The world heritage listing of George Town and Malacca appears to be a double-edged sword.
On the one hand, it has highlighted the importance of preserving our historical inner cities; but on the other, it has led to an overemphasis on the built environment while traditional communities are squeezed out through gentrification. Old shop-houses are sold and converted to boutique hotels, trendy restaurants and galleries. In the process, traditional trades and small businesses, long-time communities and low-income tenants are forced to shut down or make way.
Check out this article: City without a soul? which appeared in Aliran Monthly recently.
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This is what I have been talking about on the issue of Penang’s heritage city status.
It was poorly thought out and encompasses too large an area to be practical. Secondly, the stakeholders ie the residents and property owners were not consulted nor shown a workable plan before application for the status hence their indifference today.
You have to understand that maintaining this heritage listing involves thousands of Penangites to succeed and unless you win over their concerns, the heritage thingy for Penang is doomed to failure. How can you win them over if they were not even consulted by the previous state and federal government who applied for this listing in the first place?
My advice to the present state government is to drop the hot potato dropped on them by their predecessors and start all over again. Lose the status if necessary for now but apply for it again AFTER all the proper groundwork is done and with a practical and workable plan understood by ALL stakeholders.
Keep the present status and you will end up with pockets of beautiful buildings and larger areas of derelict ones with no inhabitants whatsoever.
So much for conserving Penang’s historical and colorful heritage!
The distortion came from the Rent Control Act which long outlived its time. When the time came to bite the bullet of course it was going to be painful. And the pace with which change took over the island and its tenants was overwhelming. Just like something that would happen to our financial and automotive sectors if the government were to pull the plug on APs tomorrow. this distortion too has been going on for too long.
In this sea of change, the good and the bad will be seen form two perspectives; the state government is in the unenviable position of having to straddle the divide.
Stakeholders being left out of deliberation of policies and laws that affect them seem to be the norm. Remember Akta PLKN? Did any of the stakeholders have a say?
We’ll be seeing a long “corrective” phase I am afraid, and the hurting isn’t over yet.
Chasing tourists’ dollars
The government intends to do
Listening to its beautiful songs
Ringing in the till
Heritage by certificate
A mark to sell the state
The tourists will come
What old buildings to tell?
The inner city tenants
The small traders and craftsmen
All will be disappeared
Leaving the inner city
Stripping it off her soul
The decay in the inner city
Change hands the property owners
Turning it into tourists’ spots
Bringing in the wealth
Heritage by certificate
The tourists will come in bus loads
Believing to see ancient charms
Only the facades
The inner souls the modern antiques
The charms of old
It has gone in memory
In printed stamps and postcards
Drawings and photographs
The inner city
The soul is sold
To tourists’ dollars
And the ringing bell
Excellent point.
May our governments remember that retaining a heritage is not solely about preserving the built historical infrastructures alone, but also the culture, tradition and way of life associated with it.
May politicians on both sides of the fence, Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat, heed this message.
The trend of making money out of the heritage buildings is parasitic: the heritage listing is misused here to just cash in without any respect for the very history and human and cultural aspects that are an integral part of the entire heritage idea.
This may reflect the extremely money-minded attitude of Malaysians an their very low regard for retaining cultures and values and traditions and ways of life and a certain atmosphere. In Europe, effort is put into maintaining as much of all these. This is what we should do.
Pakatan Rakyat leaders: heed this message and learn from it appropriately if you truly want to demonstrate your concern for the rakyat and if you seek to truly form the next Malaysian government. These are some of the many issues you should be highly sensitive and responsive to.
Romerz,
This time I got to agree with you on this. Hence, on another account, I disagree the fact that the present government should onyl press ahead with current works without looking all the root cause of all problems created by the previous government.
I have always put emphasis that whatever we do. We must cover all grounds and all corners. However, Penang state government must be more tactful dealing the press. Especially they are more biased towards BN. At anytime, the MSM can have LGE for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
I hope LGE and the state government knows what they are doing. Me as an engineer always believe that Murphy’s always at work. Hehe, we are living in fallen world. Expects s*** to happen
You can not have it both way, either you keep the title or go full development regardless of the guideline, then destroy whatever golden heritage we cherished so much. When 13th election come, you will have to face the music.
can’t understand this passion for boutique hotels in buildings where the community is still alive and kicking – isn’t this like buying the farm and killing the golden goose?
NOT good business sense at all.
Yes Bow,
The present government got to face music too if it doesn’t benefit its citizen. However, lets us not jump into conclusion that we might have to give up the Heritage claim. I am sure that those MSM would be very happy to see it fail so as to kick LGE butt
I repeat we must always cover all grounds and all corners. After weighing all the pros and cons, if the conclusion shows that we msut give up. We must give up. Remember Penangites might be very opiniated (as one esteemed scholar might say), they are very practical people. Guess why Koh fella survived 18 years. Koh should be dieded in 1995 GE. Oh so much for the high minds of Penangites. Constantly shooting its foots with Bebe guns
Singapore does not have heritage claims. How many tourists come to Singapore? You been to Telok Kurau or Chinatown?
Well, thats the downside of the World Heritage listing, folks… gentrification.
But without the urban renewal, downtown Georgetown will continue its decay, and many buildings will continue to rot & crumble until its unsalvagable.
The families who’ve lived and worked there will be priced out, but in their place… will be professional offices, art galleries, cafes & restaurants, and loft/studio apartments. A more upper class & artsy crowd will be moving in, including ‘refugees’ escaping the Klang Valley’s high cost of living & congestion.
There need Master Plan for Heritage City, did Penang have that? Is the Heritage professional involved?
Penang need a State Trust Fund to finance the conservation and management of Heritage City. Heritage buildings can be purchased with the money from the fund
Penang need statutory law to protect the transfer and sale of heritage buildings in Heritage Zone. If the seller want to sell any building in the Heritage Zone, it need to obtain approval and right of the state to buy the property,using the trust fund money.
Penang need heritage professional to help in conservation and management of Heritage City. Even the employment of foreigners.
Encouragement and incentive for the living heritage; a new rent control act may need to re-introduced as Georgetown is now Heritage City.
Federal government funding need to be fair to both Malacca and Penang. State and Federal government need to stop playing politic and work together for the benefit of the country, and one Malaysia.
MPPP, state government need to have a special department set up for the management of the Heritage city,there must be coordination between MPPP and state government.
Heritage Police set up for monitoring and enforcing of heritage law.
Heritage education
Any more…..