We understand that the royal town of Kuala Kangsar wants a new, modern station. Despite good intentions of saving the 1899 station for posterity, problems with acquiring nearby land for a new station became reasons for its removal. As a saving grace, the new station should display panels with stories and photographs of the old station.
As for the Chemor station, while the Ipoh Local Draft Plan 2020 earmarks it for preservation, KTM has decided to demolish it.
These charming old stations should be retained, including those in Batu Gajah and Tanjung Malim on the Ipoh-Kuala Lumpur stretch. They can be commercially viable, creatively adapted into local history galleries, reading rooms, eateries, visitors' centres, or used for community-linked activities.
The railway quarters in Chemor can become homestays. For all the effort that KTM has put into saving the paraphernalia of railway, it has missed out on the most important of its services: the original well-constructed railway stations of the FMS (Federated Malay States Railway), the precursor to KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu).
It is our fervent hope that the powers that be rethink the demolition of historic buildings in Perak. Let us not deprive future generations of this heritage in the name of "upgrading" and development.
Let us, instead, inculcate in the young the love for our shared heritage by preserving what ought to be preserved and not destroying them in exchange for all things new and gleaming.
As long as our no-maintenance culture continues, the new will soon tarnish while our love for heritage and history takes another beating.
The Perak Heritage Society is prepared to work with KTM in finding ways to involve local businesses and community groups in bringing about the suggested re-uses and adaptations.
President
Perak Heritage Society
Updated: 09:58AM Mon, 07 Mar 2011
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