Another pre-war building bites the dust!

MBI has identified a total of 170 buildings along the Heritage Trail covering Old Town and New Town to be included in the application for UNESCO World Heritage Listing. Of these, 36 are permanent heritage buildings which has been included in the structure plan.
Mayor Roshidi stated that a meeting was held in mid August and a committee has been set up to identify Heritage and Dangerous buildings in town. The committee has identified 63 ‘Dangerous’ buildings in Ipoh.

Subsequently a workshop will be organized by the Buildings Department this year involving the related technical departments to determine how best to handle the preservation of buildings of heritage and historical value and how to deal with dilapidated buildings in Ipoh.
In the interim, before the workshop is held, the Departments of Planning, Buildings and Enforcement will enforce and comply with the requirements regarding buildings of heritage and historical value.

JAG

HRH Sultan Azlan Shah inspecting the Guard of Honour

Malaysia’s 53 years of independence may have been celebrated on a subdued scale as it was held during the fasting month of Ramadan but nevertheless it was a morning full of colour and grandeur at the Perak Stadium.

The theme for this year’s celebration is: “1MALAYSIA: GENERATING TRANSFORMATION”.

A total of 37 contingents consisting of uniformed personnel, government departments, local authorities and private bodies paraded in front of the dais viewed by His Royal Highness, Sultan Azlan Shah, the Sultan of Perak. Other VVIPs included the Raja Muda, Raja DiHilir and the Menteri Besar of Perak.

The day started with the playing of the State Anthem followed by the inspection of the Guard by HRH the Sultan of Perak before the singing of Negara Ku and raising the Jalur Gemilang.

Several of the contingents specifically Lembaga Air Perak, TNB and MBI donned very creative and colourful costumes but MBI was judged the best contingent. Their 1Malaysia headgear and Jalur Gemilang sash blended with their riotous blue costume and bright red sampin.

JAG

MBI the winning contingent

Taiko Plantations representing the private body

Lembaga Air Perak

Spectators caught up in the spirit of the morning

Colours

Cultural dancers

The Jeyaratnam Campus, which was launched by Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir at the existing complex in Bercham, recently, will provide the facilities for its skills training to be upgraded to diploma level.

Estimated to cost RM4.2 million, the campus will have a unique and iconic structure of the shape of a man on a wheelchair – the international logo for disability. The campus is named after the foundation’s chairman Tan Sri V. Jeyaratnam.

It will have all the facilities of a college-type skills training centre with hostels, lecture halls and amenities. These include a multipurpose hall for seminars, conference, graduations, workshops, vocational training and sports and Paralympics’ training.

“It will be twinned with international bodies with foreign lecturers for course of study in the field of human service training”, said Jeyaratnam.

“It is a great challenge to raise the standards in disability care and management but we will do so. Yayasan services reach out to all, irrespective of age, race or religion.”

“Our policy is to also provide all services free of charge because we should not add to their suffering and ask for payment for being disabled.”

“We want the world to know that we are equal to international standards right here in Ipoh. Though we are well established and well known in various parts of the world we are edging to be a leading NGO in this country as well as South-East Asia.”

He said it was YSIS’s contribution to Perak and the nation in bridging the acute shortage of skilled and trained caregivers in the country.

“We are grateful to Pan Malaysian Pools Sdn Bhd who continues to support us in this training course, which is free to encourage potential caregivers from all over the country to attend.”

YSIS is the first NGO in the country to start the skills training course by bringing in experts and specialists in the area of community based rehabilitation from Upsalla University in Sweden.

These experts and specialists recognised by the World Health Organisation gave training to YSIS’s professional staff first in community based rehabilitation for two months.

They then moduled a training course in community-based rehabilitation following the WHO training modules and provided the certificate course in community-based rehabilitation and have successfully trained 900 caregivers, staff from the government run Persatuan Pemulihan Dalam Kommuniti centres in the country, and special education teachers, trainees from nursing colleges and other caregivers.

The YSIS was established in 1982 and headed by Jeyaratnam as its chairman ever since. Its sole purpose is to improve the socio-economic well-being and quality of life for adults and children with disabilities.

