Is Ipoh trying to be Pyongyang?

Is Ipoh trying to be Pyongyang?





On Aug 18, Ipoh mayor Rumaizi Baharin warned businesses that they would be fined RM250 if they failed to fly the Jalur Gemilang for Merdeka.

He said enforcement officers would be monitoring their premises in the days leading up to Merdeka Day.

Rumaizi was reported to have claimed that the Ipoh City Council (MBI) had been tolerant and advising the premise owners instead of fining them.


Is Ipoh turning into a mini-Pyongyang or North Korea? Perhaps, the council has run out of people with creative ideas, individuals who are able to motivate and inspire others, instead of resorting to the tried-and-tested methods of threats along the lines of “if you don’t do as I say, you will be fined”.

I, like many Ipohites, will fly the flag because we love our country. The flag will not be flown because a minor bureaucrat has threatened us with fines.

People like the mayor, who equate flag-flying with patriotism, are what irritates most Malaysians.

Perhaps, an everyday analogy may help the mayor and his team.

Is a woman who fails to cover her hair less devout than one who wears a tudung? Would a woman who doesn’t wear a tudung become more religious if she were forced to cover her head?

Is the Christian with a crucifix around her neck more pious than one without?

Is someone who stays at home to look after her children a more loving and capable mother than a working woman?

So, will the mayor think that I am more patriotic than my neighbour, who only flies one flag on his flag pole, whereas I am feeling generous and decide to hoist over 100 flags in my business compound?

One realises the serious lack of talent in the Ipoh council, when the mayor says the National Day programme will be made more interesting with “a parade of the MBI enforcement team” and an “installation of the Jalur Gemilang on MBI’s official vehicles”.

Is the mayor serious?

He also claims that there will be lots of exciting programmes but he fails to mention even one.

The succession of mayors who have come our way have repeated the same old tired events, year after year. Is it any wonder that young people have lost interest in Ipoh’s Merdeka Day celebrations?

How about competitions to see who can compose the best one-liner on patriotism? Many of our young do not know how we achieved our independence. MBI could organise a series of short presentations, such as the significance of the Baling Talks, which led to the end of the Emergency, or the Feb 20, 1956 event in Banda Hilir, Melaka, where Tunku Abdul Rahman drove in triumph after his return from pre-independence talks in London.

With the help of local tourist guides, MBI could sponsor walking tours to various landmarks in and around Ipoh which once played an important role in our independence. There could be a fun run along the banks of the Kinta River or up Kledang Hill, if it is not being stripped of its vegetation. There is no shortage of singing talent in Ipoh. Perhaps a buskers’ performance could be arranged.

So, how does Ipoh pick its mayor? Ever since the post was created, those who held this position have had little impact on the city. For instance, rubbish dumping and fly-tipping remain huge problems. Flash floods continue to cause chaos, but the council fails to clear drains and river sluices. Despite calls for the state to stop the quarrying of hills surrounding the city, little progress has been made. These limestone hills are the attractions for Ipoh.

Patriotism is more than just flying the flag on one’s premises.