(Perak, Wednesday): The Ipoh City Council(MBI) had sent letters asking all the 971 retail market businesses from the  Central Market for a meeting at the ! City Council yesterday. A number of Central Market dwellers asked the DAP to help monitor the meeting. The DAP was represented by YB Thomas Su, his political secretary Ms Alicia, my political Secretary and myself, among others.

The meeting started at 3.30 p.m. and ended at 5.00 p.m. At the said meeting the Mayor mentioned that the Perak Corporation Berhad(PCB) is developing 3000 acres of land in Meru Raya, Jelapang. All major businesses, federal buildings, hospital, schools including the MBI main office building will be relocated there in due course. It is supposed to be a township of the future. The PCB was represented by En Ibrahim who mentioned that the present population is 35,000. Another 40,000 people is expected to move in soon. The whole project is expected to be completed in 15 years. Mr.Lee of Rembau Maju Holding Sdn. Bhd, the developer of the proposed new Market was there and gave a breakdown of the whole project. He mentioned that the whole Market will be ready within 2 years and will be sold at RM70,000-RM80,000 per lot with ample parking bays. He also stated that there will be no traffic jams and no difficulties to access to this wonderful place. It will be an ideal place for all shoppers he said.

We were also told that the 218 lots at the Pasar Borong (wholesale market) at Farlim will eventually move to Meru Raya. The Dato’ Bandar, the PCB and Mr Lee Keh Ting, the director of Rembau Maju holdings have informed all present that the new market is a hope for all the market dwellers and that if they do not move they will be the losers. Presently, business at the Ipoh Central Market is slow because the anchor tenant, a supermarket, is slowly ceasing business due to its tenancy problem with the MBI and the case is pending in court and will take long time to resolve.

The central  market is not well kept and the maintenance is poor resulting in constant electrical and mechanical failures. What is most required now is an immediate upgrading of the Central Market. In this respect the DAP welcomes the Menteri Besar’s(MB) assurance that a sum of RM1.6 million would be spent to spruce up the Central Market. The money will be used to replace old wiring system, upgrade the stalls and repaint the building. The MB should also take immediate steps to upgrade all the other wet markets in Ipoh. The other markets especially the Pasir Pinji market, the Kg.Simee market,the Kg.Tawas market, the Jelapang market and the Buntong market are in dire need of funds to be upgraded

We hope that the Ipoh City Council could retain the Central Market to serve the local people. It is ridiculous to expect the inner city people to travel 15km to purchase item! s. From the speeches made by those who attended the meeting yesterday many stall owners are not keen in moving to Meru Raya. In any case they should not be penalized but accorded necessary help to upgrade their businesses. We suggest that the setting up of the Meru Raya market be proceed as it can cater for the local people there.

The State Government’s statement that the Ipoh inner city lacks b! usiness activities is all the more  reason for the Central Market to be kept going and alive. In this respect, we welcome the Mayor’s assurance yesterday that none of the  market stallholders will be forced to move out of Central Market.

We believe there are major plans to redevelop the Central Market by the MBI. We suspect the Mayor is not informing the people of Ipoh the real reasons for encouraging the Central Market operators an option to move to Meru Raya. We demand the Mayor to detail out the future plans of the Central Market and specify how it will encourage economic benefits to the rate payers of Ipoh.

Why none of the local councilors of MBI attend the meeting with the Central Market stallholders yesterday? The unelected councilors are appointed by the! state to represent the people. Why were they absent? We urge the proposed setting up of a new market at Meru Raya and the rational for the proposed relocation of Central Market dwellers be debated at length at the next MBI full board meeting which is on the 28^th February 06.