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Kuching historical buildings to go PDF Print
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Friday, 26 June 2009 10:46

(NST) KUCHING: Old buildings along a stretch of Sungai Sarawak's south bank in Kuching City will be demolished to make way for the Kuching waterfront extension project.

The stretch, known as Kuching Bazaar, was a bustling trading centre during the White Rajah era.

Among the buildings are Gambier vegetable market, fish market, poultry market, old information office, garment store and Ban Hock wharf hawkers' centre.

The buildings, which are more than 100 years old, will be demolished in three weeks' time.

"Gambier Street is where Kuching started.

"Even if they want to develop the place, these historical buildings should be preserved for the coming generations," Padungan assemblyman Dominique Ng Kim Ho said yesterday, during a signature petition campaign to stop the demolition.

He said he met with officials from Kuching North City Hall and was informed that they had no choice but to carry out the instructions of the state government and go ahead with the exercise.

Ng said the petition would be sent to Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

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written by technoboy, June 26, 2009 10:48:57
History verses $, with corrupted regime in power, history has got no value, what is important is to reap the $ before next GE!
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written by quietguy, June 26, 2009 11:27:21
densemy, why do you have to drag Islam into everything?
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written by Food Thought, June 26, 2009 13:40:02
What a pity.. all because of the new state assembly building on the opposite site? smilies/angry.gif . Those old historical buildings should be preserved!
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written by densemy, June 26, 2009 14:16:56
quietguy and macakmy... simply because in Malaysia, Islam is into everything. It dominates every aspect of government related activity
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written by toorikakari, June 26, 2009 14:32:32
Quote :
"Gambier Street is where Kuching started.

"Even if they want to develop the place, these historical buildings should be preserved for the coming generations," Padungan assemblyman Dominique Ng Kim Ho said yesterday, during a signature petition campaign to stop the demolition.

Unquote:

Its sad to see many historical buildings go, which infact are to be preserved. As Malaysians, we are to be proud of our culture and heritage. The legacy left behind by the Brooks and British is something for us to be proud of. Preserving these buildings and getting a recognition as one of the world's herritage site will make Kuching Water front a major tourist attraction. The revenue to be generated for East Malaysians will be more than redeveloping it which will only benefit a few in hand.

Should the local council sees potential in developing Water Front and is sincere about it, i would suggest that they could do it further upstream where vast undevelop land rests. This is how a City expands its territorial boundries.

I am sure the local council is aware of the many disadvantages of demolishing the historical building.

If the government wants to rewrite history, then, demolish A Formasa, since it sits in the middle of Malacca, demolish Sultan Abdul Samad Building for its the heart of Kuala Lumpur and redevelop the area! As this act will entail more income for the selected few. Also, demolish KL Tower as i dont think it attacts the number of tourist it was meant to. Hence, re developing the area may entails more income. What is the government's take on this?


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written by beijing, June 26, 2009 14:39:13
Not many people know what is his "Pek Moh" plan. But just to remind all Sarawakian, he is planning and already in progress to buy all the land along the Kuching River especially near the Isthmus development site. All the land will under CMS Company which is his family company la. And some of you don’t be surprise when your land title cannot be renew when the time come. So, to destroy the historical building not the new issue but it is just an issue that for opposition to make some noise. But why only now the opposition come to make noise la? Even though Dominique Ng sends thousand and thousand petition but the decision already final. But the clear picture we can see today, no development or any kind of reinstallation or restructure back of the historical building is carry out. It’s just sitting there and waiting for collapse pieces by pieces. Do you think the majority “STUPID” Sarawakian know what the value of historical building? No, they don’t know. They only know “Wah! Wah! Wah! New building, nice building, colorfull building and so on… So, this bunch of shit would not care about if the state government wants to tear down the whole Sarawak historical building. They are more concern about if some one going to tear down they poster of “Daching” or Barisan Nasional.
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written by Kathy, June 26, 2009 16:22:58
What's the point of petitioning the Chief Minister. Just look at that monstrosity he has built on the river bank where the Astana and Fort Margherita are sited. He has no regard for history as he wishes to rewrite it himself (word is he fancies himself as a descendant of some royalty in Brunei). I can't understand why we need to demolish historical buildings to rid ourselves of a colonial past. No amount of demolition will get rid of the past. We just have to move on whilst saving our history for the younger generation.
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written by panca, June 26, 2009 18:46:57
Typical of such govt, money and that's it. Erase history and now the white-haired rajah beruk re-write history. Once gone and it's forgotten. Sarawakians SHOULD PRESERVE that part of history and not keep quiet about such drastic move by the government that did not consult the people.
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written by Bigdawg, June 27, 2009 01:26:52
Some lame brained people need their brains examined!
Sarawak has had only 170 years of history, much of it not seen anymore because of a backward past.

Old standing structures therefore become more of intrinsic value historically; so why is this government in a big hurry to demolish every little thing that it thinks is in it's way?

As an example of an error, the White Rajah's old Astana has lost much of it's intrinsic value due to extensive expansion, and does not hold much of an interest any longer.

What can any tourist guide say to his guests, except to say :

"This is the new Kuching. There used to be a godown and wharf here where spices from Sarawak were loaded onto sail-ships, Chinese junks, and then modern steamships headed for England, China and the world.

Where Ford Model T, and Morris Minors from England were first landed in Sarawak.

But now all that is gone. Across the river, that horrible structure that looms overhead reminds us of Mongolians in a faraway land with their spikey-topped tents.

That white walled structure on the hill used to be where the nephew of Rajah James Brooke lived, the Rajah Charles Vyner Brooke. It has been over-extended and doesn't look quite the same as when Rajah Vyner left it in 1946.

Rajah James himself had a wooden one built of belian; that was burnt down in a fire during a people revolt. Soon after, Rajah James formed a Dayak battalion as his homeguard force. The Dayaks were most loyal to him and paid him great respect."

Sarawak's history began from 1841; any tale or story of Sarawak, has that very beginning. There is not much other evidence, except for chinese porcelain and vases, chinese silver trinkets, all that which cannot inspire historic tales.

Removal of bronze portraits of the former Rajahs embedded in memorial structures from public view to erase Sarawak's colonial past is also a folly of past administrators.

However one writes on history of Sarawak, one cannot escape from the fact that James Brooke, Englishman, sailor, adventurist and Rajah made a beginning for Sarawak.

If there were no such person, Sarawak very well would not have made it into Malaysia as we know it today. Most probably, we would all be speaking Bahasa Indonesia and sending maids to the peninsular.
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