Located in the middle of the Malacca Strait, Klang is one of the oldest settlements in the Malay Peninsula. Based on the discovery of Stone Age artefacts such as stone pickaxes, stone knives, pottery and earthen vessels, wooden boats and beads, human settlements have existed in the Klang River-Langat River Valley since 4,500 years ago. The settlement is thriving with the discovery of metal artifacts such as drums and bronze bells and 2,500-year-old socketed iron tools.
The initial settlement on the coast of the Klang River was at the confluence of the Rasau River with the Klang River, around Bukit Jati, Bukit Kuda and Bukit Badak before the new settlement was opened in Pengkalan Batu around 800-900 years ago.
Klang was once a region under the rule of Sriwijaya, Majapahit, the Malacca Malay Sultanate, the Old Johor Kingdom and was one of the states that formed the original Negeri Sembilan, before being under the rule of the Selangor Sultanate from November 1766 until today.
Based on old Chinese records, the earliest record of Klang is in the 8th century AD when China's Tang Dynasty cartographer, Chia Tan, recorded the name Ko-Lo on his voyage map. The Chinese writing Tao-I Chih-lioh in the 14th century AD mentions Klang with Ku-Lei. Klang was also recorded on Admiral Zheng He's voyage map in 1415 under the name jí lìng gǎng (吉令港).
In 1365 AD, Klang was mentioned in the poem Negarakertagama by Prapanca as one of Majapahit's provinces. The Malay History or Sulalatus Salatin mentions Tun Perak as Penghulu in Klang at the beginning of the Malacca Malay Sultanate.
There are various opinions about the origin of the name Klang itself. Researchers from the West say the word Klang means warehouse or canal based on the Mon-Khmer language found in Indo-China. However, the absence of strong evidence of the influence or presence of the Mon-Khmer community in Klang makes this opinion difficult to accept, not to mention that the Mon-Khmer community itself does not use bronze drums.
Klang's own local source that is rarely talked about or researched, which is the oral story known as tambo, tells the story of the origin of the name Klang. Among the Orang Asli community, Klang gets its name from the word 'gelang' where a string of bracelets that drifted upstream has been rediscovered at the mouth of the Klang River. Among the Minangkabau people who started migrating to Klang since the 13th century, Klang is called 'Pai Kolang', which means a place that is always remembered. Even today there are some place names in Klang just like in West Sumatra (Alam Minangkabau).
Another story from Tambo tells that Klang got its name from the sound of bells, gentas or bronze drums that were always heard from the top of the hill early in the morning and late in the evening by ships sailing across the Kuala Sungai Klang in the past. This story coincides with the discovery of bronze bells and drums in Klang and is believed to be the origin of the name Klang.
Traditional government is the oldest government institution in Klang. Starting with the institution of kingship under Sriwijaya and Majapahit, it continued to develop into the institution of Penghulu during the Malacca Malay Sultanate. During the time of the Old Johor Kingdom, Dato' Engku Klang was sent as the Klang Governor, the representative of the Sultan of Johor Lama who ruled the Klang Land area while the Pagar Ruyung Alam Minangkabau Government also sent his representative in Klang, the Dato' Kuning Treasurer of the Five Rich People of Klang, the Governor in the section Klang Pantai.
The two of them together with Dato' Seri Agar Diraja Kuala Selangor are known as Andika Sedia Diraja because they have full power like the King over their holdings. The title of Andika Sedia Diriya later changed to Dato' Besar of the Four Tribes of Klang in the 18th century which consisted of Dato' Kaya Klang, Dato' Jeram, Dato' Penggawa and Dato' Aru and was led by Dato' Engku Klang. After the formation of the Selangor Sultanate, the four Dato' Besar Empat Suku together with Dato' Engku Klang retained their positions as original rulers and State Heirs.
Klang's natural heritage, which is tin, has also colored the history of Klang when it was a commodity that was seized by several empires and various nations from all over the world. The wealth from tin ore from the hinterland of the Klang River was one of the causes of the outbreak of the Klang War between 1866 and 1874. This civil war involved Selangor Bugis relatives with Selangor officials and Riau Bugis with the people of Kedah, Pahang and their respective supporters including the Minangkabau, Swamp, Batu Bahara, Mandailing and China. As a result of this war, the British came to administer the state of Selangor by placing a Resident in Klang in 1875.
