By Aida Aziz
IPOH: As he concludes his service as Mayor on March 31, Datuk Rumaizi Baharin expressed satisfaction with the achievements during his leadership of the Ipoh City Council (MBI).
Having held the position since April 1, 2020, during the global COVID-19 pandemic, he considers one of the most effective efforts to be tackling poverty.
He also acknowledged that at the time, Ipoh was often associated with being a retirement city, and he took this perception as a challenge.
“Throughout my five years serving as Mayor, I consider one of my proudest accomplishments to be successfully addressing urban poverty.
“When I first took on this role, Ipoh was one of the cities with the highest number of poor people.
“So, I said this cannot continue, because poverty leads to crime and immoral activities.
“Now, we can see that the efforts are showing positive results and noticeable changes,” he said.
He made this statement to reporters after chairing the final full council meeting for March on Friday.
Also present were 24 MBI Council members.
When asked by the press about memorable moments during his time as Mayor, he mentioned that one of his proudest achievements was Ipoh receiving various international recognitions.
“I am most proud when MBI received the Scroll of Honour from UN-Habitat last year in Mexico for Ipoh’s Donut Economy Program.
“Since the United Nations was founded in 1945, there have only been 197 recipients of the Scroll of Honour worldwide.
“In Malaysia, there are only three, and for cities, MBI is the first to receive this award due to our implementation of the donut economy,” he added.
Meanwhile, MBI Council Member Whip, Datuk Mazlan Abdul Rahman, described Rumaizi as a leader who always facilitated processes and assisted the people.
He also noted the success of many tourism initiatives that introduced Ipoh to the world, such as the Tasik Cermin tourist project
“During his leadership of MBI, many positive changes were introduced, including increasing the budget for Council Members to assist the people, particularly in tourism.
“Many issues raised by Council Members regarding their respective areas were quickly addressed and the processes were efficient.
“Likewise, the MBI Prihatin Assistance Program greatly helped those in need, including MBI’s lower-level staff. Thank you for his contributions and efforts in working hand-in-hand with the Council Members,” he said.
Rumaizi was appointed Mayor of Ipoh effective April 1, 2020, replacing Datuk Ahmad Suaidi Abdul Rahim, who was appointed Secretary to the State Government of Perak.
Rumaizi, a native of Ipoh, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Universiti Utara Malaysia and later pursued a Master’s degree in Land Administration and Management at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
He was also the youngest Mayor of Ipoh when appointed at the age of 45.
