Activist in Penang are claiming victory after the Tourism Ministry announced that it will remove two RM150,000 concrete arches at the world famous botanical gardens.

NONE The two arches ( left ), one of them tilting, came under intense scrutiny of Penangites who claimed that the two structures were an eyesore with no historical nor cultural value.

The decision follows overwhelming opposition to the arches on the Tourism Ministry website survey , later backed by another survey conducted by Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Blogger and activist Anil Netto said that the decision to demolish the arches was highly symbolic because it shows that the public opinion cannot be ignored.

gerakan teh tarik forum 290808 anil netto “Never underestimate people power in influencing decision-making and even in over-turning decisions that seem irreversible,” said Netto in a posting yesterday.

“People power has now overcome the formidable arches, which even the mighty armies of imperial Rome would have had trouble bringing down,” added Netto ( right ), who is also the treasurer of Penang-based social reform group Aliran.

He adds that controversy surrounding the arches was a reflection of many wrongs in the country’s development process, which seemed to emphasise “mindless projects that pour concrete all over the place and damage the ecology”.

“It is time we become more sensitive to the ecology and treat nature with the reverence it deserves,” he said.

Penangites a discerning lot

Another blogger SS Quah said that Penangites were not “mindless simpletons” would would tolerate the “federal (government) largesse”.

“We can think for ourselves, and criticise and object and oppose whoever we see having made mistakes,” he said.

NONE USM's poll on the subject also indicated that 71 percent of 1,225 respondents wanted the arches removed. Respondents comprised 63 percent local Penangites, 34 percent from out of state and three percent foreigners.

Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen ( right ) said yesterday that Cabinet had unanimously decided to remove the arches after being told of the poll results.

The arches, which are part of the Gardens’ RM7 million expansion project was fiercely criticised by NGOs such as Friends of Penang Botanic Gardens Society, and Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) who claimed the arches “mar the natural beauty of the place”.

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