A fragile world brand at our doorstep

An examination of the kudos conferred on Penang in the past three years reveals a set of key ingredients that are central to the success story, characterised by its people, places and practices.

(i) People: Exemplified by four truly self-made-in-Penang, global personalities: Datuk Dr Kenneth Yeang, recipient of the 2011 Merdeka Award for sustainable ecological design on a global platform; Datuk Lee Chong Wei, the world No 1 in badminton; Datuk Nicol David, the world No 1 in squash; and Datuk Jimmy Choo, world-renowned for his creation of high fashion shoes.

(ii) Places are exemplified by: Penang as a World Heritage Site and one of the world’s Top 10 islands to explore before you die; Laksa No 7 of the world’s Top 50 Best Foods; the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion as one of the world’s Top 10 Grand Mansions as identified by Lonely Planet and “the best accommodation in Malaysia” as reported by the Rough Guide.

(iii) Practices are exemplified by: Penang’s endorsement by Transparency International as being responsible for improving Malaysia’s ranking in its Corruption Perceptions Index due its open tender policy; the state attracting the highest foreign direct investment in 2010, obviously due to its attractiveness as a location and its policy on human resource development; and being the first state to reduce the use of plastic bags in supermarkets.

Lonely Planet identifies Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion, also known as the Blue Mansion, as one of the world's top 10 grand mansions.

The ingredients that underscore this sampling of accolades are longevity embodied in cultural and environmental sustainability, continuity of tradition, design and human excellence, a sense of individualism and a strong spirit of place. These are not my observations, but are simply what I have gleaned from the criteria by which Penang’s distinction is derived. The recognition is achieved through gutsiness, hard work and self-belief. And if these ingredients are assets to be protected, then actions that shape the public realm should not kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

While on the subject, I have four geese running free in my garden and they certainly are not prone to laying golden eggs, but these simple creatures protect me from snakes and intruders. They keep my home secure, where my children are taught to appreciate history, tradition and the preciousness of family which, through the constancy of living in one place over a long period of time, leaves them with a repository of happy memories and a sense of security and belonging.

These earth-bound birds symbolise a direction and directness that will sustain the place we call home, where the values that make Penang a unique destination are protected with the single-mindedness of a goose, which exhibits the secret genetic make-up of a ferocious and loyal guard dog with a nasty pinch.

Leaders see it as their life assignments to leave behind giant icons as legacies of their administrations. One hopes that in the passing of the generations, a light bulb will come on somehow in one of their minds and offer the realisation that economic growth is not necessarily linked to real estate and infrastructure development and that the presence of building cranes and earth-movers do not equate with economic vibrancy or social equity.

Buildings that reach up to the sky do not symbolise progressiveness, where styles and forms are copied from the West ad nauseum, mimicking the very system that holds us all to ransom through their notions of bankability, monetary policies and the constant making of war. We do not have to play the Western game of “Monopoly”.

Not a single modern iconic structure in Penang falls within the halo of the ingredients of distinction. And yet we have built more square footage in the last 20 years than in the previous 200 years. Does anyone tout Penang’s Komtar as a modern architectural icon to visit before you die or as one of the former “tallest buildings in Asia”?

What about the world’s third longest bridge, the banal high-rises that overshadow our heritage areas or the wannabe shopping malls? I have yet to come across an international architectural magazine or academic journal that recommends Penang as a source of exemplary modern town planning or architecture. What new designs can we boast of that add value to the early planned enclaves in Penang that were based on continuity? Which of the master plans conceived in the minds of our political leaders have delivered the promise of utopia?

In the article “Making a city liveable” carried in the Penang Economic Monthly, August 2011, Chan Huan Ching wrote: “Looking critically around us today, we often ask if the cityscape in which we live was produced from past plans or if it was the result of natural evolution shaped by everyday interactions between people and activities, quite independent of planning. Surely, if our city today is a planned outcome, then why have we not yet seen a clean environment, smooth public transport, healthy living spaces and living conditions free from social ills promised by past plans? ... There was very little thinking about the price and sacrifices that city dwellers must pay as a collective in order to achieve these goals”.

Given this condition, a serious rethink is in order.

The Penang Forum, a large coalition of Penang NGOs, is saying “NO” to ad-hoc coastal land reclamation, intensification of spatial development that cripples heritage, traditional ways of life and consumes diminishing natural resources, high densities in the wrong areas that choke up the towns and create traffic jams, hill cutting that destroys the natural environment, reactivation of mega-infrastructure projects previously rejected by the people and draft plans that do not build social equity, enhance living conditions or protect the qualities that make Penang unique.

The coalition is convinced that if all of these scenarios are realised, Penang’s character and spirit of place will surely be lost. It advocates long term, in-depth public consultation that builds consensus and sustainable change. It is the most proactive and effective way forward to forge a viable future. The Penang brand is beautiful but fragile. It needs us to care for it in a holistic fashion.

Assoc Prof Laurence Loh, an architect by profession, has spent the past 26 years protecting, conserving, managing and sustaining the cultural heritage of Malaysia. He has garnered various Unesco awards for his work, the best-known of which is the restoration of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion in Penang. Loh is also deputy president of Badan Warisan Malaysia.