Reclaiming our heritage

CROSSROADS: Caught between saving heritage buildings and pursuing our economic ambitions, Malaysia struggles to find a balancePudu

When we talk about heritage buildings, for the uninitiated, a few things usually come to mind. Old, derelict buildings and creaky structures. Hazy recollections of ancient events, people and history associated with those buildings. Although the global economic recession has slowed down Malaysia’s economic growth, property prices are still charting an upward trend.

As we relentlessly pursue developed nation status by 2020, the fate of heritage sites and buildings seems to be secondary to other things in our daily lives. Although many iconic landmarks have been recognised and designated heritage status such as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Masjid Jamek, Carcosa Seri Negara and Victoria Institution, just to name a few, there are still many other buildings that qualify for heritage status that have fallen through the cracks.

Every now and then, several issues related to the demolition and re-development of old buildings have caught the public’s imagination and stirred intense debate. For example, the planned redevelopment of areas such as Stadium Merdeka, Pudu Prison and Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur has sparked social concern and galvanised opposition.

Heritage impact assessment: Elizabeth Cardosa, Executive Director with Badan Warisan Malaysia (Heritage Trust of Malaysia), feels that Malaysia as a nation is still comparatively young and has yet to develop a full appreciation and understanding of the social and cultural values of heritage buildings.

With regards to the Jalan Sultan (Petaling Street) issue, which has turned into a hot potato for all parties concerned, Elizabeth chose her words carefully. “There is not much to be said that hasn’t been said already,” she sighs. “It would have been better to engage the communities directly affected much, much earlier and have constructive dialogue with them before any decisions were made”.

“As it stands, there is definitely a chasm between the needs of the communities and the developer’s plans. Resolving the conflict will require much more than just public meetings to air grievances. For example, a proper cultural heritage impact assessment is critical,” she shares.

Elizabeth cites two other cases of restoration and preservation projects that Badan Warisan Malaysia was actively involved in to illustrate a more pro-active approach in engaging with the communities for long-term positive effects Stadium Merdeka and Urban Market Survey for Chowrasta Market in Penang.

The iconic Stadium Merdeka was initially earmarked for demolition to make way for commercial development but was later restored to its original 1957 form to recognise its place in our nation’s history. The stadium is forever linked to our nation’s declaration of independence. It is the place where Bapa Malaysia and our first Prime Minister, Tuanku Abdul Rahman Putra al-Haj famously proclaimed those liberating words “Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!”

The government‘s decision to demolish the stadium and develop the site in 1994 was met with public uproar which eventually ended up with Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB) taking up a stake in the premises. It was then restored architecturally to its original state. For example, the upper seating tier was removed to retain the original aesthetics and character of the stadium, not just as a standalone structure, but in relation to other buildings surrounding it such as Victoria Institution which is situated beside Stadium Merdeka.

This privately-funded restoration mission was headed by PNB with assistance from Badan Warisan Malaysia.

Chowrasta Market is a famous wet market at Penang Road where people throng to buy groceries, fish, meat, fruit and vegetables. The original Chowrasta Market was built in 1890 by the George Town municipality. The front portion facing Penang Road was rebuilt in 1920 and has remained virtually unchanged until 1981 when a new market was built in its place.

In 2011, Badan Warisan Malaysia was engaged to carry out a technical study using everyday vernacular language to determine the needs and requirements of various vendors who plied their trade at the market as well as regular customers who relied on the place for their daily groceries. The market surveys at the Chowrasta and Campbell Street markets were also held concurrently with a pictorial exhibition - the ‘Rasa Chowrasta’ exhibition.

These examples reflect Elizabeth’s insistence on the need for effective engagement with communities of respective heritage buildings or areas, not just people from the upper echelons of society.

“As far as the values and meaning of these heritage areas are concerned, we can’t simply put a monetary value on these properties and separate them from their functional and practical aspects. The relation between a building and its community is dynamic. It changes with time, together with the characteristics of these places. A well-managed and effective public consultation process is essential in making decisions about any long-term development plans,” the Badan Warisan Malaysia executive director elaborates.

‘Room to learn’: When it comes to tough decisions that have to be made in urban development and retaining heritage buildings, Elizabeth says that Malaysia has a long way to go. It has plenty to learn from other countries in the region.

For example, our neighbouring country Singapore has progressive guidelines and framework of preserving heritage buildings because it recognises the long-term economic value of preserving them. Even Bali has strong guidelines on building structures to protect their historical and cultural legacy.

“It is not embedded in our culture. Although there is awareness, we need to deepen the understanding of not just the basic economic, social and historical values of the buildings themselves, but also the context in which they relate to the comCardosa munity,” says an animated Elizabeth who has for decades championed many causes in preservation and conservation of buildings in Malaysia.

She cites various examples in which not just buildings with historical backgrounds, but any common and ordinary public space or area may have substantial social connotations worth preserving. She gives an example of a community field in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, that had to make way for recent redevelopments for the Little India zone.

“A padang is a padang is a padang,” says Elizabeth. “There are probably thousands of those in the country. But when you consider the setting of the fields, who use them on a daily basis, the activities organised in these settings,
the interaction between communities that take place in these seemingly ordinary places, then you can begin to understand their real value. Any redevelopment will fracture the original settings in these contexts”.

Rapid modern development and expansion of infrastructure have naturally claimed casualties along the way, not just in major cities but in rural areas too. Sights such as malls, skyscrapers and flyovers crisscrossing our roads have become commonplace. Will this lead to the extinction of our built heritage?

“KL is going to lose a lot of its soul if it continues to push for development to the exclusion of culture. And we are not just talking about the typical, colonial-style heritage buildings that people often associate with preservation, but also ordinary public areas and structures that affect ordinary people’s lives. The built environment and human interaction are inextricably linked,” says the executive director.

Prison heritage: To illustrate this point, Elizabeth proceeds to give the example of Pudu Prison. It sat on prime land in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and was torn down a few years ago for redevelopment.

Recently, it was reported that it is going to be developed into a transportation hub. A prison is not usually a natural candidate for preservation, due to the obvious reason that it houses criminals and other undesirables of society. Nevertheless, critics objected to its demolition insisting that it should have been preserved for its heritage and tourism value.

A perfect example of a former prison turned into a heritage site is the world-renowned Robben Island in Cape Town, South Africa. It was once home to some of South Africa’s most famous political prisoners, including Nelson Mandela who spent a big chunk of his 27-years of imprisonment there during his fight for freedom during the apartheid regime. Robben Island is now one of South Africa’s most visited tourist attractions and it was declared a World Heritage Site in 1999.

“After it was announced that Pudu Prison was going to be torn down, a teenager came to Badan Warisan feeling very upset and implored us to do something about it,” Elizabeth reveals. “And he was not even born when Pudu Prison was operational! It was simply because he took the train everyday to school and passed Pudu Jail on the way. It was part of his visual landscape. He had an emotional attachment to the building and he felt that it was being taken away from him unfairly,” says Elizabeth recounting this unusual but heartfelt tale.

Elizabeth adds that if money is the only consideration for progress, then there will be no answer to the future survival of our heritage buildings. As well as questioning the price of land, we will also have to ask ourselves other intangibles which we will eventually lose through development. She says that the survival of heritage buildings will depend on having a reliable and effective framework for the management of change, as well as cultivating communities
that are willing to take responsibility for these changes instead of leaving them solely to the authorities.

 

comCardosa, Executive Director, Badan Warisan Malaysia

 

Aerial view of Pudu Jail.

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