From the humble beginning of a wooden building, it moved into an eight-acre site in Bercham donated by the State Government 10 years later and gradually set up a state-of-the-art main centre, Pusat Permulihan Sultan Azlan Shah and 11 other independent centres throughout the state.

Jerry Francis

Demolished. The block of townhouses on Jalan Chung On Siew

Ipoh and the Kinta Valley are in danger of losing its branding and outstanding universal value as a Tin-Mining UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rampant demolitions of heritage structures and pre-war buildings over the years have raised the fear among the heritage community namely: Perak Heritage Society and the Kinta Heritage Group.

The community are saying that the “indiscriminate” removal of the old structures if not controlled would resulted in nothing left to show for the tin-mining heritage of the Kinta Valley.

Perak Heritage Chairman Mohd Taib has inquired whether there is a plan to initiate “legislation related to heritage conservation. If there is, what kind of enforcement is in place before property owners are allowed to demolish their buildings?”

Director of Kinta Heritage Group, Mr. Jek Yap, has similar sentiments. “A list of important heritage sites and buildings has already been established. Now clear and precise guidelines must be established before these ‘gems’ can be protected.”

Among the old structures demolished were two pre-war buildings in the city. One building at the junction of Jalan Theatre and Jalan Tahwil Azhar (Osbourne Street), and the other was off Jalan Sultan Iskandar (Hugh Low Street), in the New Town sector.

Another structure removed was a block of pre-war town houses along Jalan Chung On Siew. Boxed in between Jalan Chung Thye Phin, Jalan Ali Pitchay and Jalan Chua Cheng Bok this block was the set for an Ang Lee film, “Lust Caution” depicting a Shanghai scene.

Last portion of the Gopeng pipeline, located across the trunk road south of Gopeng Town, an icon of a glorious tin mining industry which had a global story behind it involving Asian and European participation, was also removed.

Although the company that originally purchased the entire pipe had given an assurance earlier that it would not remove the last portion of the pipe nevertheless it came down citing “reasons of safety for the public” as why it had to be removed.

The value of these pre-war structures like the Gopeng pipeline and pre-war buildings are actually legacies of administrators, Malay aristocrats, millionaires and workers who financed and built Ipoh city. Hence these old buildings contain immense historical significance and cultural value. Let’s not forget that Ipoh is the ‘City that Tin Built’.

It is apparent that the intention of all parties is to preserve our heritage. However without any guidelines or legislation, which only the state authorities can initiate and enforce, ‘heritage vandalism’ will continue to be rampant.

So let’s not forget that heritage statement, “Once Gone, It’s Gone Forever.”

More information about Ipoh’s heritage can be found at Perak Heritage Society’s website: http://perakheritage.wordpress.com as well as Ipoh World blog site: http://www.ipohworld.org/blog.

Born in Taiping and with an early education in Ipoh first with La Salle School, followed by St Michael’s Institution, Dr. Dilshaad received his first medical degree from Pakistan followed by a Masters in Neurosurgery from USM. He came into his management role only two and a half years ago having practised till then. A stint as Acting CEO of Pantai Ampang in Kuala Lumpur saw him being transferred back to his hometown of Ipoh to head up Pantai Hospital here. With no previous management experience but with the encouragement and backing of then Chairman of Pantai Holdings, Tan Sri Mohamed Khatib bin Abdul Hamid, Dr. Dilshaad set about realigning the business model and re-branding the Pantai brand in Ipoh.

Good Values
With a vision of basing the whole value stream on clinical outcomes and service quality and with no training in human resources management, he intuitively knew all about creating a strong team by applying the basic values he learnt at a very young age, both from his parents as well as from the La Salle brothers from whom he received his early schooling. With a deeply ingrained motto of doing no harm and caring for his fellow-man, he set about meeting and talking to every single staff member on his arrival in Pantai Hospital Ipoh.

It is almost unbelievable that all 400 staff of the Pantai Hospital Ipoh have his personal mobile number and have permission to call him even on private issues. It is no wonder that all staff happily comply with fulfilling the new KPIs (key performance indicators) which he set, of participating in 12 social projects a year, all on a voluntary basis with no overtime.

