George Town, Malacca now Unesco World Heritage sites

 Development issues, Malaysian history, People's Park/PGCC, Public transport  27 Responses »
Jul 082008
 
George Town, Malacca now Unesco World Heritage sites

Armenian Street in George Town, which has the largest collection of pre-war houses – over 12,000 in all – in South-East Asia. Photo credit: Wikipedia The Stadhuys Square in Malacca Photo credit: Wikipedia Rua das Flores (Flowers Street), the main street in Curitiba, Brazil, has been a pedestrian avenue since 1972. Penang Road and other streets of George Town could be turned into pedestrian malls, serviced by buses and trams. Photo credit: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=377289 The historical Straits Settlement cities of George Town and Malacca have just been classified as Unesco World Heritage sites. “The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia,” said the citation on the Unesco Heritage list website. This comes as a major boost to the lack-lustre economies of these two states. The new status is the result of a 11-year-long struggle. “It has been a touch and go [Read more]

1988 judicial crisis: Is an apology sufficient?

 Democracy, Judiciary, M'sian politics, Malaysian history  23 Responses »
Mar 262008
 

Former Lord President Salleh Abas has reacted positively to Zaid Ibrahim’s proposal that the government should apologise to him and the other top judges who were victimised and sacked in the 1988 judicial onslaught by the Mahathir administration. Of course, Karpal Singh has a point that when he says that it is not the present administration who should apologise but Mahathir himself. He said that the two tribunals that were convened in 1988 were initiated by Mahathir. While it is great that the government may acknowledge the terrible injustice that occurred in 1988, a mere apology without concrete measures won’t suffice. Those involved in the crisis must also be held accountable. I am thinking of the role played by people like Hamid Omar (who took over from Salleh Abas) and Haidar apart from Mahathir himself. Mahathir has a lot to answer for – and this time he should not be [Read more]

SXI: Brother Charles Levin’s legacy

 Christianity, Malaysian history  1 Response »
Sep 302007
 

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SXI: Brother Charles Levin's legacy

From the corridor, I spotted a tall solitary figure strolling in the school courtyard in the evening light. For one moment, it felt as if I had been transported back in time. The setting looked familiar – though there seemed to be a lot more potted plants and greenery around. “Brother Charles!” I called out. He spun around to see who had called. We walked towards each other and I asked him the question that principals and teachers dread: “Do you remember me?” Then I mentioned my name to spare him the embarrassment of replying in the negative. “Yes, I know you,” he assured me. “I have seen you a a couple of times over the years.” Coincidentally, we were standing just outside my old Form Five classroom, next to the Brother Director’s office, in St Xavier’s Institution, Penang.

Fahmi Reza’s outstanding film on the 1947 hartal

 Ethnic and inter-religious relations, Human rights, M'sian politics, Malaysian history  5 Responses »
Sep 222007
 

Remember the name – Fahmi Reza, the worthy winner of the Freedom Film Festival 2007. Last night I headed for the opening day’s screenings at the Actors’ Studio in Penang, mainly to see Fahmi’s “Sepuluh tahun sebelum Merdeka” – and I was not disappointed. It was the best local political documentary I had seen. The film focused on the first multi-ethnic political coalition in the country and depicted the events leading to the 1947 nationwide hartal or total national strike. The visionary women and men behind the hartal were nine years ahead of their time in coming up with constitutional proposals for a “Melayu” citizenship covering all the major races. In fact, the term “Melayu” to describe citizenship for all was surprisingly well received even by the non-Malays. The hartal had the backing of left-wing Malay nationalist groups, middle-class English-speaking non-Malays, even the Chinese Chambers of Commerce, women’s groups, and [Read more]

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