P.Ramlee's grave restoration effort delayed

A total of 135 graves in Jalan Ampang Muslim Cemetery which were badly damaged by fallen trees, have not been rectified.

Among the badly affected graves includes entertainment icon Tan Sri P. Ramlee, his wife Puan Sri Saloma and famous comedian actor A.R Tompel.

A visit to the site showed that dozens of graves have sunken into the ground while the fallen trees have not been removed as they were too heavy and big.

According to the cemetery supervisor, Naim Mohamad Ishak, a total of eight large trees fell due to heavy rain recently.

“We had a similar incident back in 2004, which involved only four trees but this is worse than the previous one,” said Naim.

The recent incident is said to be a little unusual according to Mohammad Zulkiffli who was on duty on that day.

"Before the trees fell, we had a hailstorm, which was witnessed by three other officers, "said Zulkiffli.

Meanwhile Malaysian Artistes Association (Seniman) Zed Zaidi , who visited the graves with committee members were disappointed as the iconic P.Ramlee’s grave was still not restored and neglected.

“I feel very sad that such a revered artist did not receive prompt action in getting his final resting place rectified,” said Zed Zaidi, adding that repair works should be done immediately.

“As a sign of respect and admiration, the committee will launch a fundraising campaign to repair the affected graves,” he said.

He added that the first artist to approach the fundraising campaign was Jamal Abdillah, who hoped more artists will come forward to make some contribution.