GEORGE TOWN, Jan 24 – Penang risks losing its cultural heritage to the booming tourism industry, whose growth, ironically, was spurred by the state’s rich history. The closure of five pre-war shops along Chulia Street is of concern to many, including a long-staying resident of Penang from New Zealand, Mark Lay, who says that the closure of the shops to make way for a hotel was a classic example.
Lay said a visitor would want to see the “heart and soul” of Penang, such as old shops and dying trades, like antique outlets. “Tourists come to Penang to look at cultural heritage and everyday life, not to hang out in some fancy café and hotels that they can get in their own countries, ” he told The Rakyat Post.
Well-known heritage tour guide Joanne Khor advocates responsible tourism, which she says was rapidly expanding throughout the world with many guests researching hotel choices based upon responsibility. She suggested that tenant inclusion in the hotel project could serve as a benchmark and catalyst for tourism responsibility for others to emulate in the George Town heritage enclave.
“The eviction of these five tenants, who have been here for an average of at least half a century, represents an erosion of the Outstanding Universal Values (OUV’s) of cultural intangible heritage and tradition, for which George Town was awarded the Unesco World Heritage Site status in 2008.
Lee Beng Guat, 80, one of the tenants of the shops which sells antiques and knick knacks, said she was sad that she would be evicted as the shops held a lot of memories, including making a lot of friends. However, she and her fellow tenants do not have much choice.
“I’m already 80, what else can I do? Not much choice is being given to me and there are no amicable discussions and solutions. “We have been told to evict by March 1, with a grace period until April, and we’re just like wasting our time away, taking one day at a time.”
Her husband, Soo Yeow Hoay, in his 70s, said he and his wife were forced to accept their fate. Legal notices were served late last year to the tenants who are proprietors of an array of businesses, including dealing in recyclable items, chemical supplies, machinery repair and a scrap metal shop.
