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Ipoh City First Mayor(wef 27-05-1988)
From newspaper cuttings:
New Straits Times, 27-05-1988: The newspaper reports Ipoh Municipal Council’s deputy president for the past three years, Datuk Umar Haji Abu, 45, has been appointed the first mayor of Ipoh.
He was installed at the Town Hall by the Perak Sultan, Sultan Azlan Shah. The mayor was handed over the Appointment Letter, Instruments of Office, a gold-plated mace and chain-of-office bearing the city council’s badge.
The mayor made his acceptance speech and promised to do his best for the people of Ipoh. His pledge was witnessed by Ipoh High Court judge, Mr Justice Peh Swee Chin.
The Star, 28-05-1988: A congratulatory advertisement to the appointed Datuk Bandar by the Management Committee, members and staff of the Royal Perak Golf Club.
Ipoh’s first mayor, Datuk Bandar, Datuk Haji Umar Abu pledged his main priorities is to woo more foreign investors and provide better amenities for the people of Ipoh. He added if necessary, will build an international school to cater for the children of foreign investors. A new golf course is also in the plan. He would continue to maintain cleanliness of Ipoh City, having cars parked in proper places, and hawkers at approved sites. He also hoped to transform Ipoh to a city of bougainvilleas, encourage people to grow in their gardens. In his plan, to build overhead bridges at the junctions along Jalan Sultan Iskandar Shah(Hugh Low Street) and Jalan Sultan Idris Shah(Brewster Road) for the safety of pedestrians. A bridge would be built to link Jalan Gurdwara to Buntong. The City Council would also construct a $5 million road linking Jalan Pasir Puteh, Jalan Lahat and Jalan President Kennedy to Jalan Gopeng near the Ipoh Airport to ensure air travelers arrive at the airport in time for their flights. More flats will be built in the city centre. On the administration side, a new Public Relations Department would be created to handle complaints.