On the subject of community projects, Dr. Dilshaad’s eyes lit up, saying, “All the work they perform on CSR (corporate social responsibility) projects just translates into better care in our hospital. The more care they show outside, the more care our patients get inside our hospital. All I do is bring out and nurture the caring side.”

Strong Drive for Caring
This strong drive for caring for his fellow man has probably been honed by the years he spent as a volunteer with Mercy Malaysia of which he is now a Life Member; where his drive and initiative soon earned him the position of Director of International Relief and a member of the Rapid Assessment Team which goes into any country requiring assistance within 24 hours.

The most poignant memory he has of his time in Afghanistan, where he spent many weeks, was that of a woman who had walked three days across the desert in Kandahar to reach medical aid. On arrival she complained of stomach pains and on further questioning revealed that she had eaten rocks to just fill her stomach to stave off hunger pangs. “That mental image of her has never left me and will always remind me of how fortunate I am – an enduring reminder for me to help others less fortunate.”

Medical Relief for Underprivileged
Today with the Pantai Hospital Ipoh in the throes of a complete make-over and new sub-specialities being added, Dr. Dilshaad has set his sights on new ground to traverse. Not content with working on an MBA which will be completed in a year and which entails his travelling to Kuala Lumpur every weekend for classes, he is in the process of spearheading the setting up of a medical relief outfit for the underprivileged in Perak. To be comprised of all volunteers, he plans to recruit doctors, nurses and laypeople to form the core team which will provide outreach assistance to more isolated areas of Perak.

He also plans to work with the Welfare Department on mentoring kids in welfare homes.

Leadership and Service Awards
With so much dynamism and so many projects in the pipeline it is little wonder that Dr. Dilshaad recently won the Leadership award category in the Asia Pacific Entrepreneur Awards, currently in its ninth year of operation. One of 47 winners from a nomination of 680 throughout the Asia Pacific region, Dr. Dilshaad has the distinction of being the youngest to receive this award. Additionally the Pantai Hospital Ipoh received the award for Service, the first hospital to receive this prestigious award, competing equally with the hospitality industry.

With so many accolades under his belt, this Anak Perak is blazing a trail through caring and sharing and Perak state can look forward to much more new ground being covered in health care and corporate social responsibility.

SeeFoon Chan-Koppen

Tuanku Zara Salim (centre), on her left – Dato’ Richard Small & Thomas Kok; on her right – Dato’ Ir C S Chew

One hundred and twenty-one students took the University of Cambridge ESOL Examinations at the end of last year, and 85 of them received their prestigious Cambridge certificates from the guest of honour, DYTM Raja Puan Besar Perak Tuanku Zara Salim. Among the recipients were 27 students with excellent results.

Tuanku Zara Salim stressed the importance of learning English as the international language of knowledge, particularly in this era of Science and Technology.

“We are extremely proud that this year’s ceremony was graced by our ex-student, Her Royal Highness, Tuanku Zara Salim,” said Principal Thomas Kok.

Ipoh Learning & Training Institute (ILTI) was the first language institute in Malaysia to conduct the ESOL examinations in Ipoh in 2001 with 23 candidates. Since 2004, the number has increased to over 100 every year.

Apart from parents, relatives and friends, the Ceremony was also graced by the founders of ILTI, Dato’ Richard Small and Chin Yoong Kim; and the managing director, Dato’ Ir C.S. Chew; and past and present principals and headmasters/headmistresses.

Ipoh Echo: Give us an overview of the Perak Legal Aid Centre.

Ram: The Bar Council Legal Aid Centre of Perak was formed in late 1984. When I joined the Centre I had to work from inside my car because, besides a founding Chairman and committee, there was no office for me to work in. We toiled to get an office lot at the Central Market complex. It did not matter if the office space was small, as our main objective was to reach out to the people. Flyers, posters and ads were used to inform Ipohites of the new service available in town. I went to courts, police stations and government departments distributing leaflets. The Centre was officially opened on March 11, 1985. Since then, we have been instrumental in reaching out to almost 7,000 clients. There are currently 15 Bar Council Legal Aid Centres in Peninsular Malaysia, one in each state.

