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By Neil Khor. IT HAS been more than seven months since George Town and Melaka were declared world heritage sites by UNESCO. Many friends have come out to declare that they feel proud to be Malaysians, particularly those from Penang and Melaka. Most of the fanfare have now subsided and the pressure of development has brought us all down to earth.
The biggest question is “what is the value of world heritage status?” Can it feed us? Are tourism numbers really going up? Is tourism really good for us? Who benefits the most from heritage status? We are planning our cities based on guidelines we submitted, so what's the big deal anyway?
Other than for property owners in the inner city, tangible benefits from WHS are still not evident. Several of my property broker friends tell me that whilst property prices in the rest of Penang have fallen due to the global economic crisis, property prices in the inner city have not gone down. This should bring a smile to the faces of some of our property owners, who for the last 50 years have “suffered” under the conditions of the Rent Control Act.
What brings the smile to property owners will certainly wipe off the smile on the faces of the urban poor. As these properties are sold to new wealthy owners, their tenants are given short shrift and many will have to move out. Has the federal government through the social welfare department made plans to house these people?
Of course, many buildings in the inner city are held under family trusts. They cannot be sold until a certain time has lapsed. Some of these trusts have many beneficiaries, most of whom are contented to let things be. So, rents might go up but dramatic changes will not happen just yet.
Some enlightened property owners with access to a lot of cash have decided to restore their homes and properties. But other than for philanthropic reasons, are these restored buildings actually sustainable in the long run? Of course, some have been very creative. The ground floor is a restaurant, the middle floor is a youth hostel and the additional third floor houses swallows. It remains to be seen if this business model can work.
Boutique hotels are another innovation for the inner city. Of course, backpackers still flock to Chulia Street and that business model is obviously a money-spinner. For boutique hotels to work, one needs to create a personalised ambience and this means entire street corners will have to be upgraded. This is happening in Leith Street and Armenian Street. Can the momentum be sustained in the coming year of economic turbulence?
Finally, the thorny issue of mass development. In a world where sustainability is becoming a key focus, is the old real-estate driven paradigm of development finally coming to a close? Can George Town afford to build massive buildings that will bring more cars into the city? Of course, some developers are not interested in what they leave behind and we have only to turn to Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah (Northam Road) to see the effects of such an attitude. Is it time to introduce special legislation to regulate such activities?
So, what has WHS brought to Penang? Hopefully, a new mindset towards development. Detractors will say that we can do all the right things ourselves without international monitoring and without the “white man” to tell us what to do. But we have gone down that road for the last 50 years, bury ourselves in our own backyard and tried to ignore best practices. The result is there for all to see. Half-completed projects like KOMTAR, the urban sprawl that is Greater George Town and a lack of social housing throughout the island.
One tangible result of WHS is that different stakeholders are slowly coming together. Whilst the most committed Lefty cannot stomach any form of compromise, most people will be able to accept them for a chance to move on. WHS is now moderating contending interests. So, property owners may be the first to have a smile on their faces but NGOs have now new roles to play. The local government in the form of the MPPP are also working very hard to improve services, particularly those related to regulations. If all work together, ultimately George Town will be a more liveable city. That will fill many bellies. Neil Khor Ph.D is the author of Glimpses Of Old Penang and other social historical accounts of Penang. He is currently post-doctoral fellow at the history department of the Faculty of Arts, University Malaya.
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