Whither Goes Ipoh?
By Yin Ee Kiong

Comparison is odious they say, but odious or not we all need some benchmarks to assess ourselves – where we have been, where we are and where we are going.

In this context I would like to compare Ipoh (Perak) with Penang. I know both well – Ipoh my home town and Penang where I have been living the past five years or more.

Lately one hears of so many good things that Penang has embarked on viz the “no plastic bags Tuesday” where supermarkets have partnered city hall to ban the use of plastic bags for one day a week. This is of course the precursor to a total ban on the cursed plastic bags which clog drains, pollute the rivers and are washed up by the waves. This is a bold step that MPPP has taken and it is welcomed by Penang residents.

Penang City Hall has also been very strict regarding the development of hillsides. Many developments have had stop-work orders imposed on them for failing to keep to the rules. This is a recent thing - the enforcement of the rules which the previous government had neglected to do.

And most recently the Penang Government has decided to have an independent panel which will be responsible for appointing local councilors – while they work on getting the relevant legislations for local government elections passed.

These are just three areas which come to mind where Penang seem to be streets ahead of Ipoh (Perak). It would seem that Penangites are a more enlightened lot than Ipohites – or at least the Penang authorities are.

Why can’t Ipoh also have one plastic- bags-free day a week, to begin with. To complement it why can’t MBI embark on a programme of educating Ipohites to recycle and reduce the amount of rubbish? Why not provide compost bins at cost to residents so that much of our rubbish can be turned into fertilizers?

And what about having a similar panel of ‘eminent persons’ to appoint our local councilors?
There’s nothing wrong with copying good ideas if we can’t come up with the ideas ourselves.

But the difference between Penang and Ipoh goes deeper than just the different state governments or local authorities.
It is fair to say though, even when Perak was run by PR they had no idea of what they were doing most of the time. At least that’s the impression we get – the Larut Hills cable car idea would have been a disaster had it been executed; the bus terminal controversy, the continued blasting of our karst system (without seriously considering alternative methods which are environmentally less damaging).
So this is not a case of BN or PR governments; it’s not just politics.

I submit that it is the mentality of Penangites that make Penang so much more enlightened a city than Ipoh. This shows even in the private sector and ngos of the two states.
The Penang Heritage Trust has worked assiduously to conserve George Town’s heritage – even before the city was granted UNESCO heritage status. The PHT continues to work hard in encouraging sensitive developments of heritage buildings and sites.
The Penang Heritage market which opens every last Sunday of the month went through bad times but because of the perseverance and hard work of the people who run it, it is a success.

The Penang Jazz Festival is now an established event in the tourism calender. It was private money and effort that started it; and this year will be the sixth festival. It was the effort and vision of a few Penangites which kept it going even when they lost money in the first and second year.
Today Penang not only has the Jazz Festival but also the World Music Festival – an idea they borrowed from Sarawak’s world famous Rainforest Music Festival.

And what about Art? Besides the State Art Gallery (and Museum), there must be at least eight private galleries which are constantly putting on new shows.
Actors have a permanent place of their own in Green Hall where plays are put on for the public.

All these are private efforts by Penangites. It’s not just a matter of the size of the place – KL is much bigger but has no Jazz Festival and I think the jazz scene in Penang is just as lively (and more affordable). Miri is even smaller than Ipoh but it has a Jazz Festival. Kuching has the Rainforest Festival. So it’s not always size – it’s the mentality of the people and the government.

Ipohites don’t seem to be able to do things like the above for themselves – even if on a more modest scale. We don’t even have a State Art Gallery – sad to say Perak artists often have to exhibit in Penang (or KL) because they have no venue in Ipoh.

The quality of life of a city depends so much on what it has to offer its residents – not just in terms of housing, transport etc but also in leisure activities and culture.

The sad part of it is not that there are no enlightened Ipohites; the sad part is that many of them have cracked their heads banging against the brick wall that is the Perak Government. And in many cases, the rich towkays who don’t give a fig about anything that does not bring a monetary return.
One home grown Ipoh actor (who has since ‘escaped’ to KL) related how he tried to convince someone with money to help promote some sort of actors’ studio in Ipoh only to be asked what is the bottom line? And we are not talking about people who can’t spare the money. How many Ipoh talents have left town – compared to those Penangites who remain in Penang?


Ipoh is still a beautiful city (despite everything) – its environment is more beautiful than Penang’s. It always gives me a lift when I return and see the hills all around. And inspite of all the publicity about Penang food, I can say that Ipoh food is still the best (and most affordable).
But is that enough? Provincial charms can only take us so far but after a while it becomes boring (that even our young ones leave). Unless we change our mentality (both govt and citizens) we will forever remain a backwater.

It helps that Penang is more cosmopolitan and more exposed but that is only one part of it. On the other hand we Ipohites seem to revel in our ‘Ipoh mali’ country bumpkin image.
Sad to say, compared to Penang, Ipoh seems to have stagnated in a time warp of the sixties and seventies and any changes that have occurred seem to have been for the worse (there seems to be more kitsch around for a start). Our excuse when things are not done is “it won’t work in Ipoh.” And why not, pray tell? Are Ipohites so inferior to Penangites? It’s as if we are hog bound to our mining roots – of coolies and roughnecks. The hard working, hard-living stock with no appreciation of the nicer things in life – surely we have gone beyond just eking out a living.