The city of Klang has been the administrative center since the Sriwijaya era until when the Selangor Sultanate was formed, the center of government was moved to Kuala Selangor in 1766, Jugra in 1859 and returned to Klang in 1875 until 1880 when the capital of Selangor moved to Kuala Lumpur.
The rapid economic development in Klang and Kuala Lumpur has seen the development of the tin mining industry, agriculture, education, health, communication and transportation systems in the late 19th century. The construction of a new port, Port Swettenham in Kuala Klang in 1901 will boost trade activities not only in Klang but the entire state of Selangor. In fact an airport was built in Kuala Klang and in Kelanang in 1934 for the use of the British air force at that time.
Klang's Royal City status has further strengthened the existing heritage elements. The Sultan of Selangor began residing in Klang in 1903 when the Istana Mahkota Puri was completed on 30 December 1902. The palace, which was first built on 5 March 1900, was a gift from the British in conjunction with the coronation of Sultan Ala'eddin Suleiman Shah. The name Istana Mahkota Puri was made famous on 6 November 1903. The inauguration of Masjid Suleiman Jamiur Rahmah (Royal Mosque of Sultan Suleiman) on Friday, 23 June 1933 symbolically marked Klang as a Royal City. Since then the city of Klang has been synonymous with the title of the Royal City.
In 1889 the Resident of Selanor, W.E.Maxwell, proposed the creation of local governing agencies to implement and maintain municipal duties at the local level. Accordingly, in order to smooth the administration of the city of Klang, the Selangor Government established the Klang Sanitary Board (Klang Sanitation Board) on 1 August 1890 alongside the Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board (14 May 1890) and the Kuala Kubu Sanitary Board (29 December 1890). Among the Klang Malay community at that time, they called this institution 'Santaribut'.
The Klang Sanitation Board is placed under the administration of the Selangor Resident and its members, whether official or unofficial, are appointed by the Resident while the Klang District Officer is automatically appointed as the Chairman of the Board.
In 1903 saw the opening of Port Swettenham and to administer the Kuala Klang area, the Port Swettenham Sanitary Board was formed in 1904.
The administrative area of the Klang Sanitary Board was set in 1903 together with the administrative area of Port Swettenham in 1904 under The Sanitary Boards Enactment 1902.
In 1904 also a new Sanitation Board enactment was passed to increase its powers and update the appointment of members. In 1907 Sanitary Board Enactment, FMS Cap. 137 approved by the Resident General and this enactment has strengthened the involvement of the central government of the Federated Malay States in local government affairs.
In order to draw up a plan for the physical development of the town, the government of the Federated Malay States approved the Town Planning Enactment in 1923 followed by the Town Planning Rules in 1924 to outline the rules for town planning. Through this enactment, a Town Planning Committee was established and this has streamlined the development of the city of Klang.
The Klang Sanitation Board has gone through various upgrades in line with its excellent success in managing and administering the city of Klang. The year 1926 is an important year in the history of the local government of the Klang district because in that year both the Klang Health Board and Port Swettenham were merged and placed under the Klang Health Board until 1945. This merger was done not only because of the close location and the need to develop both areas together but also to strengthen the Board's financial position and coordinate administration.
After the Second World War, the British Military Administration (BMA) issued a proclamation that provided for all local authorities to be introduced as Town Councils. So in December 1945 the Klang Town Board was established, despite the fact that it was performing the duties of the Sanitation Board.
The Klang Rest House located in the former mansion of Dato' Bentara Kiri Amar Diraja has been used as the Klang Town Board Office since 1949.
During the administration of the Malayan Union in 1946, local government affairs became the jurisdiction of the central government and were only returned to the state government when the Federation of Malaya was established on 1 February 1948.
Under the provisions of the Town Board Enactment, the official and unofficial members of the Town Board are appointed by the Sultan of Selangor in meetings and His Majesty has absolute authority in determining the Town Board area. The Klang Town Board is chaired by the Klang District Officer and consists of official and non-official members appointed by the Sultan of Selangor. However, the Klang City Council does not have financial autonomy and this administrative system has been in effect for nine years.
