The best of Laksa Kedah

           Laksa was originally a local Malay delicacy, which later modified by the Chinese ethnic. It is basically a sour and hot soup noodle. The soup base is a fish broth with the addition of the fresh from Assam fruits, spices, groud chili, ginger and onions. The noodles used in Laksa are spaghetti-like rice noodles.

         The Laksa is presented by pouring the steaming hot soup onto a bowl full of spagehetti-like rice noodles, shredded fish meat, sliced pineapplesm cucumbers, onions, chopped lettuce, chopped chili, wild ginger buds and mint leaves.  With a spoon full of black shrimp paste, this delicacy smells and taste deliciously, and is well liked by the locals.

        There the others that have been cooked in Kedah but this is the best food have made in peninsular Malaysia and of course it is in Alor Star. Majority of malaysian that caome to Kedah,will eat this special food.

The Popular Place in Alor Star

    

Alor Setar

The best place to start exploring Kedah's cultural heritage is in its capital of Alor Setar, with its many handsome old buildings like the Balai Besar, Balai Seni Negeri, Masjid Zahir, Courthouse and General Post Office, all of which define the atmosphere of colonial rule

Balai Nobat

This imposing 18 meter-tall building sits patiently in Alor Setar. It houses the royal musical instrument set known as the Nobat, which is played by the Royal Orchestra only during royal ceremonies including inaugurations, royal births, weddings, and funerals. It is believed to have Hindu origins dating back centuries ago.

Bujang Valley

Bujang Valley is located near the town of Sungai Petani and was the scene of a once thriving Hindu-Buddhist civilization dating to the 5th Century. Over 50 archaeological sites have been discovered here containing the ruins of Hindu and Buddhist temples. The Lembah Bujang Archaeological Museum was built here to display some of the findings, including pottery shards, ceramics and stone carvings. Indian tridents and gemstones from the Middle East are also displayed.

Birth House of Dr Mahathir Mohamad

This humble house made of attap wood was the birthplace of Malaysia’s fourth and arguably, most outspoken Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir. Memorabilia relating to the life and times of Dr. Mahathir Mohamad are displayed in the interior and the exterior of the house which will, hopefully, give you a deep insight into his persona.

The places above have been visited by tourists for years ago and there are very interesting. There are the sense about historic, nostalgic and the sign of art. 

The current happening in Kedah "Kedah maju 2010"

      Pelan Kedah Maju 2010, a development plan aimed at making Kedah a developed state in six years from now, has been a motivating factor in attracting foreign investors to invest in the state, says a state government today.

      Some Taiwanese investors who had come to Kedah on the quiet to evaluate the development plan had found it to be suitable for them to invest in the state, said Datuk Chong Itt Chew, chairman of the Kedah state executive committee on industry, science, technology, trade and consumer affairs.

        The Kedah Maju 2010 Action Plan which covers the period from 2001 - 2010 has been outlined to help fully realize the vision of the Kedah Darul Aman State i.e. to achieve a developed state status by the year 2010. This Plan will determine thedevelopment direction of Kedah Darul Aman in the next decade. The Plan comprises strategies, programmes and projects that have been outlined to further accelerate the development of Kedah Darul Aman, as well as strategies to handle new challenges towards the achievement of developed status by the year 2010.
          
          The Gross per capita Kedah Darul Aman State Output Performance which is still lower than the national average, requires high and rapid economic growth in order to match the level of development of other developed states. To ensure the achievement of this objective, the GDP growth of Kedah Darul Aman needs to exceed the national average rate. A well planned and effective development plan as well as total commitment from the state government, private sector and the populace of Kedah Darul Aman, will facilitate the launch of the development process and enable the achievement of the set target.

        In the globalisation era and with the advent of the new economy, amongst new challenges that must be faced by the state currently and in future are digital economic development, globalisation and the challenge to develop a knowledge-based economy. The rapid development of the digital economy in the past decade largely contributed towards the economic performance of developed nations. This new economy that exploits sources of knowledge, information, new technologies and innovations has changed the way in which businesses are conducted. 


      New methodologies that are based on technology and information, are able to reduce production costs, enhance operations, increase efficiency and
worker productivity.Based on the national goals, this Plan provides a platform for the Kedah Darul Aman State Government to face the challenges of globalisation and the new economy. It also provides a platform for the Kedah Darul Aman State Government to achieve higher economic growth with the ultimate aim of stablishing Kedah Darul Aman as a developed state by the year 2010.

ALOR STAR, THE PLACE OF TUN DR. MAHATHIR

Alor Setar, known as Alor Star between 2004 and 2008, is the state capital of Kedah, Malaysia, and Kota Setar District's Administrative Centre. It is also a distribution center for manufacturing and agricultural products such as paddy, and the royal seat of the Kedah state since the establishment of this city. The city, which has an urban population of approximately more than 300,000, is one of the region’s oldest cities.

It is located 93 kilometers north of Butterworth, Penang and 45 km south of the Thai-Malaysia border, with the latitudeof 6°7' 0N and longitude of 100°22' 0E. Its time zone is UTC+8. As a transportation hub in the northern region ofPeninsular Malaysia, many places can be easily reached from Alor Setar, such as Phuket, Kota Bahru, Langkawi and etc., either by air, rail, road or sea.

It is also the birth place of a few famous personalities in Malaysia, including two former Prime Ministers, YTM Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia's first Prime Minister, and Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad, Malaysia's fourth Prime Minister. Alor Setar was granted city status on 21 December 2003.

