You know that radio ad that’s aired on Hitz.fm that goes:

Son: Dad, what’s a “ha-ri-mau“?
Dad: That’s the day when you want a lot of things.

to this:

From what has been reported, it seems that the trustees of this mansion had decided to have it taken down after having been told that it is structurally unsound, and have hinted that it is economically imprudent to self-finance its restoration. This has sparked a fight by the gatekeepers of everything Malaysian, the Badan Warisan Malaysia. A glimmer of hope arrived in the form of the National Heritage Act, which aimed to gazette and protect anything of cultural significance to the country. Looking at the remains of the this mansion, it seems like the Bok House is not considered as one.

To know more about that eventful demolition of the 87 year old mansion that signified a battle lost by Badan Warisan Malaysia, read their side of the story here. The trustee of the Bok House has also written to The Star in response to this fiasco some time ago, read it here.

While it may seem unfair for the owner of such heritage buildings to bear the costs of its restoration and maintenance, it seems like the country has not decided on how it wants to manage these buildings. Is the country willing to see its heritage being sold in the name of development? Or is it willing to fork out the money for the future generations to appreciate? On top of that many of such buildings, including the former Bok House are located in prime areas. Just look at the fate that befell the former Bukit Bintang Girls School.

So, visit Pulau Redang while you still can. Multiple storey apartments may invade it anytime. Worse, the island could be declared duty free (!). Take your kids for a stroll down Jonker Street or Chinatown, as if it’s not all homogenized and generic already right now. Visit in anywhere that’s over a hundred years old. Eat in your favourite wantan mee stall in Pudu or buy from your magazine establishment in Lebuh Ampang while you still can, especially those that have been around for over 50 years. Time may lead them to either commercialise and succeed, or move out and wither. Not many of us are moneyed or powered to stop the tide of progress.

Each time I think about such things, I cannot stop myself from comparing it with what I saw in London, or even Glasgow, where so many of their old buildings are still kept intact. There is no need for me to say why this is so, as that is just stating the obvious. But why am I comparing ourselves with one of the richest nations in the world? We ARE, after all,

“better than Ghana”