On pain of progress

Asia

Herald Sun
January 18, 2005

Well-preserved Georgetown is now in danger of being lost to
developers, writes Tom Cockrem

IT DOESN’T take long to fall in love with Georgetown, capital of
Penang. The old Chinese shop-houses catch my eye, with their
cloud-shaped vents and florid stucco decorations.

Through its years as a hub of inter-Asian trade, Georgetown has
managed to retain much of its original 19th-century character and
style.

The survival of the historic row and shop-houses has owed much to the
existence of one civil law: the Rent Controls Act. It ensured original
rents could not be raised. But the Rent Controls Act has now been
repealed.

This might see the original occupants having to vacate, leaving
Georgetown at the mercy of developers. They have already knocked down
the classic Metropole Hotel, all but the facade of the Eastern &
Oriental Hotel (the Raffles of Penang) and many of the finest
bungalows and villas that graced millionaire’s row, Northam Rd.

Armed with Streets of George Town by local resident Khoo Su Nin and a
copy of Jejak Warisan Penang heritage trail map, I’m off to get to
know my new love better.

The trail takes me to the substantial remains of Fort Cornwallis,
built in 1793 by the original settlement’s founder, Francis
Light. Down Light St, the town’s first thoroughfare, I pass the
gleaming Municipal Buildings, then the Court and State Museum. All are
original and immaculate.

I also visit early 19th-century Christian churches, Chinese temples
and mosques and, most intriguingly, two of the town’s famous (or
infamous) clan headquarters – Khoo Kongsi and Cheah Kongsi – which
house fabulously ornate ancestral shrines.

The walk also brings me into the city’s ethnic quarters, or kapitans,
which Light set up: Chinatown, Little India and the Armenian St-Acheen
St enclave. The shop-house at 120 Armenian St served from 1909-11 as
the operational base for Sun Yet Sen, leader of the Chinese
nationalist revolution. It is now occupied by the office of the Penang
Heritage Trust.

The door is answered by none other than Su Nin, who is here to do some
research.

The house is furnished with gorgeous antiques and ornate wooden
screens. The former warehouse was restored by Su Nin’s family. She has
lived here, as did her grandparents in the 1920s. From Su Nin I learn
more about the architectural splendour the Penang Heritage Trust is
endeavouring to preserve, and the island’s history.

Originally called Pulau Pinang, Penang was annexed by the East India
Company largely through the urgings of Captain Francis Light. Once
settled, the colony boomed.

Georgetown soon became a prosperous haven for Chinese traders from
Malacca, Indian Muslims, Bugis from Sulawesi, as well as Armenians,
Persians and Arabs from Acheh. It was only the establishment of
Singapore in 1819 that eventually undermined Penang’s commercial
importance. British interests were supplanted by those of the resident
Chinese, Indians, Malays and Indonesians.

The repeal of the Rent Controls Act suggests the Heritage Trust’s
worst fears may soon be realised.

– MUST KNOW Malaysia Airlines flies to Kuala Lumpur 14
times a week from Melbourne, 11 times from Sydney, 11
from Perth, six from Brisbane and four from Adelaide.
Daily flights from KL to Penang.
– Best time to visit is in the dry season
(non-monsoon) from March to October.
– Visas are not required for holders of Australian
passports with more than six months until expiry.
– Contacts: Golden Holidays, ph: 1300 656 566
– Penang Heritage Trust, pht.org.my (with a petition
to save Penang’s heritage).

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