By Neil Khor. 

REALITY has a hard bite. Not only will we be facing the effects of global recession, Penang now walks on a tight-rope. Stray too far and we risk losing world heritage status.

There was much euphoria and fanfare in July when George Town and Melaka were made world heritage sites. The reality is that they both constitute a single site and that what happens in one city affects the other.

Richard Engelhardt, Senior Advisor to the UNESCO Secretary-General, warned that George Town risks losing its World Heritage Site status if the city does not comply with the guidelines the Malaysian government agreed to.

Four highrise development projects were highlighted. This is not the forum to debate the merits of the projects but we can certainly discuss that fine balancing act that the authorities have now to play between “development” and “heritage status”.

This is a complicated issue. Some people believe that only those who have more knowledge and expertise should be involved as decision-makers. The State Government has set up a Heritage Advisory Council but till now we have heard nothing much other than we have a council.

Secondly, the State Government is very limited in what it can do. It has to deal with newly discovered supplementary modifications to the world heritage site dossier which even UNESCO does not seem to be aware of.

Penangites must also remember that the State is limited financially and must spend whatever little funds it has very strategically. At the same time, the Federal Government not only holds the purse strings but also sets binding policies.

One of the most contentious is the decision to agree to height restrictions when they nominated George Town and Melaka as world heritage sites. International law, it seems, supersedes all local ones. So where are we on this matter?

The best thing we can do is to try to build bridges and put our nation before anything else. After all, we are merely custodians of two cities that have outstanding universal values.

NGOs that act as pressure groups must be allowed to do their job. Developers must temper their profit imperative. State Governments need to demonstrate leadership, doing not what is popular but what is right.

The decisions we make today will shape the legacy that we leave the younger generation. We need to make use of the WHS status to create a higher tourism offer. This means creating products that attract big spenders and smaller groups. Only this way can our economic future be secured.

As Richard Engelhardt said, “the most successful world heritage sites are the results of compromises”.

The people of Penang have risen to the occasion many times in the past and we will prevail once again. Perhaps the answer is to start a people’s movement – what we collectively believe to be worth saving. Only by such a movement, one that is inclusive and carries people forward, can we make a success of our world heritage city.

Otherwise, world heritage status will be meaningless.

Neil Khor Ph.D is the author of Glimpses Of Old Penang and other social historical accounts of Penang. He is currently post-doctoral fellow at the history department of the Faculty of Arts, University Malaya. 

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