And so it goes... the famous Bok House - that grand old mansion built by millionaire Chua Cheng Bok in 1929, has been demolished in the name of development. If such a grand monument, and surely one that qualifies many times over as a heritage building, can be destroyed, one need only venture a simple guess as to the fate of the lesser-known historical buildings in and around Kuala Lumpur, and the rest of the country.
To me, the use of the 'definition of a heritage site' is a lame excuse for the monument's destruction. Let us be totally honest about this - it is all about whether the powers that be really want to protect it or not. I think we know what the answer is.
And the other excuse - financial - is even more laughable. We can spend untold sums of money building giant artificial flowers and birds in an effort to 'beautify' our country, yet we cannot afford to upkeep an existing and real historical and cultural heritage.
I weep for the historical states of Penang and Malacca. Even as we boast about the large number of pre-war and historical buildings still extant in these two historical enclaves, they are sytematically being eaten up by these vultures of so-called development.
To those in power, here is my message: Please stop boasting to our foreign tourists about having historical and cultural sites in our country on one hand, while on the other hand you allow them to be destroyed. If your ultimate agenda is to have whatever that is left of history in the country to be annihilated, then kindly keep your mouths shut, lest you be accused of double standards and hypocrisy.
No comments:
Post a Comment