One ministers, whose work is hardly appreciated by all, is Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa, former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of the Federal Territories.
When she was picked to helm the ministry, I knew that she would do a good job to “revive “ the city of Kuala Lumpur.
My first appointment with her was at her office in Putrajaya, overseeing the lake and the iconic bridge in Putrajaya, where together with her personal assistant Ooi Heng we spent nearly two hours of her precious time to discuss about the city.
Having lived in Kuala Lumpur my whole lifetime, I noticed that over the years, great projects had come and gone. What was left of the city was almost nothing we could be proud of to show to our visiting guests or relatives from overseas.
“Kuala Lumpur is a soulless city,” I told her. Little did I realise that a number of the ideas that i had always wanted to see happening in the city came to live, and here am I to unravel them one by one to her credit.
To her constituents in Sekijang, I have always said that they should be proud of their MP as she had to be in charge of Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, on top of Sekijang.
Before that, let me share a song dedicated to Sekijang and Dr Zaliha, because I believe she will do wonders in Sekijang to boost its tourism industry since the arrival of the Electric Train Service (ETS).
Now, rolling into Sekijang is convenient, just a 3-hour ride from Kuala Lumpur.
Here are some of the achievements that I can think of:
Chinatown at Petaling Street:
Recently, when some relatives came back from Australia, a cousin of mine took them to Chinatown at Petaling Street.
My local who has not been to Chinatown for ages, told me it was such a big transformation. Since I have not been there myself, I have to rely on my cousin’s words:
“The place is now so much better, compared to those days when every stall was selling almost the same stuff - fake watches and pirated discs (DVD/VCD/CD).
“It gave the impression to visitors from overseas that Malaysia is famous for pirated and fake goods.”
I can’t agree more with her. That’s why for decades, I had stopped visited Chinatown, or bringing my foreign guests there.
2. Sultan Abdul Samad Building: Based on my cousin’s feedback, I am planning to bring my family one weekend to visit the old court house:
“After the place is refurbished, it is now transformed so much that it is really worth visiting now. You must make a visit while it is still free at the moment.
As I understand it, the building conservation work was done with great care to make sure its original look and feel are retained.
3. Carcosa Sri Negara: The other building that came under renovation during Dr Zaliha’s time was the Sri Carcosa building, which she was careful to say the credit must go to the team that had worked so hard to refurbish the old building. As I write this piece, I feel the big urge to visit the old colonial building where Queen Elizabeth is said to have stayed once during her visit to Malaysia in 1998 to launch the Commonwealth Games.
4. Taman Tasik Titiwangsa: I can testify to this myself, as I have brought my nephew Minh from Australia to visit the place. My daughter and I, along with Minh, had a wonderful time pedaling across the lake. As night fell, the fountain transformed into a vibrant display of colorful lights. As I sat there at the lakeside restaurant, it was just a wonderful experience, that I felt that the city has now become what it is supposed to be.
I am now proud to show my relatives whenever they are here. No more trying to avoid the traffic jam in Kuala Lumpur, where there was hardly any interesting places to show to my foreign guests. A good suggestion for couples is have a romantic evening on the boat, pedalled by their teenage children for once, while Dad and Mom enjoy some romantic moments together.
Now that Dr Zaliha has decided that she prefers to help her own constituency, Sekijang, I believe the people of Sekijang in Segamat will see a boost in the tourism industry.
5. Malaysia Sarong Music Run. I remember telling Dr Zaliha that Kuala Lumpur needs something similar to Moomba Festival held every year in Melbourne. I did not get any reaction, and I did not even know that she had something even more “local” was already planned for last year where she launched in her capacity as FT Minister— and I missed it! I only happened to scroll and saw some of the videos.
Before this, she and a developer had looked into the possibility of converting an old tin mine into the Grand Canyon of Segamat. I am looking forward to the next visit to check out the Grand Canyon of Segamat. The event is worth joining, which is why I am encouraging my family to participate this year to have fun together with fellow Malaysians from different races, and all the different local cuisines. This year it is in September. Register early (<-click here betweenSept 20, 2025 to last day for registration on July 31, 2026) before the tickets run out. It would be a great time for your cell groups, too!
Event Detail
Event Venue:KLCC
Event Date:19 Sep 2026 You can let your hair down for once, and enjoy the day’s event while doing your run, too.
This is really my favourite and I hope they do this every year. There is nothing like seeing our boys in blue enjoying the fun time together with ordinary Malaysians whom they work hard round the clock to protect.
Click on to watch on YouTube
I wish if I could play a musical instrument, I would join the band; alternatively, you should bring along your musical instrument to maybe join them on the side.
This is one event, I think we should invite all our relatives to join in as well. It’s a great time for some bonding to happen within the extended family. It does look like a fun event, too. And what’s more importantly is the perpaduan (unity) that we have been talking about - for many, it is probably the best opportunity to meet our fellow Malaysians from all walks of life and political divides, care for nothing except to enjoy some fun time together, my fellow Malaysians.
There are many other achievements by Dr Zaliha from the Madani Government. I hope she returns to Kuala Lumpur again. She is one person who would listen to anyone patiently and pick up ideas which she can then brainstorm with her people to make it into something that makes us K.L-ians feel proud of. I hope her successor, Hannah Yeoh will continue on her legacy and further develop Kuala Lumpur into a most liveable city for Malaysians. The day will come when Kuala Lumpur will surpass Melbourne for being the most liveable city in the world, with good leaders who only care for what they can contribute to the welfare of the country, city and its people.
Here is a tribute to Dr Zaliha, which her ministry had put together, which unfortunately, fails to reflect their wonderful work. Photographs that they pick should at least show more of the transformation that a dedicated minister like Dr Zaliha has brought to Kuala Lumpur. Click here to download the coffee table book.
With DrZaliha now focusing mainly on developing Sekijang into a tourist destination, I believe her constituents have a lot to anticipate in the coming years. This can only happen, if she still gets the support from the federal government. Click to see what they have started to do to hopefully attract tourists to Sekijang.
The local council of Segamat is refurbishing Gunung Ledang. Many of you know the legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang, but few know that Gunung Ledang is in Sekijang area. Once it is refurbished, it is time to visit the place with your children. Take the ETS.
Sekijang, get ready as soon many of us will be rolling in on the iron wheels to Sekijang, and here is a song dedicated to Sekijang and Dr Zaliha:
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