The enforcement of the Local Government Ordinance 1952 has brought quite significant changes in local government affairs in this country. This ordinance allows the people to be directly involved in governing the local government through the election system, in line with the efforts to implement the Parliamentary Democracy system in this country ahead of independence.
The Local Government Elections Ordinance 1950 allows the Klang Town Council to be upgraded to the Klang Town Council when all or part of its members are elected through elections. In accordance with this provision, the Klang Town Council was established on 3 December 1954 and administers in two areas namely Klang and Port Swettenham. This new status gives a new meaning to the participation of Klang citizens in the formulation of policies of their local authorities.
Under the Constitution of the Klang Town Council 1954, the Klang Town Council is an independent body and is given autonomous powers in financial matters. Its membership consists of four government officials as ex-officio members, namely the Klang District Officer as Chairman, the Chief Assistant District Officer as Deputy Chairman, the Klang and Kuala Langat District Engineers and the Klang Health Director. Klang Town Council is given the power to hold elections to elect Council Members who are called Town Counsellors.
Nine Councilors are elected by the people of Klang in the election and four are appointed who are local figures. The nine elected members represent three election areas (electoral wards) namely Klang Utara, Klang Selatan and Port Swettenham and each area has three representatives. The First Council Election was held on 4 December 1954 and all seats were won by the Alliance Party and three of the party's candidates won unopposed on nomination day.
The administrative area of Klang Town Council was 10.6 square miles (27.45 square km) with a population of 71,000 people at that time. The estimated value of taxable property is $3,000,000 and the estimated revenue of the government is $4,778,000 and its expenses are in the range of $564,400.00.
The Local Council Ordinance 1952 also established another local authority, the Local Council. Local councils were established in rural areas, especially in new village areas that were established to resettle squatters from the edge of the forest in the government's efforts to break the communist terrorist rebellion. These local councils consist of elected members and are financially autonomous although expenses must be approved by the relevant District Officer. For the Klang district, two Local Councils have been established, namely the Kapar Local Council and the Meru Local Council.
In 1960 the Local Government Elections Act was implemented and the act aims to ensure that elections are held simultaneously at the national level every three years and electoral areas based on electoral wards are eliminated. The retirement of Councilors had to be postponed several times to facilitate the smooth running of the election process. Following this development, the Klang Town Council Constitution was replaced by the Klang Town Council Order 1961 as a new constitution. In the 1963 Klang Town Council election, a total of 12 seats were contested where the Alliance Party won seven seats and the other five seats were won by the opposing party.
Around July 1960 when the construction of Istana Alam Shah was almost completed, Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah had consented to the Selangor Office of Islamic Religion and Malay Customs to be located at Istana Bukit Kota which is located in Kota Raja Mahadi, Klang.
According to the plan, the three religious offices including the sharia court located separately on Jalan Tepi Sungai and Jalan Kampung Jawa will be housed under one roof at Istana Bukit Kota while the Klang District Kadi Office will remain separate. In the beginning the Selangor Government had given a plot of land but no allocation was given causing Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah to grant Istana Bukit Kota.
But a year later there was a change after the death of Sultan Hisammuddin Alam Shah. It stems from the meeting and consultation of M.R. Read, Klang District Officer together with the Town Council Members at the time, with Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz. They requested that Istana Bukit Kota be used as the Town Council Office and not the Office of Islamic Religion and Malay Customs and it was also suggested that the Office of Islamic Religion take the old Council building on Jalan Sultan (now Jalan Hamzah) in exchange.
In preparation for getting a new building in Bukit Kota (Kota Raja Mahadi), the Kelang Town Council planned to hold an official coat of arms in early 1961.
A request was sent to a firm in London for a quote on the cost of designing a coat of arms. The firm also designed the coat of arms for the Kuala Lumpur City Council (Kuala Lumpur City Hall today).
In August 1961, the Kelang Town Council officially appointed Messrs. Chester Herald of Herald, England, to design the Council's coat of arms. A payment of $1,000.00 was approved in October 1961 for the design of the official coat of arms and seal of the Klang Town Council.
After the design of the coat of arms was completed, this coat of arms was registered by the Lancaster Herald and Registrar at the famous insignia registration center which is the College of Arms (Heralds' College), London.
