Delisting Penang heritage status may not be such a tragedy

If George Town is not ready to live up to the stringent standards required of a site inscribed on the World Heritage List because of inadequate and opaque policies, then perhaps a delisting is not such a tragedy.

IS THERE any interest or concern that Penang's George Town heritage status remains in jeopardy?

While the state and local authorities continue to alternate between passing the buck and showing no sense of urgency, heritage advocates and property developers are fast losing their patience.

The Penang state government is dragging its feet in making a firm stand on whether it wants the status to be maintained by trying to drag certain individuals from the previous administration into the fray.

The Penang Municipal Council - which played a pivotal role in the heritage listing process by compiling the nomination documents - is finding ways to wash its hands off as it explains to developers why the original nod given to projects in the heritage zone is being reviewed.

The council has also gone on record in playing the wait-and-see game on how the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry and Unesco will react to the state of affairs with the listing issue.

It has been three months since Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said that George Town risks losing its place on the World Heritage List, because the four projects had contravened height-restriction rules imposed by Unesco.

Apart from spooking existing and potential investors for heritage development, little has been reported on what the state has done or intends to do to address this situation.

No information has been disseminated either on a management plan or its implementation, which is a requirement for a world heritage site.

There is also silence on the fact that two officials from the municipal council were summoned by Unesco to Paris recently for a briefing on the status of the "offending" development projects.

The shroud of secrecy is being attributed to a caution from the Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry for the state not to publicly discuss the matter, but deal with it in private.

This cat-and-mouse game does nothing but lead to suspicions that something is clearly not right.

Why is an issue which involves the people of Penang and a decision which is likely to affect their lives being kept under the covers?

One investor - Asian Global Business Sdn Bhd (AGB) - which received planning permission in 2007 for its RM400 million "Pier Hub @ Weld Quay" project is now in a bind.

The municipal council is not renewing their lapsed planning permission and withholding the building plan.

The company claims it submitted its application to the council for renewal last November and payment was acknowledged, but the council has not said in writing why an extension is still not granted.

The company was granted permission to build at 51.7m in 2007 and said it was not informed of a supposed 18m or five-storey height restriction imposed for new developments at Unesco-listed sites.

Upon hearing that AGB is considering legal redress because it has already sunk millions into a project which is going nowhere, the chief minister has scrambled to say the state is committed to heritage conservation.

An interesting point to note is that another development which has exceeded the 18m- height restriction is coming up a stone's throw away from AGB's proposed site.

Also of interest is a project which was reportedly approved in haste in the heritage buffer zone and said to be at 84.4m.

Why are stop-work orders not being issued for the projects if the state is truly serious about contravening Unesco rules?

To claim ignorance of Unesco listing requirements close to a year after being inscribed on the prestigious list is no longer acceptable.

To cover up for any mistakes which have been or are still being made also goes against the grain of the state government's policy to rule with competency, accountability and transparency.

An even greater injustice is the neglect to convey vital information to property developers when they applied for permission to build in the heritage zone, and now punishing them with all kinds of road blocks.

While finger-pointing at this stage may be a pointless exercise, the question which begs an answer is: Who is really in charge and does anyone care if the listing status is revoked?

If George Town is not ready to live up to the stringent standards required of a site inscribed on the World Heritage List because of inadequate and opaque policies, then perhaps a delisting is not such a tragedy.

Malaysia remained a blank spot on the World Heritage map for Asia for more than a decade after being a party to the World Heritage Convention in 1988, before it decided to nominate various sites for inscription on the World Heritage List.

There should be no shame in admitting that the state was and still remains unprepared for this heritage undertaking.

The greater shame lies in having banished George Town from the list due to a lack of political will, abdication of responsibilities, finger-pointing and indifference.