By NSTP Zahratulhayat Mat Arif
June 19, 2019 @ 5:00pm
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| (File pix) The historic Taiping Aerodrome, where aviation legend Amelia Mary Earhart had a refuelling stopover in 1937 during her journey to circumnavigate the globe, is set to become the state’s heritage site. Pix by NSTP/Muhaizan Yahya |
IPOH: The historic
Taiping Aerodrome, where aviation legend Amelia Mary Earhart had a refuelling
stopover in 1937 during her journey to circumnavigate the globe, is set to
become the state’s heritage site.
Perak Menteri Besar
Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu said the decision was made during the state exco
meeting today, where the state government also urged the state Land and Mines
Department to speed up the process.
Ahmad Faizal also
dismissed claims that the Taiping Aerodrome had been sold to make way for housing
development projects and reiterated that under the leadership of Pakatan
Harapan, some parts of the land had been returned to the Menteri Besar Perak
Incorporated (MB Inc).
“I would like to
stress that Taiping Aerodrome has never been approved to be developed. In fact,
under my leadership, I have returned some part of the land to the MB Inc,” he
said at a press conference after handing over RM3 million financial assistance
to 261 partially-aided government schools in Perak at Dewan Serbaguna in Bangunan
Perak Darul Ridzuan here today.
It was earlier
reported that Ahmad Faizal had cancelled an approval made by the previous state
government administration on Jan 16 to hand over part of the Taiping Aerodrome
to the private sector for development.
Commenting on the
recent protest held by a group of people against the alleged development on
Taiping Aerodrome, Ahmad Faizal advised heritage lovers to refer the relevant
authorities before accusing the state government of selling the historical
area.
“At the same time, I
am happy to see the huge number of demonstrators because it shows that they
care for our heritage. I echo their sentiments that the place needs to be
preserved too, just how important our great-grandmother’s house is to our
family.
“The place needs to be
spruced up and the grass needs to be cut. The 200 protesters who came that day
should have done their part in making the place nice again. I would be happy to
join them if they had invited me,” he added.
On Friday, several
non-governmental organisations (NGOs) staged a protest against the alleged
development of the area, claiming that the land had been sold without
considering the importance of its heritage and historical values.
The 16.1ha Taiping Aerodrome, built in Malaya
by the British in early 1929, is reputedly the first airport in Southeast Asia.
The aerodrome gained
worldwide recognition when the American pioneer aviator Earhart made a
refuelling stop there on June 7, 1937 before continuing her journey to
Singapore and New Guinea in her bid to fly around the world.
The then-Indonesian
president Sukarno and his deputy, Mohammad Hatta had also landed at the Taiping
Aerodrome on Aug 12, 1945 to discuss the future of Malaya and Indonesia before
heading for Tokyo.
On a separate note,
Ahmad Faizal said as part of the state’s commitment to protect its historical
heritage, plans are afoot to upgrade Taiping Lake Garden and Bukit Larut or
better known as Maxwell Hill, both to be recognised as Taman Tasik Diraja.
“The matter was also
discussed during state exco meeting today. I have received a lot of suggestions
from our young leaders, DAPSY, Armada, PKR, Amanah and Bersatu. They suggested
that the two main attractions in Taiping to be known as Taman Tasik Diraja.
“This is very
interesting. With this understanding, we don’t have to worry about plans for
developments near this area. This is also in line with Taiping being recognised
as one of the most sustainable cities in the world,” he said.
Ahmad Faizal said he
would seek the consent from the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah
before naming Taiping Lake Garden and Bukit Larut as Taman Tasik Diraja.
The Taiping Lake
Gardens, established in 1880 during the British rule, is one of the oldest
public gardens.
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