World Heritage listing: Some words of caution

Following Unesco’s recognition of George Town and Malacca as world heritage sites, LW wrote these important words of caution, which I thought I should highlight:

I just hope, though, that this listing will actually bring about more context sensitive and local-culture-based modes of development in Penang and Melaka that are sustainable in the long term - not speculative and profiteering projects that will only earn quick cheap dollars from tourists but suck the life out of the cities.

George Town, Malacca now Unesco World Heritage sites

Armenian Street in George Town, which has the largest collection of pre-war houses - over 12,000 in all - in South-East Asia. Photo credit: Wikipedia

The Stadhuys Square in Malacca Photo credit: Wikipedia

Rua das Flores (Flowers Street), the main street in Curitiba, Brazil, has been a pedestrian avenue since 1972. Penang Road and other streets of George Town could be turned into pedestrian malls, serviced by buses and trams. Photo credit: http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=377289

The historical Straits Settlement cities of George Town and Malacca have just been classified as Unesco World Heritage sites.

“The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia,” said the citation on the Unesco Heritage list website.

This comes as a major boost to the lack-lustre economies of these two states.

The new status is the result of a 11-year-long struggle. “It has been a touch and go affair until the last minute,” said heritage conservationist Loh-Lim Lin Lee, when contacted.

Gloomy outlook for Malaysian economy

Today I was chatting with someone who owns a few stationery shops in Penang and I was told that “business is down” because prices have gone up. Later in the evening I chatted with the cashier at a petrol station and he told me that sales volume was down.

So it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that we are in for some gloomy times ahead especially with a global economic slowdown expected in the second half of the year.

I culled the following from various analyst reports on Malaysia:

• Global economic slowdown 2H 2008
• Slowdown in Malaysian exports to US and UK (esp electronics)‏
• Trade surplus will narrow
• High commodity prices support palm oil, oil exports
• Fiscal deficit could soar to 5% of GDP in 2008-2009
• Possible fiscal pump-priming
• RM1.5 billion to subsidise rice farmers
• More imports of rice from Thailand
• Delay in large infrastructure projects

LIVE: Oil price hike protest

Malaysia Today is now accessible at this URL: http://202.75.62.194/

2245: Anwar has addressed the crowd of not more than 10,000 people, about 85-90 per cent Malay, mostly young people. He explained the political circumstances surrounding the sodomy allegations at this time, saying there was great fear among the BN that they could lose power.

Najib came under fire too and Anwar told the crowd they could see the DPM’s office if they had any problems.

He also maintained that he could reduce the price of oil. How exactly he would accomplish this, he didn’t say. Instead, he said he would reveal more details on the 15th. My source at the scene believes that, from the hints he got from Anwar’s address, this could involve plugging leakages of funds. The event has now drawn to a close, thankfully without any major incident. Malaysians have once again asserted their right to freedom of expression and to freedom of assembly.

2200: Charles Santiago in the stadium reports that the crowd has now swelled to 10,000 as Kit Siang address the crowd.

2105: About 7,000 people are in the stadium now as the main speakers start arriving one by one.

2042: The stadium and the field are filling up. People are still arriving. The roads to the stadium are jammed.

1947: Malaysiakini reports that sections of the crowd were unhappy with a couple of the performances by two different rock bands. A member of one of the bands had shown his rear to the crowd; it was unclear if he had boxer shorts on. A mob rained projectiles on them, mostly water bottles. Earlier, about 700 Pas Amal members pulled out in protest at another rock band performance. That could partly explain the traffic jams later.

30,000 gather to listen to PR top guns

A large crowd has gathered in Seberang Jaya on mainland Penang tonight for a ceramah by Pakatan Rakyat leaders, according to a source.

Anwar and Guan Eng have been speaking. Among the hot topics are Najib as well as the issue of selective prosecution.

The ceramah comes on the eve of a scheduled protest against oil price hikes in KL. The speakers have been telling people to show up in KL. They are saying it’s the “last opportunity to tell AAB it’s time to wrap up and go,” says my source at the scene.