A visit to Penang is not complete without taking in the street art and wall paintings within the inner city of George Town.
Over the last few years, certain old walls in Penang’s capital, which earned the coveted recognition as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2008 alongside Malacca, have gained a new lease of life, thanks to the works of Lithuanian artist Ernest Zacharevic. His children-themed art pieces, such as the famous Little Children On A Bicycle mural in Armenian Street and Reaching Up mural in Cannon Street, have attracted people from all over the world to photograph them.
It is no wonder then, that George Town was named the Top 10 Selfiest Cities in the World by Time magazine last year, with some 95 selfie-takers for every 100,000 people.
Just last week, this World Heritage Site was named by Lonely Planet as one of the World’s Top 10 Cities. George Town came in fourth after Kotor in Montenegro, Quito in Ecuador and Dublin in Ireland. It was ranked above cities like Rotterdam in Netherlands, Mumbai in India, Fremantle in Australia, Manchester in UK, Nashville in Tennessee and Rome.
Lonely Planet writer, Brett Atkinson had described George Town’s increasingly modern and arty spin as a fascinating counterpoint to its historical world heritage-listed streetscape.
He also noted George Town’s hawker food scene and singled out tamarind-laced asam laksa (a tangy, fish-based noodle soup) and the smokey, stir-fried goodness of char kway teow noodles as must-try dishes.
A special mention was also made by Atkinson of Zacharevic’s playful street art. Indeed, all Penangites deserve a pat on their back for achieving the numerous accolades.
Kudos also to both the previous and current administration for their continuous role in promoting George Town to the world.
Of late, however, concerns have been raised as to whether George Town is in danger of losing its World Heritage Site status following the lack of control on heritage building ownership within the heritage zone.
Reports have it that more than 100 old and heritage buildings in the World Heritage Site area and its buffer zone have changed ownership from locals to foreigners in recent times.
These foreigners are competing among themselves to purchase the buildings in order to turn them into exquisite gift shops, hotels and restaurants, which will lead to radical changes in the facade of the heritage buildings, without the heritage substance in their true sense.
Several quarters also claimed that if the trend continues unchecked, the cultural and historical legacies of Penang will diminish eventually. There is also the fear that over-commercialisation is putting George Town at risk.
Just like George Town, many other World Heritage Sites, too, are drawing a huge number of tourists in a very short time, resulting in the conversion of many old shophouses to hostels and cafes.
For Penang Heritage Trust honorary secretary Clement Liang, what worries him more is the fact that George Town is fast losing its inner city residents due to evictions and rental increase, and to increasing gentrification. He added that “our living heritage is a vital element in our Outstanding Universal Values”.
Based on the last survey, the resident population in the core zone has dropped below 10,000.
The population used to be 50,000 during its peak. The drop in population is attributed to the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2000.
According to Liang, George Town could learn from some countries where the authorities reserved the old houses and provided affordable housing to inner city residents.
One such example is in Germany and Austria where the urban population prefer to rent as the rentals are capped and regulated. He suggested that the Rent Control Act be reintroduced to help people cope with affordable housing.
“People want the World Heritage Site status because of its glamour and a tool to attract tourists. But, we forget the actual purpose of the World Heritage Site status is to preserve our heritage,” he added.
Penang’s journey to getting the World Heritage Site status and the listing of its great cultural townscape represents the culmination of efforts starting in 1996. It is the legacy of the previous Barisan Nasional state government, gained through sweat and tears.
Penang must take heed from the bitter lesson of China’s Lijiang on its World Heritage Site status. The over-commercialisation of the old town resulted in huge losses when the natives were forced to move out.
The changes in the socio-economic fabric in Lijiang prompted Unesco to step in and re-evaluate the coveted status, which at one time, China was at risk of losing.
The World Heritage Site status should be kept alive at all costs. It is everyone’s responsibility, both the government and the citizens.
We must all know what role each of us should play to preserve our heritage.