'NO' TO ANOTHER SKYSCRAPER , 'YES' TO ANOTHER PUBLIC PARK

Source: From the book "Building Merdeka" by Lai Chee Kien

The older ones among us who lived in Kuala Lumpur in the 1960s and 70s will remember Merdeka Park (Independence Park). It was the only park we had in the city then that was centrally located and easily accessible to all. The older folks would gather there in the early mornings for tai-chi sessions, parents would take their children there to play, and young courting couples would enjoy romantic strolls there in the evenings.

Merdeka Park was a much-loved public landmark along with other landmarks in the vicinity like Merdeka Stadium, Stadium Negara, Chin Woo Stadium and Victoria Institution.

(Above: Photos taken from https://www.facebook.com/aparkforallpeople)

Visitors to the area today will no longer see Merdeka Park with the famous Mushroom where people could take shelter from the hot sun or heavy rain. Gone too are the sundial and the rock sculpture which were popular backdrops for countless photos. The area once occupied by Merdeka Park is now the site of the proposed 118-storey Menara Warisan. As if the city didn't already have enough skyscrapers! Currently the tallest building we have in the country is the 88-storey Petronas Twin Towers, which is far from fully occupied. Why in the blazes would the government approve the construction of a monstrosity like Menara Warisan which is likely to turn into another white elephant?

Warisan means 'heritage'. Yet how ironic it is to demolish a true heritage that is Merdeka Park, built a year after the country gained independence, and replace it with a gleaming new tower that has no historical background to boast of. How would this building benefit the people? Or is it meant to enrich only corporate bigwigs and those with political connections?

New York's famed Central Park - a park for the people, not for the elite few

I recently attended a people's dialogue session at KLSCAH. Speakers included heritage conservationist Teoh Chee Keong, and MP for Serdang, Dr. Ong Kian Ming. Both spoke on why we must protect our public space, and preserve our national historical heritage. I particularly liked Dr Ong's proposal that if Merdeka Park were to be re-developed, it should be turned into an even bigger and better park similar to Central Park of New York. It would be a park with facilities for everyone to enjoy. It would be the city's premier green lung.

That is exactly what India is planning to do in New Delhi - 'create a mammoth iconic park that would rival New York's Central Park as a refuge from urban chaos'. How far-sighted are Delhi's urban planners, and how utterly lacking in vision are our city planners!

What Kuala Lumpur really needs is another park. KLCC Park is not exactly a people-friendly park. It has too many rules and regulations, and limited facilities.

Dr Ong Kian Ming on 'The Value of Public Parks'

Why we should oppose the Menara Warisan project

So what can you and I do to protect our public space? How can we stop greedy land-grabbing corporations from misappropriating property that belongs to the people? Here are some action plans for the concerned rakyat:

For more pictures and comments on the issue, go to http://ptmnmalaysia.wordpress.com/isu-menara-warisan/

You can also add your voice and support for citizens' groups like Rakan KL and Pertahanan Taman Merdeka Negara

It's up to us ordinary concerned citizens to voice our views and be heard. The pessimists among us will sigh, shake their heads and say 'What's the use? We are no match against the bulldozers that will be sent in sooner or later. Our pockets are too small to fight the big fat wallets of the powerful GLCs."

Malaysia's first PM from 1957-1970

I would say to these pessimists, if our Bapa Malaysia had thought for even a second that it would be pointless to seek independence from our colonial masters, that they would never surrender one of their prized colonies, Malaysia might still be under British rule today. Fortunately for us, Bapa Malaysia never lost hope.

If we don't keep a watchful eye on our national heritage buildings, don't be surprised to see them disappear one by one in the near future, beginning with Stadium Merdeka, followed by Stadium Negara, then Museum Negara, Parliament House, and other independence era buildings. One day there will be no traces left of Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj's legacy as far as historical buildings go, except in our grandchildren's history textbooks and in old photographs in the museum.

THE RAKYAT WANT A SENTRAL PARK,

A GREEN LUNG IN THE CITY CENTRE.

GOING, GOING, GONE WITH THE TIMES

Hotel Equatorial today (Star Metro 5 March 2012)

The final countdown has begun for yet another Kuala Lumpur landmark. 31 March is the last day of business for Hotel Equatorial. Back in its heydays in the 70s and 80s, the hotel was the place to party, to hold wedding banquets and to be seen.

Hotel Equatorial in 1973. (Star pic)

Those days have long gone. Competition from the new hotels in the vicinity has sounded the death knell for the hotel. By the end of April, the staff will be moving out and the bulldozers will be moving in. The old hotel will be completely demolished to make way for a new one expected to be ready in three to four years.

Many among the older folks who have partied or dined at the hotel will feel a tinge of sadness. It's like witnessing the passing of an old friend.

