Sarawak DAP has urged the state government of Sarawak to set up a government-linked company similar to Penang's George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) to carry out the duty of preserving and enhancing state's cultural heritage.

"I really hope that our state government could be serious in preserving our cultural heritage and since the Penang government is so successful in doing so, our state should emulate their ways and policies like setting a government-linked company," said Sarawak DAP organising secretary Violet Yong.

Asked to comment on her recent four-day visit to Penang together with a group of Kuching-based journalists as guests of GTWHI, she said she was impressed with the state government of Penang’s commitment to protecting and enhancing George Town’s physical and cultural assets.

“The George Town world cultural heritage plays a major role in attracting tourists to Penang resulting in tourism becoming  the state's fourth revenue earner,” said Yong, who is Pending assemblyperson.

George Town along with Malacca were jointly awarded the coveted title of  World Heritage site and were listed as ‘Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca’ under the category of Cultural Heritage by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on July 7, 2008.

Own unique heritage

Yong said: “We can follow Penang by setting up a government-linked company like GTWHI as we also have our own unique cultural heritage.

“So far not much effort has been put in by the state government to preserve our cultural heritage,” she said.

"It gives me the feeling  that heritage sites are so fragile in Sarawak and  can be removed  at anytime  to give way for modern development to enrich a few cronies," said Yong.

She cited as examples the sites at  Gambier Street market, the Kuching waterfront and the Merdeka plaza  that had been demolished.

"We lost these historical sites forever to modern development. It really is very sad to think of the lost treasures," she added, pointing out that the State could have used all these historical sites to attract tourists to the state.

She said it was a wonderful experience to see and to know that the Penang Pakatan Rakyat government took pride in preserving their colorful cultural heritage.

"The Penang state government treasures the historical background of the state and tries its best to let everyone in Penang and those who visit the state know the story of origin of how Penang came about through architectural buildings and living heritage in the state," she said.

One of the GTWHI key projects was to undertake an intangible cultural heritage (ICH) inventory project with a focus on traditional performing arts and artisan skills, and traditional crafts and trades.

According to the briefing given to her, the GTWHI teams surveyed thousands of premises in the city and interviewed many individuals whose skills and expertise have been passed down through generations.

She said that due to their heritage declaration, these buildings many of them over 100 years old have become very valuable.

Before 2007, such buildings and premises might cost between RM300,000 and RM500,000 each, but now they are worth up to several million ringgit,  she remarked.