Jump to content

Putrajaya

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by PulledTea (talk | contribs) at 03:06, 5 November 2009 (→Criticisms: Updated reference link -- Yahoo link now 404'd). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Putrajaya
Flag of Putrajaya
Flag
Official seal of Putrajaya
Seal
Motto(s): 
Bandar raya Taman, Bandar raya Bestari
(Template:Lang-en)
Location in Malaysia
Location in Malaysia
CountryMalaysia
StateWilayah Persekutuan
Establishment1995, October 19th
Made into
Federal
Territory		2001, February 1st
Government
 • Administered byPerbadanan Putrajaya
Putrajaya Corporation
 • ChairmanSamsudin Osman
Area
 • Total46 km2 (18 sq mi)
Population
 (2007 est.)
 • Total50,000
 • Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (MST)
 • Summer (DST)Not observed
Mean solar timeUTC+06:46:40
Websitehttp://www.ppj.gov.my/

Putrajaya is a planned city, located south of Kuala Lumpur, that serves as the federal administrative centre of Malaysia. The seat of government was shifted in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur due to the overcrowding and congestion there. Nevertheless, Kuala Lumpur remains as Malaysia's national capital and also as the commercial and financial centre. Putrajaya was the brainchild of a former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad who was in power then. In 2001, Putrajaya was made a Federal Territory, increasing the number of federal territories to three. Kuala Lumpur and Labuan are the other two.

Named after the first Malaysian Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra the city is situated within the Multimedia Super Corridor, beside the also newly developed Cyberjaya. The development started in 1995 and today major landmarks are completed and the population is expected to grow in the relatively new city.

History and design

Putrajaya precincts

The vision to have a new Federal Government Administrative Centre to replace Kuala Lumpur as the administrative capital emerged in the late 1980s, during the tenure of Malaysia's 4th Prime Minister, Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad. The new city was proposed to be located between Kuala Lumpur and the new KL International Airport (KLIA).

The Federal government negotiated with the state of Selangor on the prospect of another Federal Territory and in the mid-1990s, the Federal government paid a substantial amount of money to Selangor for approximately 11 320 acres (46 km²) of land in Prang Besar, Selangor. As a result of this land purchase, the state of Selangor now completely surrounds two Federal Territories within its borders, namely Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.

Planned as the garden and intelligent city, 38% of the area is reserved for green areas by emphasizing the enhancement of natural landscape. A network of open spaces and wide boulevards were incorporated to the plan. Construction began in August 1995 and it was Malaysia's biggest project and one of Southeast Asia's largest with estimated final cost of US$ 8.1 billion. The entire project was designed and constructed by Malaysian companies with only 10% of the materials imported.

The Asian Financial Crisis of 1997/1998 had somewhat slowed the development of Putrajaya. In 1999, 300 staffs of the Prime Minister's office were shifted to Putrajaya and the remaining government servants moved in 2005. On February 1, 2001 Tun Dr. Mahathir declared Putrajaya as a Federal Territory with the ceremony of handing over Putrajaya township from the Selangor state authorities.

In 2002, a high speed rail link called KLIA Transit was opened, linking Putrajaya to both Kuala Lumpur and KL International Airport in Sepang. However, construction of the Putrajaya Monorail which was intended to be the city's metro system, was suspended due to costs. One of the monorail suspension bridges in Putrajaya remains unused.

In 2007, the population of Putrajaya was estimated to be over 30,000, which comprised mainly government servants.

Criticism

The parliament had recently revealed the high maintenance cost of Putrajaya due to the extensive landscaping and lighting which is a big burden to the taxpayers.

Criticisms

The total cost of building the capital - shared between the government and the developer - has never been released but at least 20 billion ringgit (5.9 billion dollars) has come from public coffers. "There are much better things to do for the money," said veteran opposition figure Lim Kit Siang who dismisses the project as a symptom of Mahathir-era "megalomania".

Critics of Putrajaya say it was a massive waste of money and that its architecture is grandiose and culturally inappropriate. The overwhelmingly Islamic-style buildings are out of place in a country which is dominated by Muslim Malays, but also home to large ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities, says architectural academic Mohamad Tajuddin. He criticises the magnificent lakeside mosque as being designed more for tourists than the faithful, and says the prime minister's office, a giant edifice topped with a green "onion dome," is downright arrogant. Tajuddin argues Putrajaya should have been designed in sympathy with Malaysia's harsh sun and tropical storms, with shaded path and breezy verandas instead of baking hot avenues and expanses of paved plazas.

In 2007, there were a spate of problems at the grand Putrajaya government ministries, including collapsing ceilings and a burst water pipe that inundated the immigration department, which raised a lot of questions on the construction and maintenance of the buildings.

Putrajaya's 60,000 residents are generally full of praise for their purpose-built town, with its clean air, wide boulevards and lush parks. These are mainly public servants who have been won over by subsidised housing, and facilities like shopping centres and cinemas that have gradually sprung up.

Most government ministries have relocated there, despites the grumbles of employees, the private business has been slow to follow despite government incentives and encouragement. Not enough has been done to attract the private sector, or the foreign missions that were supposed to occupy the diplomatic enclave that has already been established with access roads, shops and landscaping.

The diplomatic enclave within Putrajaya is without diplomats, embassies or limousines - and one of the most visible failures of Putrajaya. There are vacant lots marked with the names of dozens of countries lie empty. Many countries have bought plots, but so far only the Iraqis have broken ground, and most diplomats have no intention of giving up their missions in central Kuala Lumpur, and their elegant colonial-era residences nearby. Inspite of that, this modern and thriving community still have its own attractions.[1]

Tourist attractions

Putra Mosque
Putrajaya city view

Here is the list of attractions in Putrajaya:

Panoramic image of Putrajaya, (from left to right) the Putra Bridge, the Ministry of Finance on the left, the Seri Wawasan Bridge, the Istana Darul Ehsan next to it

Education

Education in Putrajaya is provided by a few schools such as:

There is also an elite fully residential school in Putrajaya

Bridges

This is a list of bridges in Putrajaya.

Major highways in Putrajaya

See also

References

  1. ^ "Malaysia's unloved new capital begins to show the cracks". AFP. Google. 2008-09-15. Retrieved 2009-11-05.

Media related to Putrajaya at Wikimedia Commons

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Putrajaya&oldid=324018366"