The construction of the Kelang Town Council headquarters building began at the end of 1963 after Istana Bukit Kota was demolished due to its poor structure. According to the original plan, this $700,000.00 urban complex will be equipped with an air-conditioned meeting hall, a town hall, clock tower, swimming pool, badminton and basketball courts. However, the construction of the swimming pool and sports court was canceled due to lack of space and the cost of construction was increasing.
The Klang town council building was designed by Mr. Kho Tje Jam from T.J. Kho Chartered Architects and construction engineers are Rankine & Hill while the construction work is done by Kenneison Bros. Contractors. Ltd. The electricians are Pang & Liu and Crisp, Kavanagh and Partners act as Material Surveyors.
The main office building of the Klang Town Council has a 28ft x 22ft multicolored mosaic glass mural as the main facade which is the backdrop to the new Klang Town Council coat of arms. This building with the motif of Malayan elements has been named the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Building.
The laying of the building's foundation stone took place on January 6, 1964 and was completed by Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah. The Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Building was completed in July 1964 at a cost of $1 million and was inaugurated on November 1, 1964.
On September 3, 1964, the Selangor Government passed a resolution to grant fully-elected status to the Kelang Town Council by 1966. The Kelang Town Council, which at that time was the only town council in Selangor with a population close to 100,000 people, will achieve municipal status in the near future.
However, due to the landing of Indonesian soldiers in Pontian and Labis in the state of Johor on 2 September 1964 during the Malaysia-Indonesia Confrontation, the Federal Government declared a State of Emergency and postponed the local government elections as a whole on 28 May 1965 and the existing Council Members were allowed to carry out their duties until the government is notified.
Following the take back of several local governments by their respective State Governments, the Federal Government has established a Royal Commission to examine the duties and implementation of Local Government laws in each state in Peninsular Malaysia.
Although the election at the local government level was postponed, in 1972 the administrative area of the Klang Town Council was expanded to 21 square miles (54.4 square km) covering the North Klang Strait and the industrial and housing areas around the city of Klang and Port Klang.
The combination of the Klang Town Council with the Kapar Local Council and the Meru Local Council led to the formation of the Klang District Council in 1971. This combination aimed to provide better services to the local people in the areas of the Kapar and Meru Local Councils.
Previously, related services could not be carried out perfectly by the local councils because of the lack of revenue and qualified staff to administer the councils. This combination is also in line with the government's policy to reorganize local rulers.
Pada 1 Ogos 1990, Majlis Perbandaran Klang telah menyambut ulang tahunnya yang ke-100 dengan temanya Klang Terus Membangun. Sambutan Perayaan 100 Tahun Pentadbiran Klang telah dianjurkan secara bersama oleh Majlis Perbandaran Klang dan Pejabat Daerah Klang.
Bersempena dengan sambutan ini, Bahagian Perhubungan Awam Jabatan Pentadbiran Majlis Perbandaran Klang dengan kerjasama jabatan-jabatan dalaman lain telah menganjurkan pelbagai acara kebudayaan, sukan dan pendidikan bagi mengeratkan hubungan muhibah di kalangan warga Klang dan juga dengan kakitangan Majlis Perbandaran Klang.
Acara sambutan dimulakan dengan Majlis Pelancaran Perayaan 100 Tahun Pentadbiran Klang yang telah diadakan di Padang Sultan Suleiman (Stadium Kota Raja) pada hari Sabtu, 3 Mac 1990. Tarikh ini juga adalah bersempena dengan sambutan Hari Ulang Tahun Keputeraan Sultan Selangor, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj ibni Almarhum Sultan Hisamuddin Alam Shah dan juga sempena genap 30 tahun baginda bersemayam di atas takhta Kerajaan Negeri Selangor. Majlis pelancaran ini telah diserikan dengan acara pertunjukan tatu, persembahan bunga api dan perarakan kereta berhias.
Pesta Sukan Laut telah diadakan pada hari Ahad, 4 Mac 1990 dan diikuti dengan Majlis Kesyukuran pada hari Isnin, 5 Mac 1990. Pada hari Sabtu, 2 Jun 1990 telah diadakan Pertandingan Memancing Daerah Klang yang diadakan di Pantai Esplanade (Tanjung Harapan), Bandar Sultan Suleiman.