Demolition began in 2007. (Star pic)

But that is life. Nothing remains forever. Even the Chinese high school where I taught for 35 years. Just before it celebrated its centennial in 2008, the school was demolished block by block, despite strong protests from thousands of former students. Recently when I went back for a visit, I could barely recognize the place. I felt like an alien there. Gone were the familiar faces and places in the school.

It's the same with our kampung. We return after many years to find a strange town in its place, with shopping malls and high-rise buildings. Childhood haunts no longer exist, and old school buddies have passed on.

Sad, isn't it? All that's left are beautiful memories...

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NEW LIFE FOR OLD BUILDINGS

NEW LIFE FOR OLD BUILDINGS

Penang has many lovely old homes like this one.

Just back from a lovely weekend in Penang. I was there to attend the 3rd annual Wawasan Open University (WOU) Tutors Convention. What I love about Penang besides the hawker food and the friendly people are the old mansions that dot the island. Many of them have been converted into up-market restaurants or nursing homes. I wonder if the back story to this is a decline in family fortune and thus the need to sell off the property. A pity.

My first sight of WOU left me gaping in wonder and awe. How could this be a university? It looked more like a family mansion belonging to some rich towkay (Chinese tycoon).

A closer look at the statue in front of the building confirmed this. Named 'Homestead', it was home to the family of Yeap Chor Ee who lived here till 2006 when it was bequeathed to the Wawasan Education Foundation (WEF). Chairman of WEF is Datuk Seri Stephen Yeap, eldest grandson of Yeap Chor Ee. For more of the building's history, click here.

The majestic Homestead in the foreground. The blue exterior of the new extension spoils
the postcard-perfect beauty of the old colonial mansion.

Marble floor and stairs leading up to the first floor that houses the Chancellor's
and Vice-Chancellor's offices. Notice the two statuettes flanking the stairs.

Looking down on the lobby from the top of the stairs.

Leather armchairs and sofa that visitors can sink into.





Top: (left) one of the carpeted corridors and (right) an ornate door knocker on the front door. Above: The back of the university faces the beach. Students and visitors can enjoy
the scenery and cool sea breeze at one of these garden corners.

As I explored the interior of Homestead, I was immediately reminded of Le Coq D'or or Bok House named after its owner Chua Cheng Bok. Built in 1929, the mansion was converted into a French restaurant in 1958. I remember going there for dinner in the 1980s. Unfortunately, despite strong protests from Badan Warisan Malaysia (The Heritage of Malaysia Trust), the building was demolished in 2006 to make way for a 60-storey mixed development project.

Le Coq D'or as I remember it before it was demolished in 2006.



It was heart-breaking to see the bulldozers tearing down the mansion stone by stone,
wall by wall till there was nothing left to remind us of its heydays when people
would flock here for fine dining.

Loke Mansion is another colonial building that boasts a colourful chequered past. Built in 1860, it was the home of a rich Chinese merchant, Cheow Ah Yeok. When he fell on hard times, he sold the house to Loke Yew. Loke Yew’s son, the cinema magnate Datuk Loke Wan Tho, was born there. The family stayed on till the 1930s. In 1942 during the Japanese Occupation, the building was used by the Japanese forces as one of its headquarters.

Loke Mansion now houses the offices of a law firm. Let's hope the bulldozers will never
tear down this building.

In 1945 when the Japanese left, it was turned into a school and in 1948 into a police training centre during the Communist Emergency. In 1970 it became the Samad Art Gallery. It reverted to an educational institution in the 1990s when the LimKokWing School took over. Today the law firm of Cheang and Ariff occupies the premises. To read more, click here.

Badan Warisan Malaysia is on a mission to ensure the survival of our built heritage.

It's always sad to read that places you used to visit in your younger days are now just memories of the past. Many of these places have rich stories to tell. Old buildings especially those that occupy prime land will inevitably end up earmarked as sites for new high-rise condominiums or office blocks. Unless the voices of protest are loud enough to be heard, developers will continue with their relentless march to demolish old buildings and replace them with the new in the name of progress.

Update: By coincidence, the Straits Times of Singapore came up with a report today (29 Nov) entitled "URA explains its conservation policy" in which the Urban Redevelopment Authority clarifies its guidelines for conserving privately-owned properties. Owners must observe these guidelines or they are liable to be fined up to S$200,000 and jail terms of up to a year or both.

Source: Straits Times

The entire building must be retained and restored, and only the interior can be restored. One excellent example is Boat Quay. Better known as Clarke Quay, this commercial complex comprises 231 buildings that have been converted into mostly restaurants and bars.

Since 1989, the URA has conserved 7,091 buildings, but only about half have been restored to standards set for those areas. The rest remain on-going projects.