Jul 262010
Who is moving in and who is being forced out of George Town?
What has been the impact of the Unesco world heritage site listing on the city?
That’s the question posed in this documentary by Al Jazeera. All attention seems to be on the heritage properties and perhaps not enough on the community that lives and works in them.
Perhaps the die was cast with the lifting of the Rent Control Act during the previous administration, which allowed full-blown market forces to displace many of George Town’s long-time residents.
Let LGE argue with Unesco official. Argue and argument is LGE best skills.
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No doubt he is one of the good ones but you are the best and I am only better as in this site.
Why can’t the Fed Government Yen2 do better things than throwing money on building the Joan of Arch?
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What does it mean to preserve the human heritage ? Surely, preserving a human heritage does not mean preserving an area in such a way that only the original trade can be conducted ? I’m not sure. If someone is making sandals in a shophouse for the last 100 years, should we insist that only such trade can be carried out .. perpetually ? Or do we let market forces work … which could mean that someone with several millions of Ringgit to spare buys over the shoplot and turn it into, say, a boutique hotel, in the process providing employment to say, 20 people, and providing occupancy for tourists who then spend their tourist dollar by visiting museums, buying food and services, paying for trishaw rides, paying for guided tours, etc. thus generating income of millions of US$ in the surrounding area ?
BUT on the other hand, why are the tourists here ? What are they looking for ? Well, going by the UN Heritage Award, they are here to look at … the Human Heritage !
I don’t have the answers. May be the solution is to strike a balance. Somehow … Otherwise we destroy the very thing that tourists are willing to come here and spend their millions of dollars to see. We need those dollars. Penang needs tourism. It’s our lifeblood. We have natural advantage. Tourism dollar is good money .. good in the sense that the money filters down to the economy in a way that say, a semiconductor factory can’t. Tourism delivers revenues to the airlines, provides cash to taxi and bus drivers, income to tour guides, lots of money to restaurants and coffee shops, occupancy and jobs to hotels and its employees, money to souvenier makers (perhaps also the traditional trade), but most of all it benefits locals and it brings pride to the state. Factories, on the other hand, hires lots of cheap labour (usually foreigners).
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To those human heritage junkies,
You are very unfair to insist that the same trade to be continued at the heritage zone.
How do you expect subsequent generation of the old traders to continue with his/her father trade for the amusement of the tourists? It may not be economically viable for these people.
is out Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen going to give them grant to continue with old trade?
Be wise. Everybody needs money to feed the family and to keep up with time.
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When I was small, I use to tok tok mee around. Surely you don`t expect me or the youngster nowadays to do that now. Heritage conservation has its limitation.
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I went to Penang just over a week ago for a family holiday for the first time, and I thought it seemed like an ex-tourist-destination. Penang really needs to make up its mind whether to cultivate a tourist trade (that is, something that will tempt repeat visits, rather than just some glossy marketing that will tempt people to visit no more than once) or whether to move ahead with development and attempt to preserve a few old buildings as a nod to its history. You can’t preserve humans for tourism, that always looks ugly. If there’s an influx of money because of tourist attention (or possibly tourist aversion to Thailand or Indonesia) or because it’s an attractive industrial location for some reason, then attempting to preserve the way of life of poor folk in a slum with a few last remaining façades which could be used for more lucrative economic activity is folly.
I think Penang is just going to have to accept a little bit of legislation on those few remaining examples of its glory days and move on with its conversion into a joyless concrete industrial estate. It really failed to float our boat as tourists. I don’t think I’d even like to be a resident there. It is obvious, however, that it did once have what it takes to attract tourists – the ruins of it were everywhere. I would go back every year to see the ruins at some other South East Asian tourist destinations, but there’s something chilling about ruins you know were caused by the neglect of people still living there.
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Penang should follow Macau.They have old heritage shops and these shops are making traditional tibits and selling them as seen on the wsy to St Paul Catherdal. Many HKies and overseas visitors make a point to eat and buy such tibits and Macau has make a name on this. This industry create life in the old city.
