COMMENT The ongoing battle of words between the Penang Forum and supporters of the Penang state government over a letter the former sent to Unesco and its possible impact on George Town’s Unesco World Heritage Status (WHS) is a sign of the growing pains associated with the management and protection of the historic city.

Firstly, let’s set aside the drama. The George Town Unesco WHS, tied with historic Malacca, is in no immediate danger of being de-listed. The process of de-listing begins with being put on the “endangered list” and if remedial actions are taken all will be well. In any case, it takes up to 10 years before a site is de-listed.

Secondly, the National Heritage Department’s (JWN) decision to declare the Sia Boey site a protected site owing to recent archaeological discoveries gives the impression that Penang is not “protecting” its heritage site. This is not the case as the “discovery” was made at the behest of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC), which is the landowner of Sia Boey.

It was also at the invitation of the PDC that the Centre of Global Archaeology at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) was commissioned to carry out an archaeological dig. Both PDC and USM carried themselves professionally and the reports they submitted is convincing enough for JWN to declare the site a protected zone.

The potential for the expansion of the Unesco WHS to include Sia Boey, as originally envisioned a decade ago by the proponents of the WHS listing, is now clearly backed up by archaeological findings. If JWN can be convinced that the arguments are strong enough, this controversy is indeed a silver lining whereby Unesco can be invited to evaluate the management qualities here to see if the protection accorded to the WHS can be extended.

Whilst some members of civil society are unhappy with the state government and its supporters for taking a hard line stance against the Penang Forum’s decision to write directly to Unesco, it is very clear that in our digital age, it only takes an email to keep the World Heritage Committee informed about the management and care of a site. This is but one of many challenges in managing a world heritage site where eyes are on George Town globally.

In fact, Unesco encourages NGOs and individuals to keep it informed. Obviously, only information of merit and strong evidence will result in any action. To date, Unesco has not officially contacted the state party (JWN) or the Penang state government about any imminent danger to George Town’s WHS status.

What has stirred the hornet’s nest is not so much Sia Boey’s protection or even the potential expansion of the Unesco WHS but rather the proposal by certain quarters that a transport hub be sited next to it. Whilst outside the buffer zone of the Unesco WHS, the potential impact of a transport hub on historic George Town may be very high. As such, a heritage impact assessment should be carried out if indeed such a development were to be officially proposed.

Sustainable and inclusive development

The real issue that is escaping most of us is not so much the future of the WHS but rather the model of development it represents. If the type of development we want is modelled on sustainability, we need to take into account how we are using our resources.

Heritage is all about future planning as we are not protecting a site for ourselves but for future generations. More importantly, when we applied for Unesco WHS inscription, we also subscribed to the ideology of sustainable and inclusive development, which is not only material but also social and cultural.

More importantly, sustainable development was never meant to be confined to just a square mile of George Town. It was to encompass and be a model for the rest of the island. This model of development, one that takes into account the importance of built heritage and our cultural identity, is now a winning formula for making liveable cities.

Since July 2008, the stewardship of the Penang state government of the George Town Unesco WHS has been positive. Having a ringside view of things, the state government’s commitment to protect and promote historic George Town is there for all to see.

Gentrification has set in as expected with WHS listing and there are immediate threats to the city’s intangible cultural heritage. But on the whole, the state government, despite its many resource limitations, has fulfilled its obligations as indicated in a consultation session with Unesco last December. To its credit, Penang will also be gazetting the Special Area Plan for the George Town WHS next month.

Ultimately, it is not only the government that is responsible for the long-term protection of the site, it is also the responsibility of citizens to work together to ensure the site’s outstanding universal values continue to flourish. In short, heritage status does not mean that there can be no development. Instead, it offers an opportunity for us to ensure that development is sustainable and inclusive.

I am confident that the present decision-makers in my home state will do us all proud. It is time to put away the cudgels and come back to the fold to work on a development plan that will be a real game changer for Penang. One that will revolutionise public transport and enhance the state's unique cultural identity.

The journey may have started at the WHS but it is now moving beyond those boundaries into Sia Boey and beyond.

NEIL KHOR completed his PhD at Cambridge University and now writes occasionally on matters that he thinks require better historical treatment. He is quietly optimistic about Malaysia's future.