Senseless loss of heritage

Where real property is concerned, it’s an oft-quoted joke that the three most important factors to be considered are ‘location, location, location’. That joke is now a tragic end to a pre-historic remains of a 1200 years-old Sri Vijayan Hindu temple (known as Candi No. 11) in Sungei Batu area of Bujang Valley. Boasting a sprawling area of hundreds of acres, Bujang Valley is arguably Malaysia’s richest archaeological site and world-renowned for the preserved cultural remnants of ancient Buddhism and Hinduism as well as representing the beginning of early Malay civilisation. What is now left of the Candi’s immense historical value and significance, given its birth before the 13th century, is a piece of cleared land for a housing project.

 

 

The temple’s disappearance was discovered and brought to public attention by Datuk V. Nadarajan, a researcher on Bujang Valley history and recently confirmed by Penang’s Deputy Chief Minister II, Prof. P. Ramasamy, who had earlier researched on the Chola presence in Bujang Valley. Such destruction could have been avoided if the Merbok Land Office had monitored and notified the developer of the existence of this historical structure. Not only was this not done, the developer was also given the green-light to proceed with clearance of the site! One may argue that the developer's ignorance is not to be faulted when the supervisory powers of our Ministry seemed to have failed spectacularly.

 

 

Yet, it is undoubted that the sheer negligence involved has resulted in a senseless loss of heritage. It is a black mark for Malaysia, especially when other countries are part of a global effort to safeguard historical treasures for future generations. Against a backdrop of worthless rubble and bygone eras, we must realise that saving ancient historical monuments like those in Bujang Valley as well as other areas in Malaysia is a solemn duty imposed on all Malaysians. Similarly, the Federal Government must have the political will to act and punish those who destroy or abet in destroying our country’s rich historical tapestry. Regrets, apologies and even promises to rebuild are unacceptable for a lost piece of history. Even if the Candi was rebuilt in the 1970's using original materials as reported, we can't simply be satisfied in building another Candi (with new materials to boot!) on the original site. The debate has never been about building a new shopping complex to replace the old. The anger lies with the blatant disrespect towards our shared history, albeit historical monuments. If the relevant bodies are not held accountable for this debacle, a sequel to ‘The Lost World of Bujang Valley’ would be most unsurprising.

 

I am now living in a state which boasts of UNESCO World Heritage sites. While the island may be jam-packed with tourists during weekends, everyone clamouring to visit these protected areas, I do feel a sense of pride that there are heritage areas in Malaysia after all. Just as I travel overseas and chase after foreign historical monuments, I fully understand the breath-taking awe which overwhelms guests to my island. Every right thinking citizen of the world would realise that what we call as heritage including monuments and historical places are 'presents' from the earlier generations. And what we deem as our present is really our gifts over time to our younger generations. Although I welcome the Kedah State Government’s issuance of a stop work order against the developer, it remains a fact that a historical monument has been destroyed. Hence, measures must be taken to ascertain the offence(s) and prosecute the offenders.

 

 

The Kedah State Government should use this unfortunate episode to galvanise its efforts to preserve their remaining historical structures and artifacts. The Ministry of Tourism and Culture, particularly the Ministry’s Department of Heritage should also take immediate steps to list Bujang Valley as a UNESCO Heritage Site. By the way, I don't see a point of sending delegations overseas to promote Malaysia when there is little or nothing to be promoted about. We don't need another shopping mall, everyone has one. But how many visitors can proclaim that they have a monument they're proud of? I am not an architect by training. Yet, I could, and so should you, appreciate Frank Gehry’s observation that - 

‘in the end, the character of a civilization is encased in its structures’.