WHEN I wrote my letter, "Road signs: Clearly a waste of time, money" (NST, Feb 26), I had anticipated a reply from the authorities explaining why the original road signs in Taman Seputeh, Kuala Lumpur, though still in good condition, had been replaced with new ones, which included Jawi.

I was, therefore, amused to read Fathima Idris' response, "Signs in Jawi: Take a look at the old documents" (NST, March 5). She missed the entire point of my letter.

Please allow me to reiterate. Firstly, I questioned the need for new road signs around Taman Seputeh when the original ones were still "road-worthy" - they were adequate and legible; certainly not rusting, falling apart or requiring replacement.

I then questioned the relevance of incorporating Jawi onto the new road signs for a neighbourhood where the majority of its residents is Jawi-illiterate. That was the context in which I asked: "And of what use is Jawi?"

In fact, Taman Seputeh has never had Jawi on its road signs before. Why start now?
Finally, I wanted to know who decided to have the Jawi script removed and why. Wouldn't Fathima agree that this has been a waste of resources and taxpayers' money on an activity that wasn't necessary in the first place?

In response to Fathima's letter on the subject of heritage, I would like to point out that I am also a Penangite, and while I share and understand her frustrations over the gradual erosion of our colourful and unique heritage, her suggestion that the demolition of Bok House should mean the same thing as dropping Jawi from road signs doesn't quite make sense.

Fathima must realise that the physical destruction of historic landmarks and sites (such as Fort Cornwallis in Penang, the Stadhuys in Malacca, the Mulu National Park in Sarawak) would be considered a loss as everything they represent is irreplaceable. Therefore, conservation efforts on these landmarks are important.

Conversely, dropping Jawi from road signs does not constitute the same kind of loss in terms of the script's very existence or usage.

As Surajnaidu of Kuala Lumpur ("Signs in Jawi: Keep up with the times" - NST, March 7) puts it, the relevance of Jawi takes precedence. The removal of the "antique" Jawi-English road signs from Western Gardens, Penang has reflected this and although sadly, it disconnects us from the past, I do not believe it challenges in any way the historical significance of Jawi in our country.

I hope Fathima would be happy to know that there are parts of the popular Bukit Bintang shopping area in Kuala Lumpur where road signs, directional signs and shop signboards in Arabic are erected for the benefit of tourists from the Middle East. And that suits me just fine.