Conservation and preservation ANIS RAMLI If care is not taken, George Town and Malacca can easily fall from the Unesco World Heritage Site list to World Heritage In Danger list. ANIS RAMLI wonders if the two cities are taking steps in the right directions

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A typical Malay kampung house found in Kampung Morten. See how 63-year-old signboard engraver, Koh Ah Wah, continues to hand-engrave signboards at 41, Queen Street. Tile art found at Kampung Hulu Mosque on Harmony Street The simple life at the water village entices tourists

From open kitchen windows come the sounds and smells of lunch as the cacophony of pots and pans hints at a busy cook at work.

Soon, there will be spice-laden chicken kapitan curry and ju hiu char (stirfried yam bean with cuttlefish) on the table. But for the tourists, these will only be appreciated from afar.

If Chew Siew Pheng, a fifth generation Chew descendant originating from Tong An, Fujian, China, could have her way, she’d have visitors experience more than just a walk-through.

“Our village is unique, not only in that it has survived 21st Century Penang, but we still retain many of our traditional way of life.”

The camaraderie among the villagers is distinct. “You’ll find neighbours cooking generously and then selling their food to people in other jetties, a practice that begun since the early days of the settlement,” she says. “We come together in a grand way to celebrate Chinese New Year with water floats and grand processions.”

Doors are always open to neighbours. Children roam about freely and take dips in the sea when it gets too hot. Life in the village unravels itself to those lucky enough to spend a day or two discovering the quintessential village life.

Siew Pheng has been toying with the idea of introducing a homestay programme for visitors looking for an authentic George Town experience, especially now that the city has been listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

But it’s an uphill struggle for one person, particularly when it involves changing the mindset of the residents. “I believe if residents come together, we all can benefit,” she says.

Over To Locals

Lin Lee Loh-Lim, a council member with the Penang Heritage Trust (PHT), says: “A homestay programme and in-house guiding that is community-managed can help to gradually build local capacity among villagers and ownership. The community should not allow external tourist guides to lead visitors through their jetties and possibly misinterpret their lifestyle. Instead they should take over as soon as the tour buses arrive, much like nature parks where rangers or orang asli guides take over at the site.”

That way, not only will there be greater tourism promotion for the city, but there’ll also be an economic influx to help villagers further support their families. “Being proactive is the direction we should take to ensure that George Town’s heritage and culture could be preserved continuously, particularly now with the inscription to Unesco World Heritage Site.”

PHT, in fact, has taken the lead by helping with the interpretation panels at the jetties and encouraging villagers to start the homestay programmes which can provide them with a means to conserve local culture and national heritage as well as obtaining a fair return for their services and investment.

Protection Not Guaranteed

Often times, the phrase Unesco World Heritage Site becomes a hotbed for tourism. “Everyone wants to jump in on the bandwagon, and sometimes you get outsiders offering tourism products without really understanding the essence of the inscription. If we could all be proactive, it will provide visitors with a positive interactive cultural experience while we, as hosts, gain from conserving George Town as a world heritage city,” says Loh-Lim.

Worldwide, any place awarded the Unesco World Heritage listing immediately gets global recognition. Just a simple mention in Lonely Planet, Fodor’s or Frommer’s travel guides is enough to boost tourism.

But as lessons from past Unesco-listed places will attest, getting listed doesn’t necessarily mean an immediate protection or conservation of heritage sites. Rather, it becomes a long journey for governments struggling to bring balance between mass tourism and cultural preservation. Being proactive is the key to maintaining the integrity of being bestowed the honour.

Money Issues

Long before George Town was even nominated, some islanders, particularly from the Penang Heritage Trust, were busy putting in place various programmes and initiatives to maintain George Town’s unique heritage.

One of these is the Penang Heritage Trails, a series of self-guided walks that bring visitors to traditional food areas, explore old trades and discover the various heritage buildings.

“The trails have been very popular with guests and we’re in the midst of upgrading and updating the existing trails but unfortunately, the project has hit a snag for lack of funding,” says Loh-Lim. Funding, or the lack of it, is a common predicament for many countries on the Unesco World Heritage List.

Generally, Unesco does not provide funds or technical assistance, although countries in need can request for funding through its World Heritage Fund which allocates US$4 million annually with priority given to the most threatened sites.

There are however, organisations such as Ted Turner’s United Nations Foundation and Expedia Inc. that partner Unesco to, among others, help raise money and awareness on inscribed World Heritage sites.

Tourism & Preservation

Nevertheless, says Loh-Lim, work on various Unesco sites across the world has provided invaluable insights and great examples on how George Town can work towards preserving its site for the next generation.

“With the World Heritage listing you get international recognition. Tourism may be the primary benefit and that can also profit locals as new jobs are generated providing various opportunities for the city’s youth.”

The main concern now, she points out, is to have the support of both local and Federal Governments in ensuring that the city is able to generate sustainable tourism without being beleaguered by haphazard development and that preservation of living cultures is monitored and maintained.

Elizabeth Cardosa of Badan Warisan Malaysia agrees. “Living culture is the most vulnerable asset of a site and preventive management strategies must be crafted to ensure all facets of the intangible values are not eroded, especially through small scale changes. Over time, these have a strong accumulative effect which is irreversible.”