IE: What is the difference between your centre and Biro Bantuan Guaman?

Ram: There’s always confusion over our management. In Malaysia there are two legal aid schemes, namely the Legal Aid Bureau or Biro Bantuan Guaman and the Bar Council Legal Aid Scheme.

The Legal Aid Bureau is a government-funded scheme administered by the Prime Minister’s Department. The Bar Council Legal Aid Scheme is a programme of the Malaysian Bar. It was set up in the early 1980s, and services offered are pro bono.

The Malaysian Bar is the only national bar association in the world that finances and runs its own legal aid scheme. Every member of the Malaysian Bar is required to contribute RM100 towards the scheme. As more centres open up and as the Bar Council reaches out to a larger audience, the yearly budget has begun to exceed the financial contribution of members. Thus we are now looking for alternate sources of funding so that we can remain effective.

IE: Is there a clash of interest between the two?

Ram: No, the Bar Council scheme complements the Government Legal Aid Scheme. The Council believes that access to justice is an important and integral part of the Rule of Law. Section 28A (4) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) and Article 5(3) of the Federal Constitution guarantee an arrested individual’s right to access a legal practitioner of his or her choice. This is what the Bar Council defends tirelessly. This scheme also responds to the lack of support in cases of public interest litigation by assisting individuals or groups seeking justice, especially marginalised groups.

The Bar Council believes that legal aid is a fundamental human right. Article 7 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), which states that all are equal before the law and Article 10, which says that everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing are empty platitudes if the public have no means to engage a lawyer.

IE: Who qualifies for legal aid and what are the criteria?

Ram: The eligibility of a person is subject to a simple ‘means test’. The net monthly income, after deduction of expenses, must not exceed RM500 for a single person and RM800 for a married couple. That is the Bar council’s threshold figure, subject to the exercise of discretion. The other criteria are a house worth not more than RM25,000 (low-cost house), car worth not more than RM7,000, motorcycle worth not more than RM4,000, and savings not more than RM5,000.

The service is free. However, clients are urged to contribute travelling expenses if they can afford, as Perak is huge and the courts span from Tanjong Malim to Parit Buntar.

IE: What types of cases does the centre handle?

Ram: We handle all types of cases – criminal, family and labour/employment matters. There are, however, restrictions on certain cases like debt collection, motor accidents and bankruptcy. Together with our dedicated volunteer lawyers we provide both legal representations in courts in civil and criminal matters, as well as legal advice on problems faced by the poor.

In addition to this, the Perak Legal Aid Centre also conducts outreach programmes where we help educate ordinary Malaysian about their rights. To me a truly effective legal aid programme is not just passive but pro-active; it not only takes up individual cases on behalf of affected parties but also educates the community at large on its rights and liberties. We are also partnering with NGOs in order to reach out to specific groups of disadvantaged persons by conducting forums, talks, seminars, law awareness programmes and legal aid booths.

We are also in the forefront of promoting law awareness among the Orang Asli communities. Since starting the project we have travelled extensively throughout the state and observed exhaustively the conditions of these people in order to help improve them.

IE: Poor publicity is a bane. What are your comments?

Ram: Publicity has always been an objective matter because often one reads about us today and forgets the next day and on the day when they need our assistance they go looking for us. I believe a community newspaper such as the IPOH ECHO is the best solution for this as people can be reminded of our services every fortnight.

IE: What about funding?

Ram: Like I stressed earlier, due to limited funding this is the maximum we can do for now. However, I feel there’s more we can do for the community provided we have an alternate source of funds. We hope well-wishers would respond in kind.

Fathol Zaman Bukhari

The rate of teenage pregnancies and abandoned babies nationwide is alarming. Ipoh is not immune to this and while our community leaders, experts, police and NGOs debate about how to resolve this issue, babies continue to be dumped.

Many see sex education as a means of empowering young teenagers or inexperienced couples. Information is power and giving these people informed choices is one solution.

Sex education is not about free sex but it educates the young person about his or her body, importance of responsible relationships, the consequences of having unplanned and unprotected sex, what contraceptives do, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDs and how to say “No”.

