Perak
Perak Darul Ridzuan (
Jawi: ڨيرق) is one of the 13 states of
Malaysia. It is the third largest state in
Peninsular Malaysia bordering
Kedah and
Thailand to the north,
Penang to the northwest,
Kelantan and
Pahang to the east,
Selangor southward and to the west by the
Strait of Malacca.
Perak means
silver in the
Malay language. The name comes most probably from the silvery colour of
tin. In the 1890's, Perak, with the richest alluvial deposits of tin in the world was one of the jewels in the crown of the
British Empire. However, some say the name comes from the "glimmer of fish in the water" that sparkled like silver. The Arab honorific of the State is
Darul Ridzuan, the Land of Grace.
Its current hereditary
Sultan is
Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Almarhum Sultan Yussuf Izzuddin Shah Ghafarullahu-Lahu, who was the ninth
Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and formerly the Lord President of Malaysia's Supreme Court. His chief minister or
Menteri Besar is currently Dato' Seri Diraja
Tajol Rosli bin Mohd Ghazali of
Barisan Nasional, a former teacher.
Perak's population is now approximately 2 million. Once Malaysia's most populous state, the decline in the tin mining industry caused an economic slowdown from which it has yet to recover, leading to a massive drain in manpower to higher-growth states such as
Penang, Selangor and the Federal Territory of
Kuala Lumpur. The ethnic composition of the population was estimated in 1995 to be:
Malay (962,200 or 45%), Chinese (732,500 or 41%), Indian (281,700 or 14%), Other (50,000), Other
Bumiputra (41,400).
Pulau Pangkor is a small offshore island that provides some tourist activities such as snorkelling.
Legends tell of a Hindu-Malay kingdom called
Gangga Negara in the northwest of Perak. Archaeological discoveries indicate that Perak has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
The modern history of Perak began with the fall of the
Malacca Sultanate. The eldest son of the last Sultan of Melaka (Sultan Mahmud Shah), Raja Muzaffar Shah, fleeing the Portuguese conquest of 1511, established his own dynasty on the banks of the Sungai Perak (Perak River) in 1528. As the Perak area was extremely rich in
tin, it was under almost continuous threat from outsiders. The
Dutch unsuccessfully attempted to monopolize the tin trade in the 17th century, and built forts at the mouth of the Perak River and on
Pulau Pangkor. In the 18th century, the
Bugis,
Acehnese, and the
Siamese all attempted to invade Perak. Only
British intervention in 1820 prevented Siam from annexing Perak. Although the British were initially reluctant to establish a colonial presence in
Malaya, increasing investment in the tin mines brought a great influx of
Chinese immigrants, who formed rival clan groups allied with Malay chiefs and local gangsters, all of whom battled to control the mines. The Perak sultanate, involved in a protracted succession struggle was unable to maintain order. In
1874, the
Straits Settlements governor Sir Andrew Clarke convened a meeting on Pulau Pangkor, at which Sultan Abdullah was installed on the throne of Perak in preference to his rival, Sultan Ismail. This
Pangkor Treaty also required that the sultan accept a
British Resident, who would control all administrative issues other than those pertaining the religion or Malay custom. In 1875, various Perak chiefs assassinated the British Resident
James W.W. Birch, resulting in the short-lived
Perak War of 1876. Sultan Abdullah was exiled to the
Seychelles, and the British installed a new ruler. The new resident, Sir
Hugh Low, was well versed in the Malay language and customs, and proved to be a more capable administrator. He also introduced the first
rubber trees to Malaya.
In
1896, Perak joined
Selangor,
Negri Sembilan and
Pahang to form the
Federated Malay States. However, the British Resident system lasted until Perak became part of the
Federation of Malaya in
1948.
Perak gained independence from the British on
August 31,
1957 along 10 other states in the Federation of Malaya. The federation was enlarged to form Malaysia on
September 16,
1963 following the admission of Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore. Singapore separated from Malaysia in 1965.
Historically dominated by tin mining and
rubber, Perak suffered greatly with the decline of those industries. Recent efforts have been made to transform the economy into an industrial / manufacturing based economy. A new car manufacturing hub called Proton City at
Tanjung Malim has been developed with the establishment of state-of-the-art car manufacturing facilities. The Proton City at Tanjung Malim has become the largest manufacturing of Proton cars (Malaysia's national car).
The railway services is undergoing major upgrading with the construction of electrified train with double tracks from
Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh. Ipoh Railway station is a most imposing structure in the city centre. Built in the Moorish style, it was completed in 1917. The
Ipoh Railway Station is said to be the second most beautiful railway station in Malaysia after the
Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.
Modern Perak is divided into 10 administrative districts,or "daerah" in Malay:
#
Kinta- Population: 751,825; Area: 1,958 km². #
Larut, Matang - Population:273,321; Area: 2,103 km². #
Hilir Perak- Population: 191,098; Area: 1,727 km². #
Manjung- Population: 191,004; Area: 1,168 km². #
Batang Padang- Population:152,137; Area: 2,730 km². #
Kerian- Population: 52,651; Area: 938 km². #
Kuala Kangsar- Population: 154,048; Area: 2,541 km². #
Hulu Perak- Population: 82,195; Area: 6,558 km². #
Perak Tengah- Population: 82,103; Area: 1,282 km². #
SelamaThese districts eventually are divided to several Mukims or Counties which is more to political significance.The main cities and towns in Perak are:
#
Ipoh#
Taiping#
Teluk Intan#Sg. Siput(U)#
Kuala Kangsar#
Lumut#
Batu Gajah#
Tanjung MalimLemang, a Malay delicacy made from glutinous rice cooked in a bamboo tube over slow fire is a must have during the festivities especially with some rendang (Malay for meat curry in coconut milk and spices). Some says it originated from the indigenuos people who cook their rice using bamboo.
Perak is also known for fermented
durian, also called "Tempoyak". It is a durian paste, cooked with fishes.
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Perak Football Supporter
