DBKL Renames 8 Major Roads Including Jalan Duta And Jalan Ipoh After Malay Rulers

The 300m stretch of Jalan Travers fronting Bank Rakyat's new headquarters is now known as Jalan Rakyat.

The name change was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in conjunction with the launch of the building, known at Bank Rakyat Twin Tower Thursday.

“It is to perpetuate the name of Bank Rakyat and celebrate the people who are the lifeblood of the excellence of Bank Rakyat, comprising the multiracial members, clients and society throughout the country,” he said in his speech at the opening of the Bank Rakyat Twin Towers.

therakyatpost.com

According to a Malay Mail Online report, chairman of the Brickfields Rukun Tetangga S Kanakiahnaidu questioned the reasoning behind the name change, saying that no business owner or resident was informed about it beforehand. “The name Jalan Travers has historical meaning to it. What meaning does ‘Jalan Rakyat’ have to the people here?” he asked. Also weighing in on the road name change was Bukit Bandaraya Residents’ Association president Mumtaz Ali who said, “While the government states its aim is to engage the community, clearly it has failed on this matter.”

freemalaysiatoday.com

The signboard, in Jalan Parlimen, lists the new name of Jalan Duta as Jalan Tunku Abdul Halim when it should be Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim. Malay Mail reported last Wednesday City Hall had misspelled the road’s name in a release to the media, following which mayor Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib said it would be corrected.

themalaymailonline.com

Ahmad Phesal said the council would rectify the error on the signboard in Jalan Parlimen. “To our knowledge there are no signboards with errors but we will rectify the mistake as soon as possible,” he said. He said each signboard cost RM700 but did not specify how much it would cost to correct the error.

The public will soon get accustomed to the new names of eight major roads in the city, said Mayor Datuk Seri Ahmad Phesal Talib.“Renaming of roads is not new. For example, Jalan Raja Chulan and Jalan Sultan Ismail were formerly known as Jalan Weld and Jalan Treacher, but now everyone is familiar with the new names,” he said.

“The plates will have the former street names attached below until we feel the time is right to have them removed. The addresses that will be affected by the name change will also have the old names in brackets for a suitable period,” he said.

The decision to rename eight major roads in the city was a request by the Conference of Rulers, or Majlis Raja-Raja, said Deputy Federal Territory Minister Datuk Dr Loga Bala Mohan. “The request was made to the ministry and we brought the matter to the Cabinet and a decision was made last year,” he said.

Loga Bala Mohan said that the royal institution felt that Kuala Lumpur lacked the identity of the monarchy and the target roads were picked by City Hall. “It was the request from the Conference of Rulers, they felt that KL does not have the names of the past Agongs... this was one of the resolution passed in one of their meetings,” he told reporters when in Parliament today.

themalaymailonline.com