Parental interaction, the family unit, upbringing, poverty, discipline, education and peer pressure contribute to the problem. So it is incorrect to say that the abandoned baby problem is because of exposure to pornography or the celebrations at New Year and Valentine’s Day.

Babies have been abandoned long before the existence of blue movies or easy access to pornographic literature and the problem is certainly not seasonal.

Detailed Study Needed
We do require a detailed study into the reasons why girls and women fall pregnant without planning for it. Statistics will also show whether the problem is happening within a certain age group, race, religion, educational attainment and job type. Statistics will also uncover how widespread the problem is, for example, is it 1 in 5 girls or is it 1 in 20 girls.

In the past, problems like these were swept under the carpet. Today, increased and better reporting may have added to the alarm.

Punishment Not the Answer
What we should not do is call for capital punishment for the mothers of abandoned babies. Babies could have been still-born or the mother who is already traumatised by giving birth, and rejected by her lover, could have panicked knowing how her family and society views unmarried mothers.

It takes two to tango. The man is also responsible for the act. He is also culpable; and castration is not the answer, as has been suggested by a politician.

In the long run, sex education must be given to our children.

Where to Go For Help
Meanwhile, there are various organisations which can help, such as the Perak Family Health Association (PFHA), an NGO which gives confidential advice to teenagers or couples (both married and unmarried) seeking information on sex and family planning. (An interview with the Manager of the PFHA will be published in the next issue.)

For those who may be too late for this advice, there is a baby hatch at the Ipoh Specialist Centre in Ipoh, which was set up after the plight of an abandoned baby was highlighted in a national newspaper (“Family: Baby Masya, the miracle baby” 24/07/2010 in NST).

NOTE: A quick telephone call to the four main private hospitals to enquire whether they have a baby hatch, or will be starting ‘baby hatch’ facilities, produced disappointing results. One hospital even thought I wanted a baby ‘hat,’ presumably to keep the baby’s head warm.
1. Ipoh Specialist Hospital’s receptionist did not answer the ‘phone immediately and only answered after I had to wait several minutes on the only successful try. The telephone operator’s response was that she did not know what a ‘baby hatch’ was. (Incredibly this was the one hospital that was reported to have a baby hatch in its A&E facilities. The baby hatch is a cot placed in an area, which is not covered by CCTV. A sensor triggers staff nearby, once a baby is put into it.)
2. The Fatimah Hospital switchboard also did not know what a baby hatch was and redirected me to ‘Accident and Emergency’. They told me that they had no plans as yet for a baby hatch.
3. The Kinta Medical Centre telephonist redirected me to the maternity ward and they asked me to call the following day to speak to the sister.
4. The Pantai Hospital Ipoh also did not know what I was talking about and redirected me to the maternity ward, where I was kept on hold for some minutes until someone ‘senior’ could talk to me. Again, I was told to ‘phone the next day to speak to a sister’.

All in all, these four hospitals would have given a very discouraging experience for a young, traumatised mother. The inadequate and unhelpful first line of enquiry (the telephone operator), would have put these young girls off. It may help explain why we have babies dumped in bins. Any help given must be easily available, and straightforward. The people at the first line of enquiry must be well-informed.

YAM

Fountain at the iconic Railway Station has stopped gushing and gurgling

Although the railway station has been renovated as part of the Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur dual-tracking project, its surroundings are yet to be spruced up. The Moorish architecture, albeit impressive, appears desolate and lacks public transportation, unlike most entry points for tourists.

Mini Garden of Taj Mahal
The Ipoh Map and Guide produced by the city council some years ago described the railway station as an impressive structure “fronted by a beautiful floral garden which serves as a charming welcome for tourists”. This garden which is right in the middle of the “Heritage Walk” being promoted in the city and also the location of Pokok Ipoh (antiaris toxicaria) from which the city got its name, was fondly referred to as ‘a mini garden of Taj Mahal’. Today I wonder if it still serves as a ‘charming welcome’ for tourists as the area reeks of neglect.

The beautiful fountain has stopped gushing and gurgling for some time and is collecting rubbish. Who knows, even Aedes mosquitoes may be breeding should there be stagnant water inside the empty fountain.

