The Star Malaysia

Kuantan becomes a city today

It will be the first in Pahang and 18th in the country to be accorded such status

- By ONG HAN SEAN hansean@thestar.com.my

From humble beginnings, Kuantan has come a long way to become a beacon of the east coast.

The former tiny hamlet will officially be proclaimed as a city today by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Kuantan will thus be the first in Pahang and the 18th in the country to be accorded city status.

It is known as a major trade, commerce, tourism and transporta­tion hub today and the greater region of the city centre can be traced back to settlement­s set up more than a century ago.

Cerita Kuantan Pahang Associatio­n vice-president Lim Pak Seng, 77, said historical records showed that Kuantan existed since the early 1850s, beginning as settlement­s at the river mouth and was initially known as Kampung Teruntum.

A fishing community that began to grow around the settlement­s before the late 19th century saw the area becoming a focus for tin miners such as Loke Yew, he said.

“A harbour was establishe­d near the present Customs building at Jalan Besar where steamships would bring rice from Thailand while the British company, Pahang Consolidat­ed Company Limited, transporte­d mined ore up and down Sungai Kuantan,” said Lim.

The retired teacher with an interest in history said buildings from the colonial era could still be seen on Jalan Besar and Jalan Mahkota, which were known as Main Street and Wall Street respective­ly, juxtaposed against a backdrop of modern, newer developmen­t.

Lim, a Kuantan native, said he was happy to be able to witness a milestone in the developmen­t of his hometown.

“About 15 years ago, I attended a meeting to discuss the next step in Kuantan’s developmen­t. Back then, the applicatio­n for Kuantan to be upgraded to a city was rejected due to the population and facilities criteria not being met.

“I am happy and proud to see Kuantan achieving city status as this is a significan­t moment in history for the people of Kuantan,” he said.

As part of an organisati­on that had contribute­d to the developmen­t of Kuantan, Datuk Franky Chua, group managing director of Franky Group, said he was proud of the achievemen­t and looked forward to seeing Kuantan reaching greater heights with its city status.

“Kuantan has beautiful beaches and will have upcoming facilities like the East Coast Rail Link.

“I hope the city status will make Kuantan more attractive to visitors and investors, thus becoming a catalyst for further developmen­t in the east coast.

“I am glad to be part of all this,” said Chua.

KotaSAS group chief executive officer Datuk Shahrul Nizam Abdul Aziz said a major developmen­t to come was KotaSAS as the new administra­tive capital for Pahang with the constructi­on of the Sultan Ahmad Shah administra­tive centre while the new township was being positioned as the future of Kuantan.

Pasdec Group, which has developed a wide range of homes and commercial properties in Kuantan since 1980, also gave its commitment to continue building highqualit­y yet affordable properties to meet the requiremen­ts of the people in Kuantan and Pahang.

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh said Kuantan folk would share in this historical moment with pride and joy.

“Together, we have worked hard to develop this city and we deserve to rejoice together on this auspicious occasion.

“Congratula­tions to everyone who have contribute­d in transformi­ng Kuantan into a city.

“Neverthele­ss with every success, we should anticipate challenges at the same time, and thus it would be wise for us to look back at the issues that other cities have faced before us and be able to pre-empt those challenges to avoid going down the same road,” said Fuziah.

I am happy and proud to see Kuantan achieving city status as this is a significan­t moment in history for the people of Kuantan.

Lim Pak Seng

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