14:22:04 +0000

Why are there people voting no to save the dredge? Are they mentally sound?

By: Law SiakHong

Law SiakHong — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 13:29:35 +0000

Your poll shows an overwhelming support for keeping this heritage Dredge TT5. The opinions here show a general concern for how much the state government, the owner of TT5 will spend on conserving the dredge, if it is justifiable and if it is sustainable. Until the state government comes out with its conservation and maintenance plan, we can only speculate. However, past experiences suggest gloom and doom.
Obviously, as the largest dredge built at its time in 1938, and the oldest one to have remained where it operated, it is an icon of our industrial heritage, no less. (Be reminded that we have lost the other iconic industrial heritage – the giant water pipeline in Gopeng, the largest of its kind in the world by far.) Everything must be done to preserve it, not only for educational tourism, but to mark our history and heritge and repay our dues to the machine. Not only did it help make Kinta Valley world famous, it helped provide the wealth which built our country’s infrastructure and development.
The solution can only be found in professional expertise. Working together, mining consultants and heritage conservationists can come up with an imaginative and sustainable solution for TT5. Employ foreign expertise if necessary, but we must avoid the mistake of the hastily-built, ill-considered buildings at the site. The dredge was presented by the mining company to the state for the people. That should be the inspiration for its conservation and subsequent re-use.

By: warmonger

warmonger — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 06:25:11 +0000

Maybe, just maybe they’ll spirit out the dredge and its works to the Smithsonian…

By: Ipohite

Ipohite — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:54:27 +0000

The F-5E jet engines were spirited out from an air force base where the guards carried locally assembled Steyr AUG A1 Austraian-made 5.56 mm asault rifles. American-made M16 rifles are no longer on our armed forces’ inventory. Just a refresher.

By: AARON ONG

AARON ONG — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:00:11 +0000

Hokay….. so it has come to this, that the taxpayers will foot the bill. Like I have said earlier, I am neither for nor against this idea for I know that preserving stuff like this will cost $$$$ that might be better spent elsewhere. Like the leaking roofs of missionary & other vernacular schools for instance.

On the other hand I’m happy that the state government has decided to keep the dredge. I’m waiting to see if the money is wisely spent or will we see the money channeled to unsuitable people with no knowledge or experience in salvaging and maintaining a 4500 ton behemoth.

Or will we see, despite spending millions, roofs will still collapse and stuff gets stolen. Hey, if jet engines can get stolen from a military complex with M16 toting guards, what else is impossible?

I’d be happy if, as a taxpayer, an account can be published and inspected by the public.