Malacca Charm

In Malacca, tourists are charmed by the Straits Chinese heritage buildings in Jonker Street (Jalan Hang Jebat) and Heeren Street (Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock), the Malay “living museum” that is Kampung Morten, as well as the Malacca River cruise that does a commendable job in bringing back to life the city’s heydays as a busy port city. Like George Town, Malacca shares the heritage site inscription as the other Historic City of the Straits of Malacca.

The State government has obviously taken great steps to preserve the intrinsic cultural heritage and monuments, but a lot more needs to be done.

Browsing through the weekend night market as Jonker Street turns Jonker Walk at twilight is still amusing, to be sure, but watching traders peddling cheesy made-in-China Malacca souvenirs or Indonesian crafts passed off as Malaysian is just as remarkable.

“What’s interesting is that a couple of streets away is Jalan Tukang Besi,” says Donovan Louis, who conducts heritage walks for The Majestic Malacca Hotel. “Tinsmiths, blackmiths, cobblers, paper-artists, and basket-weavers still ply their trades there but the trades and skills are slowly dying and disappearing.

“Yet if these trades could be revived, not only will they provide local families with new means of survival but contribute to the authenticity of Jonker Walk for both locals and visitors.”

Keeping Heritage Intact

Encouraging local traders to continue with their trades could also rejuvenate dying social customs and blighted neighbourhoods. This will allow the inscribed cities to be more than just protection and exhibition sites but also engage small local communities with their own way of life, interests and social relations... in other words, keeping local traditions and customs alive for future generations.

But all is not bleak. Tourists, in particular, can play a part to ensure George Town and Malacca remain on the list and are not bumped off into the World Heritage Center’s World Heritage In Danger list.

Once again, earlier listed sites have created the opportunity for travellers today to gather invaluable knowledge on ensuring continued protection of today’s World Heritage Sites. Organisations such as Friends of World Heritage offer ways for travellers to explore the sites through sustainable travel. This includes encouraging the use of local guides and identifying operators who are committed to the preservation of local cultural and natural heritage, supporting local products and goods, and saying no to a souvenir piece of the site. The rewards are often travel experiences that are both enriching and memorable.

The Unesco World Heritage list is expanding each year. From the first 12 listed in 1978, there are now 812 inscribed sites including the Taj Mahal, Angkor Wat and the ancient Maya city of Chichén Itzá. And it will keep on growing.

On George Town and Malacca, Cardosa says: “Change is inevitable if a site is to respond to present day needs so it is important to have a successful management of change for effective conservation. We all must be involved in the process in order to articulate the balance between conservation, access, sustainable use, including tourism, and the interests of the local community both and for the sites listed.”

• Pictures by PENANG TOURISM ACTION COUNCIL, ANIS RAMLI & ZAABA JOHAR

THERE are specific areas within George Town and Malacca inscribed as Unesco World Heritage Sites.

Penang: The Historic City of George Town core area, covering an area of 109.38 hectares, from the north-eastern cape of the island, Love Lane to the north-west and Gat Lebuh Melayu and Jalan Dr Lim Chwee Leong to the south-west corner.

There are more than 1,700 historic buildings within this core zone aligned on four main streets of Weld Quay, Beach Street, Pitt Street and Love Lane and perpendicular streets of Jalan Tun Syed Sheh Barakbah, Light Street, Bishop Street, Church Street, China Street, Market Street, Chulia Street, Armenian Street and Acheen Street.

The area is protected by a Buffer Zone of 150.04 hectares, not including the sea buffer, bounded by the stretch of sea area around the harbour, Prangin Road to the south-west corner and Transfer Road to the north-west corner.

Malacca: The core zone includes the historical sites of St. Paul’s Hill, Jalan Kota, Jalan Gereja, Lorong Gereja dan Jalan Laksamana.

There are 1,839 historic buildings in Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Jalan Tengkera, Jalan Kampung Hulu and Jalan Hang Jebat. Historic Residential and Commercial Zones include Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock, Jalan Hang Jebat, Lorong Hang Jebat, Jalan Hang Kasturi, Jalan Hang Lekiu, Jalan Hang Lekir, Jalan Tukang Besi, Tukang Emas, Jalan Tokong, Jalan Kampung Kuli, Jalan Kampung Pantai, Jalan Kampung Hulu, Jalan Kubu, Jalan Portugis, Jalan Masjid, Lorong Masjid, Jalan Munsyi Abdullah, Jalan Bendahara, Jalan Bunga Raya, Jalan Tengkera, Jalan Temenggong, Jalan Bukit Cina, Lorong Bukit Cina, Jalan Chan Koon Cheng, Jalan Banda Kaba, Jalan Merdeka (Quayside), Jalan Parameswara, Jalan Jawa and part of Jalan Kee Ann.

The Buffer Zone includes part of Jalan Munsyi Abdullah, Jalan Bendahara (north), Jalan Bunga Raya (north), part of Jalan Kee Ann, Jalan Pasar Bahru and Lorong Pasar Bahru. The affected residential and commercial areas are Taman Kota Laksamana, Kampung Banda Kaba, Kampung Jawa, Kampung Pokok Kelapa, Kampung Dua, kawasan Mahkota (Melaka Raya), kawasan Bunga Raya Pantai and Bukit Cina.