The Medan Stesen and its fountain need constant attention. We cannot adopt a “tidak apa” attitude as maintenance and minor repairs must be constantly carried out if we are serious about attracting tourists, whether local or foreign.

Fountain at the edge of Ipoh Padang in need of some scrubbing

The city council appears to be unable to sustain its maintenance works. A project in the city is attractive as long as it is new. Like the fountains, there are many other minor repairs, which if not attended to quickly, will only cost the city council more later as well as become “eyesores” through poor maintenance.

Flying Squad With Special Fund
All attention seems to be concentrated only along Jalan Gopeng, where Istana Kinta is located. The city council’s parks and gardens section has failed to continuously beautify the city with landscaping, planting and pruning of shrubs and flowers on roundabouts and road-dividers. Certainly a study tour to Melaka can be useful to the staff?

I am sure city council is not hit by manpower shortage. Is it just waiting to tender these minor repairs to contractors later? Why not set up a special fund for repairs to public property and infrastructure without delay? It may be necessary to form a flying squad with a special fund to carry out such repairs and maintenance work quickly.

Taxpayers’ money is often wasted just because minor repairs are not carried out regularly, allowing the situation to deteriorate until an allocation is needed for a contractor to do the job.

There is no doubt the city council is gradually carrying out improvements to the city’s infrastructures, but if timely minor repairs are carried out, then pavements do not necessarily need to be replaced just because there are some broken tiles. This is at the expense of developing other areas.

Remember, the first impression is very important. A city needs to show it is well managed, clean and beautiful.

Jerry Francis

In Audrey’s case, she could begin planning by setting up a Living Trust or Inter-Vivos Trust. When she sets up the trust, she is called the “Settlor”. In her trust, she has to appoint a trustee company like Rockwills Trustee Bhd. to be the “Trustee” because it has the expertise, impartiality, professionalism and most importantly perpetual existence. The next important issue is the appointment of the “Protector” who acts as a watchdog on the “Trustee”. The Protector or Protectors are people whom the Trustee would liaise with concerning the welfare of the beneficiaries in terms of distribution.

Then it is equally important to appoint one or two “Guardians” for both her husband and son. In regard to this, she has to discuss with her close family members like sisters or brothers or even close relatives who are willing to take up the responsibility. But if all her relatives could not take up the responsibility due to their own family commitments, then she has to identify a suitable nursing home for her son. That being the case, the role of her family members appointed as “Guardian” would only be monitoring the homes that provide nursing care for her husband and son. It is also suggested that the guardian should be given an allowance to do this job. The “Guardian” can also act as the “Protector” in this trust.

Since Audrey could not will away her estate to either her husband or son due to their condition, it is best that she will away her estate to her “Living Trust” if she passes away. In her will, she has to appoint Rockwills Trustee Bhd. as the main executor since Rockwills Trustee Bhd. is also appointed as the trustee for the “Living Trust”. The instruction in her will would be giving all her movable and immovable assets to her trust. As for immovable assets such as properties, she could give her instruction to the trustee to either sell or convert to cash immediately or when the need arises. Having all these arrangements in place, one has to take note that if Audrey passes away, the duration to wait for her “Grant of Probate” to unlock her assets and give them to the “Living Trust” would be one to one and a half years. Therefore, she must create an immediate funding upon her death by assigning her insurance policies to her trust when she is alive because money will be released to the trust maybe less than a month after the death certificate is produced as it does require waiting for the “Grant of Probate”.

When all the above is sorted out, Audrey now has to specify how much is to be allocated monthly for the nursing homes providing the necessary care for her husband and son or guardian who is going to take care of her son. In her case, she must state that the trust will end when both her husband and son die or upon the exhaustion of funds. Anything further would be any one’s guess because this is the best she can do as she cannot control the future.

Peter Lee is an Associate Estate Planning Practitioner (Wills & Trust) with Rockwills International Group. He is also an Islamic Estate Planner providing Wills & Trust services for Muslims. He is based in Ipoh and can be reached at: 012-5078825/05-2554853 or excelsec@streamyx.com.

Peter Lee