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Why should Penang follows Macau?
Why can’t Penang forges its own way?
Penang is Penang. Macau is Macau. With different history, different cultural mix, everything different and yet, we have a machai telling Penang this, telling Penang that.
Let Penangites decide the future of Penang.
Not UN. Not machais.
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Penang have whinging machai like you supporting UMNO /Gerakan’s “My way” on removal rent control is causing Penang is falling down, falling down. What cultural when the town is empty of people.
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Pearl
What is the Penang’s own way that you mean?
Can you enlighten us. Please be specific and cite some examples. Otherwise the concept will be as blur as 1Malaysia concept.
Do you think the monorail in Malacca has dehumanize the heritage status?
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Please refer back to when Penang was under the Labor Party.
Many of the existing “Penang Characteristics” were established back when the Labor Party was in charge, including the emphasis on the Penang food as one of the main ingredient of the “Living Heritage” of Penang.
Under Lim Chong Eu the same strategy applies. However, under Koh Tsu Koon, UMNO has successfully destroyed much of this “living heritage” by segragating the “Halal Section” from the “Non-Halal Section”.
One fine example is on the Esplanade.
Tourists going into the food court would be confused since things are segregated by “race”.
The arrangement has made if totally impossible for the tourist to taste the whole range of the Penang food, Halal and non-Halal.
This is just but one of the many Living Heritage Penang can bank on. Unfortunately DAP has no idea at all what to do.
What DAP has done so far is paying lip service on UNESCO’s Heritage program, without actually making it works.
As if with some old building the whole program would suffice.
To make a Heritage site truly work we must not make it look like Disneyland.
The Monorail thing is totally ridiculous, but then, BN is as ridiculously clueless as DAP on what “Heritage” is all about.
Hopefully this will begin to explain what Penang can do.
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Georgetown now become “Ghost town”.
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You must have visited the wrong place.
Don’t anyhow say things.
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Sean, is Penang really that bad, I feel like crying after reading your comments…
Yes, the beauty of Gurney Drive is gone with the reclamation of land by E&O…
Tg Bungah is sprouting with high-rise everywhere without scrutiny…
What had happened to Penang in the past 18 years?
Apa orang Penang buat for the past 18 years?
The answer is orang Penang sleepwalked for the past 18 years and suddenly woke up to find that Penang island was sinking…
So, the easy way out is, blame and condemn Lim Guan Eng la for not putting things right in 2 years ???
No wonder Lee Kuan Yew had a rude shock when he visited the island and said, “20 years behind time!!!”
Honestly, it is a bit too late but being late is better than never.
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It wasn’t awful! There are bits and pieces that are quite good, but it didn’t give us the impression of a proper tourist destination – more somewhere that had moved on from being popular with tourists and had its sights focussed elsewhere now. Perhaps we were just not Penang Tourism’s target market. We were impressed by Rapid Penang – with two small kids, the reliable, clean, cool, inexpensive buses with their cheerful, helpful drivers were marvellous. The ‘frequency’ schedule was great for us on holiday, but I guess it might not be ideal if you’re commuting to work.
I think my biggest difficulty with some of the better-known South East Asian tourist destinations (not just Penang, though I think Penang was among the worst in this aspect) was that it was almost impossible to walk anywhere. You can’t really ‘experience’ a holiday destination – particularly on a short visit – from the inside of a taxi. We have to drive a lot in our day-to-day lives, so we expect to be able to really relax and walk around on holiday.
I did have to laugh, while dodging the obstacles on the destroyed path along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah (in contrast to the path along Jalan Kelawei?), about the only other people we saw trying to walk along it: other tourists! We live at PD, so Batu Ferringhi seemed a familiar experience. It seems like the beaches don’t have quite enough people caring that they should be great places at which families can relax to prevent them being taken over by people racing speedboats and jetbikes up and down close to the shore, and people racing quadbikes on the sand. Those activities always mean that a tiny number of people monopolise the beach. Perhaps a few people running those businesses make a small amount of money, but I suspect the loss to the tourism industry from people who can’t enjoy a safe, peaceful holiday is far greater than that gain.
