KUALA LUMPUR: FOCH Avenue, Mountbatten Road, Birch Road, Treacher Road and Victory Avenue may be unfamiliar to many, but these are former names of arteries plied by thousands of motorists.
Throughout the decades, these roads have been renamed in honour of local figures, a prime minister and royal figures, including the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
For instance, Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock was Foch Avenue, Jalan Raja Chulan was Weld Road, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman was Batu Road, Jalan Maharajelala was Birch Road, Jalan Dang Wangi was Campbell Road, Jalan Tun H.S. Lee was High Street, Jalan Sultan Ismail was Treacher Road and Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin was Victory Avenue.
In other parts of Kuala Lumpur, Parry Road was named Jalan P. Ramlee after the late superstar, and Old Airport Road was named Jalan Dewan Bahasa.
Meanwhile, Davidson Road, Rodger Road, Cecil Street, Klyne Street and Shaw Road took after Melaka warriors Hang Tuah and his four brothers.
In 2014, City Hall announced that eight roads would undergo a name change: Jalan Duta would be known as Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, while Jalan Khidmat Usaha was renamed Jalan Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah.
Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah was the late sultan of Kedah, who was twice the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
Jalan Ipoh, from its Jalan Segambut-Jalan Pahang stretch, was renamed Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Persiaran Duta was changed to Persiaran Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin, while the Jalan Khidmat Setia-Jalan Ibadah link and roads were combined under the name Jalan Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
Lebuhraya Mahameru was changed to Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar.
In July last year, Jalan Semangat in Petaling Jaya started to be known as Jalan Professor Khoo Kay Kim. It was changed after Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah gave his consent for the street to be renamed in honour of the contributions of Khoo, a historian who died on May 2 last year.
Recently, Jalan Raja Laut 1 courted controversy when it was renamed Jalan Palestin.
Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan said the change symbolised Malaysia's support for the Palestinians' struggle against Israeli oppression.
Selangor historian Faisal Surani said: "If there is no necessity (to change road names), it is best to maintain the names.
"This is especially when the road and its surrounding areas are linked to respected local figures and has historical significance, value and the virtue of being a heritage site.
"Kuala Lumpur is a city that is more than 100 years old.
"Therefore, any move to change a name must take into consideration all these elements and must be done carefully," he told the New Straits Times.
Faisal said if a change was made by incorporating a foreign country's name, the respective embassy and the foreign ministry should be consulted, such as in the case of Jalan Raja Laut 1, which was named after the then Selangor Raja Muda, Raja Laut Sultan Muhammad Shah.
"When it comes to changing the names of a road involving someone with a royal lineage, it should not be done according to whims and fancies.
"Raja Laut was the Raja Muda in Selangor, as he was proclaimed to be in 1898.
"So if there is any change to the road's name, the sultan of Selangor and the Raja Laut's descendants must first be consulted.
"Raja Laut was a highly-positioned leader where he was the Penghulu of Kuala Lumpur, the founder of Kuala Lumpur Sanitary Board, the Malay Agricultural Settlement president and was involved in the developments of Kampung Baru," said Faisal.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Institute of Ethnic Studies principal research fellow Professor Datuk Dr Teo Kok Seong said there should be no more changes to road names in the future. "We need to appreciate and honour local figures and, at the same time, accept our colonial past.
"After all, it is part of our history and that was how Malaya and Malaysia came to be.
"A change doesn't hide or erase the fact that we were colonised by the Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and for a long time by the British before we gained independence in 1957.
"Of course, there are good and bad aspects of being colonised. But we did benefit from it, in terms of education and the Parliament's Westminster system, among others.
"We just have to take it in our stride and that will make us more resilient and stronger."
He agreed the amendment to the name Jalan Raja Laut 1 was unwise as the town planners back then had given thought in terms of local historical significance.
"The name of a road titled after a Malay royalty should not be changed.
"In terms of nationalism, it is wrong. It is such a waste to see the name (Jalan Raja Laut 1) changed.
"It is more than just a road sign.
"It is important to retain it, instill an appreciation and raise awareness on the person, history and contributions."