WAWASAN 2020

          Wawasan 2020 or Vision 2020 is a Malaysian ideal introduced by the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Mahathir bin Mohamad during the tabling of the Sixth Malaysia Plan in 1991. The vision calls for the nation to achieve a self-sufficient industrial, Malaysian-centric economy by 2020. In order to achieve that vision, Mahathir said that the nation required an annual growth 7% (in real terms) over the thirty-year period, so that the economy would be eightfold stronger than its 1990 GDP of RM115 billion. This would translate to a GDP of RM920 billion (in 1990 Ringgit terms) in 2020.
        
     Challenge 1: Establishing a united Malaysian nation made up of one Bangsa Malaysia (Malaysian Race).
     Challenge 2: Creating a psychologically liberated, secure and developed Malaysian society.
     Challenge 3: Fostering and developing a mature democratic society.
     Challenge 4: Establishing a fully moral and ethical society.
     Challenge 5: Establishing a matured liberal and tolerant society.
     Challenge 6: Establishing a scientific and progressive society.
     Challenge 7: Establishing a fully caring society.
     Challenge 8: Ensuring an economically just society, in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the 
                        wealth of the nation.
     Challenge 9: Establishing a prosperous society with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust 
                        and resilient.


    By the year 2020, Malaysia can be a united nation, with a confident Malaysian society, infused by strong moral and ethical values, living in a society that is democratic, liberal and tolerant, caring, economically just and equitable, progressive and prosperous, and in full possession of an economy that is competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.
    There can be no fully developed Malaysia until we have finally overcome the nine central strategic challenges that have confronted us from the moment of our birth as an independent nation.The first of these is the challenges of establishing a united Malaysian nation with a sense of common and shared destiny. This must be a nation at peace with itself, territorially and ethnically integrated, living in harmony and full and fair partnership, made up of one 'Bangsa Malaysia' with political loyalty and dedication to the nation.
    The second is the challenge of creating a psychologically liberated, secure, and developed Malaysian Society with faith and confidence in itself, justifiably proud of what it is, of what it has accomplished, robust enough to face all manner of adversity. This Malaysian Society must be distinguished by the pursuit of excellence, fully aware of all its potentials, psychologically subservient to none, and respected by the peoples of other nations.
    The third challenge we have always faced is that of fostering and developing a mature democratic society, practising a form of mature consensual, community-oriented Malaysian democracy that can be a model for many developing countries.The fourth is the challenge of establishing a fully moral and ethical society, whose citizens are strong in religious and spiritual values and imbued with the highest of ethical standards.
    The fifth challenge that we have always faced is the challenge of establishing a matured,liberal and tolerant society in which Malaysians of all colours and creeds are free to practise and profess their customs,cultures and religious beliefs and yet feeling that they belong to one nation.The sixth is the challenge of establishing a scientific and progressive society, a society that is innovative and forward-looking, one that is not only a consumer of technology but also a contributor to the scientific and technological civilisation of the future.
    The seventh challenge is the challenge of establishing a fully caring society and a caring culture, a social system in which society will come before self, in which the welfare of the people will revolve not around the state or the individual but around a strong and resilient family system.The eighth is the challenge of ensuring an economically just society. This is a society in which there is a fair and equitable distribution of the wealth of the nation, in which there is full partnership in economic progress. Such a society cannot be in place so long as there is the identification of race with economic function, and the identification of economic backwardness with race.The ninth challenge is the challenge of establishing a prosperous society, with an economy that is fully competitive, dynamic, robust and resilient.

The Background of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad

Tun Dr. Mahathir was born on 20 Disember 1925. The son of Mohamad bin Iskandar and Wan Tempawan binti Wan Hanafi. He was born at the address 18, Lorong Kilang Ais, near by Jalan Pegawai,Seberang Perak Alor Star, Kedah. He is the youngest brother among nine siblings. Tun Dr. Mahathir was starting his education in Sekolah Melayu Seberang Perak on 1930 for two years. Then he further his studies to secondary school in Government English School, Alor Star that known as Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid. He finish his studies there with the succeed result in Senior Cambridge.

            In 1947, he gained admission into the King Edward VII College of Medicine in Singapore.Upon graduation, he joined the Malaysian government service as a Medical Officer. He left in 1957 to set up his own practice in Alor Setar.

Dr. Mahathir is married to a doctor, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah bt Mohd Ali, and they have seven children Marina, Mirzan, Melinda, Mokhzani, Mukhriz, Maizura, and Mazhar. Tun Dr. Mahathir is very discipline person and has read many books. His moto is, learning is the process for the whole of life.

Dr. Mahathir has been active in politics since 1945. He has been a member of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) since its inception in 1946.He was first elected as a Member of Parliament following the General Elections in 1964. However, he lost his seat in the subsequent General Election in 1969.Owing to his keen interest in the country's education, he was appointed Chairman of the first Higher Education Council in 1968, Member of the Higher Education Advisory Council in 1972, Member of the University Court and University of Malaya Council, and Chairman of the National University Council in 1974.In 1973, Dr. Mahathir was appointed a Senator. He relinquished this post in order to contest in the 1974 General Elections where he was returned unopposed. Following the elections, Dr. Mahathir was appointed the Minister of Education.

In 1976, Dr. Mahathir was made Deputy Prime Minister in addition to his Education portfolio. In a Cabinet reshuffle two years later, he relinquished the Education portfolio for that of Trade and Industry. As Minister of Trade and Industry, he led several investment promotion missions overseas.

Dr. Mahathir was elected as one of the three Vice Presidents of UMNO in 1975. In 1978, he won the Deputy President seat and in 1981, he was appointed President of the party. He was returned unopposed as President in 1984.

In the 1987 party elections, Dr. Mahathir defeated his challenger to retain the Presidency and in 1990 and 1993, he was again returned unopposed as party President. Under his leadership, the ruling party Barisan Nasional (National Front) won landslide victories in the 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995 and 1999 General Elections.