Light a Lantern Save Jalan Sultan

Rather impressed, i am glad that finally the Kajang - Sg. Buloh MRT project, (linking several densely populated areas, important sites and tourist spots in Klang Valley from Kajang in the south and Sg. Buloh in the north of Kuala Lumpur) is approved and its construction has begun. Also, as far as i know, two more MRT lines are currently under final planning and evaluation that will cover larger hotspots area in the capital.

So like other tourists, when i was exploring the city, i saw posters of the "Light A Lantern Save Jalan Sultan" event pasted everywhere along Jalan Sultan and Jalan Petaling (Jalan = street). Majored in transportation (bachelor degree) and completed my master in Urban Agglomerations last year, and have been travelling all over the world, i can seriously tell you, all historical buildings should be remained untouched.

Our heritage is a legacy from our past. It is something we live with today and, hopefully, something that we can pass on to future generations. In every country, cultural heritage is both a record of life and history and also an irreplaceable source of creativity and inspiration. Our cultural and historical heritage, like our DNA, determines who we are, giving us both identity and the values that will guide our lives in this changing world.

Yet despite its importance, there is never any guarantee that heritage will survive and be passed on to the next generation. This has been true throughout history and it is even truer today. The best ever example would be the Jalan Sultan case. While the rest are busy rebuilding and restoring their heritage, we are destroying the priceless legacy. Pre-war shophouses on Jalan Sultan, some of which are more than a century old, are at risk of being demolished to make way for a underground station. A famous Malaysian tourist landmark known all over the world is now in danger of having its landscape changed forever. I am upset to know there's no prior consultation or correspondence from the government with the MRT operator and a compulsory land acquisition of the affected area in the bustling historic street that tourists like to hang around.

Number of countries have launched initiatives designed to protect and preserve their own cultural heritages. These initiatives are designed not only to protect famous monuments, buildings, and the natural landscape, but also the more ordinary buildings and objects that reflect the history and ways of life in each country. But the question is, why we would still have such conflict between heritage preservation and the development of public transportation in this 21st century. Where has the ethical considerations gone? Indeed, both can be co-existed if all parties (the government, the mayor, MRT operator, city planners, heritage preservation committees, NGOs, etc) work closely, smartly and wisely. Thus, station re-alignment please or make sure no historic buildings demolished for the project!

Light a Lantern, Save Jalan Sultan, 5th February 2012, Jalan Sultan, KL

一個國家如果沒有歷史性的建築物

就好像一個人有華麗外表沒有内涵

無論你有多漂亮身上穿的都是名牌

沒有別人欣賞的内在就會一文不值

每個城市都迎頭趕著崇拜摩登潮流

密集的高樓大廈及複雜的交通系統

隨著我國本土及城市人口迅速上升

外勞被大量引進遊客也每年地增加

各大城市的交通也因爲車多而阻塞

我們真的需要一個健全的交通系統

其中地鉄暫時是比較行得通的計劃

話説回來我們也將建設一條地下鐵

連接上雪隆多個重要及繁華的地區

那剛好在蘇丹街也會有一個地鐵站

爲了建設這個站我們將要付出代價

幾個有歷史性的建築物將會被摧毀

爲何建設地鐵要犧牲這些建築物呢

其他國家忙著把摧毀的面貌再重現

我們就爲了一個地鐵站把它們消滅

須知這上百年的建築物是無價之寶

況且我們可以有更好的方案來處理

可以繞過這條街去另一條附近的街

或這個地下鐵的規劃根本就不完善

如果有關機構有認真仔細地去考察

而不是紙上談兵決定每個站的位置

應該去每個站實地考察觀察後決定

還要評估每個站附近一帶的潛值性

更應該要跟多方位的專業人士合作

這重大的計劃不能莽笨孤身作戰呀

一名在日本修讀土木工程的大學生

也在德國修完城市規劃的碩士學生

我知道我們有權利維護這些建築物

這些祖輩建立下的一定要保留下去

拜托你們不要再做些羞恥的決定了