IPOH: Datuk Rumaizi Baharin stated that acquiring the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (Unesco) Creative Cities Network (UCCN) City of Music recognition will not impede efforts to attract more Muslim tourists. He emphasized that the recognition is the result of hard work and does not conflict with the goal of drawing more Muslim tourists. Rumaizi added that it would lead to the creation of more programs that complement these two aims. The Ipoh Mayor made these remarks after the Ipoh City Council (MBI) full board meeting at the MBI headquarters in Greentown, on Nov 30.
Ipoh was added to the list of cities in the UCCN list on Nov 1. According to a statement by Unesco on its official website, Ipoh is one of the 55 new cities that has joined the UCCN list, announced in conjunction with World Cities Day on Oct 31. The first meeting to discuss the city’s music plan will be set on Dec 14, Rumaizi said.
Opposition to certain music events, such as the Coldplay concert, has come from within the Muslim community. Recently, PAS and Federal Territories mufti, Datuk Dr Luqman Abdullah, called for the cancellation of the highly-anticipated Coldplay concert, claiming that it promotes hedonism and the band is linked to immoral groups promoting LGBTQ+ practices. The concert saw over 75,000 fans gathering at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Wednesday night (Nov 22).
Furthermore, On Nov 21, MBI, along with other local authorities in Perak such as Kuala Kangsar, Batu Gajah, and Kampar, as well as the Kangar Municipal Council in Perlis and the Alor Setar City Council from Kedah, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to promote Muslim-friendly tourism. The MOU was also signed by the Islamic Tourism Centre, the Centre for Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand (CIMT) Growth Triangle Subregional Cooperation, Malaysia’s national Unesco commission director, the Hatyai Deputy Mayor from Thailand, and the Aceh II Commission Head from Indonesia.
The Ipoh City Council aims to draw at least 150,000 Muslim tourists next year. Rumaizi said the city council has several plans focusing on its City of Music status for the next three years. “The UCCN recognition is a license valid from Jan 1, 2024 until 2026. To ensure that we will continue to be on the list, the city council has drafted several plans focusing on three aspects: activities, education and economy. Among the activities that we can reveal for now is setting up an art month and promoting the Indie-Rock genre from our archipelago regions such as Indonesia, Singapore and Brunei,” he said.
