Iconic MGS tree in Ipoh saved after lawmaker’s intervention

KUALA LUMPUR (July 8): It is a tree that is part of the daily school lives of many generations of students of Ipoh's famous  Methodist Girls’ School (MGS) and it was about to meet its end by the blade of a tree cutter.

It was however "rescued" by a lawmaker. According to a report by the Malay Mail, plans to chop down the school’s iconic rain tree have been stopped with the intervention of Ipoh Timur MP Wong Kah Woh.  

“Three days ago, the MGS Old Girls met me and requested my help. On Friday, we met several (Ipoh) City Council officials, including the heads from landscaping, planning, engineering and architect.

“Under Section 35H of the Town and Country Planning Act, no person is allowed to fell a tree with a girth exceeding 0.8m without the written permission of the local planning authority. This tree falls under this category,” Wong told the Malay Mail.

Wong also told the daily that the City Council had pasted a notice on the tree as an immediate step to conserve it.

The Malay Mail reported on Monday (July 2) that former students of the 120-year-old Ipoh MGS were protesting the felling of a raintree on the school’s grounds.

It even sparked a petition on change.org which collected thousands of signatures.