KUALA LUMPUR: His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, today graced the completion of Phase 1 of the conservation of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (BSAS) along Jalan Raja here.
His Majesty arrived at about 10am and was welcomed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Also present were Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil, and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar.
The ceremony commenced with a performance by the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, followed by a doa selamat and the Prime Minister’s speech.
The historic ceremony marked the opening of Block 1 of the iconic BSAS Complex, following the completion of 11 months of conservation and preservation works carried out under the Warisan Khazanah Fund programme, an initiative of Warisan Kuala Lumpur (Warisan KL).
The building was originally known as the Secretariat Building and served as the administrative centre of the nation before being renamed the Sultan Abdul Samad Building in honour of the late Sultan Abdul Samad ibni Almarhum Raja Abdullah, the Sultan of Selangor during the era of its construction.
The BSAS has borne witness to many significant moments in the nation’s history, including the lowering of the Union Jack and the first hoisting of the Federation of Malaya flag in 1957 at the area now known as Dataran Merdeka.
The building also witnessed the proclamation of Kuala Lumpur as a city in 1972 and later as a Federal Territory in 1974, following the consent of the late Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah for the transfer of Kuala Lumpur from Selangor to the federal government.
The conservation of BSAS Block 1 marks the first completed phase of a comprehensive effort to preserve the complex, with conservation works maintaining its status as a Category 1 National Heritage Site while enhancing safety, accessibility, and the overall visitor experience.
Visitors are able to enjoy a range of facilities at BSAS, including exhibition spaces and interactive galleries, a one-stop visitor information centre, experiential retail and craft-making spaces, halls and rentable event venues, as well as food and beverage services.
BSAS Block 1 will be open to the public on Feb 2, exactly one year after conservation works began last year, with the galleries open daily from 9am to 6pm.
To commemorate the opening, admission to the Kuala Lumpur Gallery at Dataran Merdeka will be free for the first month. - Bernama
