Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) can claim rights over the ‘Lunar Peaks’ (Puncak Purnama) sculpture created by Syed Ahmad Syed Jamal at the Jalan Sulaiman roundabout in Kuala Lumpur.

Federal Territories Minister Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor said Syed Jamal had taken DBKL to court after City Hall upgraded the sculpture in 1989, using its own funds.

“Pursuant to the case, the court decided that DBKL should compensate the original creator after which the sculpture would belong to DBKL,” Tengku Adnan said in a media statement in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

He was commenting on DBKL’s action to demolish the sculpture last Friday.

Among the factors for the demolition, he said, were that the sculpture was derelict and unsafe for the public to be around, subjected to vandalism, and a security concern with the presence of drug addicts and vagrants.

Tengku Adnan said the drainage around the site had also not been maintained and become a source for breeding of the Aedes mosquito.

“The site is also part of the River of Life project which is being implemented,” he said.

He said the water feature sculpture was built in 1986 under the sponsorship of United Malayan Banking Corporation (UMBC) and child adoption scheme. At the time the bank had its headquarters next to Taman Mini Puncak Purnama.

“The sculpture was neglected and as a responsible local authority, DBKL upgraded it in 1998, using its own funds,” he said.

Meanwhile, family members of the late National Art laureate said they were not informed of DKBL’s move and were upset when they found out that the sculpture had been demolished.

Syed Jamal’s son Syed Nabil Jamal told reporters at a press conference at the National Visual Arts Gallery in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, that the family only found out last Friday that his late father’s sculpture had been demolished.

His mother Hamidah Noor who was present at the press conference said there were no words to describe how she felt regarding the matter.

Meanwhile, National Visual Arts Development Board (BSVN) chairperson Mahadzir Lokman urged artists and art practitioners nationwide to register their works with BSVN.

“The registration is needed so that their artworks can be preserved and protected by BSVN to avoid any unwanted incidents in the future,” Mahadzir said.

- Bernama