The 100 Years of Klang Administration Seminar jointly organized by the Klang Municipal Council, the Klang District Office and the Department of History of the National University of Malaysia was held on Saturday, 18 August 1990 at the Raja Mahadi Meeting Room. At the same time, the Klang 100 Year Exhibition was also held at Dewan Hamzah. As a result of this seminar, a book entitled Klang 1890 - 1990: History and Administration was published by the Klang Municipal Council and the Klang District Office.
On Sunday, August 19, 1990, the International Kart Prix Competition was held at the Pandamaran Sports Complex. The Klang 100 Year Concert was held on Saturday, 25 August 1990 and the Treasure Hunt Competition was held the following day on Sunday, 26 August 1990.
Bandar Sultan Suleiman Port of Klang was inaugurated on Wednesday, 5 September 1990 and followed up with a Blood Donation Campaign on Thursday, 6 September 1990. The Dinner Ceremony held on Saturday, 8 September 1990 concluded the celebration of the 100 Years of Klang Administration.
All the organized events also aim to introduce Klang as a historic Royal City famous for its seafood to domestic and foreign tourists and visitors in order to make the 1990 Year of Visiting Malaysia program a success.
A special logo has been designed as a symbol of Klang Municipal Council's 100th anniversary celebration. This logo highlights the concept of change and development of Klang from the past until 1990 while the sketch of the building symbolizes the existence of various historical monuments in the city of Klang. The number 100 with computer characters in the logo means the use of new ideas and advanced technology practiced by the Klang Municipal Council in facing the new millennium and its efforts to provide excellent services.
In 1990 saw the Klang Municipal Council broadcast on the radio for the first time in collaboration with Radio Television Malaysia (RTM) in an effort to provide the best service to the people. The program MPK and Anda which is broadcast once every two weeks through Radio Tiga Shah Alam (Selangorfm) on Thursdays at 8.30 am aims to get feedback, problems and complaints from the people of Klang directly and every complaint or feedback will be channeled to the relevant departments for action and follow-up.
Kampung Meru, which is located about eight kilometers from Klang, celebrated its 100th anniversary in a big way on 9 August 2003. This village, which was initially an agricultural and bush area, has developed into a residential, industrial and urban area.
From 3 March 2005, the administrative area of the Klang Municipal Council has covered almost the entire Klang district. The expansion of this area has made the Majlis area of 185 square km increase its area to 574 square km as we see it today.
In 2006 the Klang Municipal Council began efforts to upgrade its status to the Klang Royal City Council (MBDK). Several efforts have been initiated through collaboration with the Office of His Majesty the Sultan of Selangor, the Selangor State Government, the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) Malaysia, public and private higher education institutes and non-governmental organizations including the Malaysian History Society. .
The Klang Municipal Council is the first local authority to appoint a Curator who is responsible for the affairs of history, heritage and Royal institutions on 1 January 2021.
On 1 April 2021, the Klang Municipal Council signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the National Archives of Malaysia, the first collaboration between the National Archives of Malaysia and a local authority in Malaysia.
In 2023, at the age of 133, MPK has met all the criteria to achieve the status of a city with excellent services, the best infrastructure and public utility facilities and the ability to form a unique, sustainable and historic city brand and image.
On 26 July 2023 the Minister of Local Government Development has announced that the Federal Government through the Cabinet Meeting has agreed and approved the proposal to upgrade the Klang Municipal Council to the Klang City Council (MBK). This upgrade will empower Klang as a globally competitive city and port and will be a factor in local economic growth and the improvement of the people's quality of life as well as the country's competitiveness.
The approval of this upgrade has been brought to the Council of Rulers and has been agreed by His Majesty the Yang di-Pertuan Agong through the Letter of Award of City Status to the Klang Municipal Council dated 9 November 2023 and the status of Klang City will come into effect from 23 November 2023. will immediately make Klang the first Royal Malay City in the world in addition to being the fourth city in Selangor and the twentieth in Malaysia.
Majesty Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj has been pleased to declare and decree that the Klang Municipal Council, starting on 23 November 2023 will become a Royal City forever and shall be referred to as the Klang Royal City Council (MBDK) on February 5, 2024 equivalent to 24 Rajab 1445 Hijrah.
