Penang has done ‘better job’ at protecting heritage, says Guan Eng

GEORGE TOWN (Dec 21): Penang has done a "better job than what was expected" in preserving and protecting its heritage, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

He said the authorities in charge of heritage – George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) – had been doing their part to preserve and protect heritage in the city.

GTWHI, he said, had even been praised by Unesco.

"We have the best run heritage unit, but of course, we are still learning.

"But if you see the face of heritage conservation and what we have done in the last seven years, I think you would say we have done a better job than expected," he told The Malaysian Insider in a recent interview.

As an example, he cited the restoration of the colonial Wisma Yeap Chor Ee in Weld Quay which now housed the Accelerator for Creative, Analytics & Technology (@CAT), Creative Animation Triggers (CAT) and science cafe.

He said the building brought together heritage and science, and even the Japanese ambassador was impressed during a recent visit.

He was asked to comment on criticism by some heritage activists that there was insufficient monitoring in the heritage zone to ensure the old buildings were properly preserved and that renovations followed the regulations.

Mark Lay, an activist with the George Town Heritage Action group, had recently told reporters that there was a lack of monitoring and enforcement by the authorities in the Unesco heritage zones.

This, he said, had enabled some errant building owners to disregard the strict requirements and regulations for renovations.

He claimed that some building owners were not using the right building material for their renovations, such as using plain cement instead of lime.

Apart from enforcement, there had also been concerns that too many heritage buildings and pre-war shophouses in the city were renovated and converted into tourism-oriented businesses like cafes and boutique hotels.

The trend had in recent years caused longtime residents of the city to be booted out by their landlords.

Commenting on this, Lim said there were pros and cons in the situation.

"When you open cafes, the buildings are restored according to the guidelines. If we don't allow them to open such businesses, the old structures don't get restored.

"Sometimes, it is a chicken and egg argument. How do you find a balance?

"What we do is make sure the buildings are not destroyed but properly preserved and protected," he said.

Asked about foreign buyers, like Singaporean developer Aspial Corporation's local subsidiary World Class Land (WCL) that has bought a number of properties in and outside the heritage zone at locations like Jalan Pintai Tali, Jalan Gurdwara, and Jalan Sri Bahari, Lim said: "What can you do? It is an open market.

"But they are also putting in the money for building restorations that most Malaysians (building owners) don't want to do. They (the foreign investors) don't mind spending the money."

Lim said efforts were also underway to restore six MBPP-owned prewar shophouses on Lebuh Kimberley.

The shophouses will house traditional craftsmen who had been instrumental in helping the city gain the Unesco recognition. -- The Malaysian Insider

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