I really enjoyed the old places where we ate between the newer buildings . The old place between Tune Hotel and the new Food Court was the kind of thing I expected. Eating at the pasar malam on Gurney Drive was good too, but crossing the road outside was a bit of a nightmare. I don’t mind eating at Starbucks or Old Town when I’m at Jaya Jusco or the airport, but it’s not what I go on holiday for. The Laksa (with no plastic chairs, tables, bowls nor utensils!) near the T-junction below Kek Lok Si (so many elderly beggars) Temple was superb. We saw too many temples – perhaps a poor choice on our part. The kids were bored stiff, and even we were “uhuh, more temple” by the end. We enjoyed a trishaw ride, but worried about such an old man and obviously poor emissions controls on exhausts. My wife was obviously concerned – she didn’t haggle over the generous fare (I won’t tell you how much we paid to go 500 metres) – a very rare event!
Street signage was something we appreciated. It makes a huge difference when you’re trying to find your own way between the attractions that you can easily find out where you are. I think Penang Tourism could do themselves and Penang a big favour if they just got out their sun-hats and string bags for a week and attempted to walk around Penang as a tourist would, and try not to keep a friend in a car waiting near the kerb – as a tourist can’t. Bangkok (or was it Chiang Mai?) does a good job of mapping out a network of quiet side-streets and alleyways that are kept in good condition where its possible to get around on foot – maybe Penang could consider something similar. Just having some sort of consistent path between adjacent buildings that isn’t used for motorbike parking or as a business extension might be sufficient.
On the subject of whose fault it is, I honestly think Penang should be honest (not finger-pointing) with tourists and rather than just provide a glossy list of attractions, some of which are shut or were photographed and described in what I can only imagine were better days, actually say that some places are either ‘undergoing repair’ or are ‘earmarked for badly needed restoration’ or such similar phrases whose real meaning will not be lost on visitors. The problem with marketing that doesn’t accurately describe reality is that it can raise expectations which leave a lasting bad impression if disappointed.
I think it would be interesting for tourists (and perhaps even for locals!) to see a comprehensive plan for Penang tourism that includes not only the highlights, but also those areas where planned improvements might make a return visit more likely. If a comparison helps (and I know I’ve only made short visits to these two), while I’m in no hurry to return to Penang, I’m looking forward to a second visit to Melaka. Melaka seems like a much smaller destination than Penang, but I found it much more amenable to me as a tourist – I think the large pedestrian areas may have made all the difference.
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See how much effort Lim Guan Eng put in to revive Komtar otherwise once the pride of Penang already collapsed la …
Orang Penang, you guys are lucky to have Lim Guan Eng to be your CM la !!!
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You are right.
LGE put in the effort teh revive teh KOMTAR, otherwise will remain a white elephant legacy of gerakan.
If BN is still in power in Penang, likely they will ábandon’Komtar and build a brand new ‘PinangJaya’(like Nusajaya in Johor) for state administration, and in the process waste the rakyat money for the BN flers to look good.
Given time, I trust LGE and DAP will revive the rest of Penang to become an exciting living city tio attract the tourist to bring income to the people.
Keep up the good job, DAP.
As for Gerakan, we do not miss you.
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Sean, thanks for your sharing…
I hope those who are truly concerned for the well-being of Penang will put forth useful insights to help build Penang so that the Pearl of Orient will shine once again, even brighter…
Din M, fully agree with you – if today Penang is under Gerakan, Komtar is now a white elephant, left to be rot and Dr Koh or Dr Teng and all the goons (may have been) enjoying a new brand sparkling building at the expense of the Rakyat …
Truly, thanks to Lim Guan Eng !!!
PR is the choice !!!
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