Is Penang ready now that it is listed as one of Unesco’s World Heritage Sites?
With the inexperienced tourism exco holding the helm, I would say the answer is definitely a resounding NO but I will try to give him the benefit of the doubt that perhaps he will be able to take up this challenge of a possible influx of tourists to Penang in future and also to live up to this prestigious listing.
Unesco has listed Penang and Melaka together as the ‘historic cities of the Straits of Malacca’ as below:
Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.
This listing has been long awaited by the government and I have to say the previous tourism exco did quite a lot of stuff in preparation for this listing. But still, it is not enough. Check with the Penang Heritage Trust and they will tell you that the state and federal governments do not know anything about preservation and conservation of heritage and culture but of course they will not be so direct.
Well, the Penang state government really has to buck up now and they really seriously need to look at these issues RIGHT NOW:
- Enforceable guidelines on heritage and cultural conservation in George Town as in making sure that all renovations / rehabilitation of old buildings are according to heritage guidelines and not as the owners like
- Rejection of building plans for projects involving buildings over 5 storeys in inner George Town because it is detrimental to the heritage buildings around it
- Stern actions against the 508 pre-war house owners who had abandoned the buildings and left it all to rot
- Having in place a long term plan of conservation of the cultural heritage of inner George Town that is practical and ENFORCED.
- Protection laws to ensure that the cultural and historical values of inner George Town are not destroyed with too many modern developments. The reason it is listed is because of HERITAGE not because of some shiny new buildings.
- Having in place an efficient and effective tourism system (which is really lacking now) in preparation for an influx of tourists due to the listing.
- Cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness!
I do hope the Penang state government knows that not to blow this listing and waste the international exposure!
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