Columbarium construction deferred

The months of battle by the Ipoh Garden East residents against the construction of a columbarium tasted sweet victory when the decision was deferred recently. 

Months of protest and pleading with the Mayor finally lead to the local council turning down the developers plan to build a columbarium in the residential area. 

Unity is what brought the residents to their victory as they gathered unanimously for a number of protests in the past few months.

Lawyer and resident, Agustine Anthony together with the residential committee of Ipoh East Garden researched on the deep psychological effects of having a columbarium in a residential area from all over the world – to build their case against this construction. 

Over the past month, Anthony stressed the importance for the local council to take into consideration the opinions and feelings of the residents before allowing a decision that would alter their lives permanently. 

After the announcement that Datuk Bandar Datuk Bandar Datuk Roshidi Haslim rejected the application by the developers to build the columbarium, the Ipoh GArden residents gathered in a restaurant in Ipoh to celebrate their vitory.

The residents were overwhelmingly ecstatic, for them it was a mark that when the people were united, they can and would make a difference.

For the celebratory speech, Agustine Anthony thanked the residents for pulling together and making this a endeavor a success. 

“I would like to thank the Datuk Bandar for hearing th voice of the people,” said the elated lawyer. He took the time to thank the city council and the media for continuously highlighting their plight and capturing the emotions and feelings of the people.”

Video by {GV Shan}, Citizen Journalist