Artist’s impression of Ipoh Sentral, a mega project integrating public transport with mixed-use developments. — Courtesy of Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd
The year has been testing for the people of Perak, with several tragedies that broke the heart of the nation.
One was the early morning bus crash on June 9 that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, with 33 others injured.
The chartered bus, travelling from Jerteh, Terengganu, to Tanjung Malim, overturned after colliding with a multipurpose vehicle at KM53 of the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding.
The students were returning to campus after a festive break from their hometown.
A preliminary report by the Transport Ministry’s Special Task Force on July 18 revealed that the bus had been travelling at more than twice the speed limit, contributing to the fatal impact.
Bus driver Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle, 39, claimed trial after being charged at Gerik Magistrate’s Court with 15 counts of causing death by dangerous driving under Section 41(1) of Road Transport Act 1987.
Earlier, on May 13, a gravel- laden lorry collided with a truck carrying 18 Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) members along Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampam in Teluk Intan, killing nine.
The group was returning to Ipoh after completing duties for the Chitra Pournami festival in Hilir Perak.
Earlier in the year, the nation received news of the passing of Ayer Kuning assemblyman Ishsam Shahruddin, 59, who suffered a heart attack after a friendly football match in Penang on Feb 22. His death triggered a by-election in April.
Adding to the year’s sorrow, the climbing community was shaken by the death of hiker Mustaqqeem Mansoor, 34, whose body was found on Gunung Liang near Tanjong Malim in October.
He went missing during a Trans Slim expedition, prompting a search operation involving 43 personnel from multiple agencies.
Man vs nature
In late November, the number of flash flood evacuees statewide reached a peak of 6,586 involving people from 2,031 families.
They were placed at 45 temporary relief centres in the Larut, Matang and Selama, Manjung, Perak Tengah, Bagan Datuk, Hilir Perak and Muallim districts.
Among the unfortunate incidents to hit Perak in 2025 were floods in Hilir Perak
Human-wildlife encounters were a serious concern in 2025, particularly along the East-West Highway in Gerik.
On May 11, a five-year-old elephant calf was hit and killed by a lorry, causing its mother to damage the front of the vehicle and refusing to be separated from her baby that was pinned underneath the lorry.
The incident drew sympathy as it coincided with Mothers Day.
On May 21, an encounter with a herd of wild elephants crossing KM11 of the highway turned perilous for a 39-year-old man.
The man had stopped his car and switched off the headlights in an attempt to avoid startling the animals, but a car horn blared out from the back, caused three elephants to damage his vehicle. The driver escape unharmed.
On Dec 10, a motorcyclist also had a narrow escape after crashing into an elephant, which then damaged his vehicle.
Just three days later, an Orang Asli man was injured after being dragged by an elephant and falling into a ravine along Jalan Kampung Pengkalan Permai in Air Banun Resettlement Scheme.
Earlier, near Chemor, several cattle were found dead and missing in a suspected tiger attack at Bukit Bangkong in Tanah Hitam.
The matter came to light when a livestock owner reported his cattle dead with bite marks, and several others missing, on Dec 5.
The Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) were deployed to conduct assessment and monitoring, and has since installed cameras and traps in the area to capture the animal.
International recognition
The tragedies came amid Perak achieving several significant milestones.
In June, three specialist trainee doctors from Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun (HRPB) Ipoh made Malaysia proud with the first win at an esteemed international cardiology competition in Singapore.
The team of Dr Chen Tai Meng, Dr Ang Jian-Gang and Dr Yee Shen Yew won the International FIT (Fellows-In-Training) Jeopardy competition organised by the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
They will represent Malaysia to compete in ACC’s Annual Scientific Session, to be held in US next March.
In December, Teluk Intan-born Balvinder Dhillon, 24, a biomedical engineering graduate, made history by winning the prestigious Global Undergraduate Awards in Dublin, Ireland, for the second consecutive year.
The graduate of Queen Mary University of London is the only recipient to achieve the rare double win in the engineering category.
Her first award was for her research on “Development of Bioresorbable Drug-Eluting Stent with Organ-On-A-Chip Validation”. Her second award was a paper on advanced brain tumour analysis using artificial intelligence.
National honours
In November, HRPB successfully performed Perak’s first deep brain stimulation procedure on a Parkinson’s patient, marking historic advancement in the state’s neurosurgical capabilities.
The groundbreaking operation, carried out using a highly complex stereotactic neurosurgical technique, represents a major step forward for neurosurgery services in the northern region.
Rasila receiving her Orang Asli Icon Award.
In July, Malaysia’s first Orang Asli principal Rasila Yas, 54, was honoured with the Orang Asli Icon Award in recognition of her achievements and contributions.
The SMK Menglembu principal, a member of the Tenuan tribe, is the first from the Orang Asli community to receive the award, which she received during Perak Orang Asli Community Symposium 2025 in Ipoh.
At SK Matang Gelugor, the oldest school in Perak, a “Galeri Persona Mutiara” was launched to mark the establishment’s 200-year anniversary in 2026.
The school was established by two iconic figures: Che Long Jaafar Long Abdul Latif who discovered tin ore in Larut, and Ngah Ibrahim, a headman who once governed Larut.
Classes have since shifted to a new building while the original structure is now a nursery.
Gearing up for the future
In November, a RM1.61bil budget for Perak in 2026 was approved with RM1.045bil allocated for management expenditure and RM568mil for development.
Perak recorded investments worth RM6.25bil involving 203 projects as of June this year, potentially generating over 5,000 job opportunities.
Earlier in August, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Transport Minister Anthony Loke launched the RM6.26bil Ipoh Sentral project.
The project, announced in January, integrates public transport with mixed-use developments – residential, commercial and recreational – on a 27.1ha site near the historic Ipoh Railway Station.
Tanjong Malim is also seeing electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD Company Ltd setting up its first automotive assembly plant in Malaysia.
The plant at KLK TechPark, near Automotive High Tech Valley (AHTV), is expected to be built from June to December 2026.
In September, Anwar officially launched Proton’s first EV assembly plant within AHTV.
The plant is capable of building 45,000 units per annum, based on sales demand in Malaysia and overseas markets.
In Ipoh, the ageing Tun Abdul Razak Bridge in Buntong is being replaced at a cost of about RM1.75mil. It is expected to be completed by Jan 6, 2026.
