Pointless Protest

 

Jetset 
 

I visited Petaling Street last Sunday and was amazed to find that more than 1,000 people had gathered to protest against the demolition of Bus Stand Klang, UO Superstore and Plaza Warisan for the construction of the MRT project.

 

From what I witnessed during the protest, one of the main arguments was that they considered the three buildings as heritage buildings. But how is this true? I do not see any point of categorizing these buildings as heritage as they are not even well maintained. In fact, the cleanliness level is horribly poor. I remember, a few years back while I was at Bus Stand Klang, all I could see was exhaust gas-stained walls and litter everywhere. If these buildings are heritage buildings, the authorities, or at least the people using them, should take good care of them. It’s strange that these dilapidated relics should suddenly be viewed as “heritage” buildings when it suits certain people’s interests.

 

Secondly, I do not understand why the protest will occur when the Government is basically demolishing their own buildings. The act is well within the boundaries of law. This is a democratic society and we can do whatever we want provided that it’s within the boundaries of law. Many landowners in the area have revitalized or reconstructed their buildings in some ways throughout the years and no protest was held. Even the three buildings were developed before. It is almost unconceivable when someone considers a supermarket as a heritage building (UO superstore)!  

 

Can we stop the madness once and for all and get going with the project? MRT is needed, let’s face it. Everywhere I travelled, I found that a public transport system cannot be stand-alone. It must be an entire eco-system of buses, trains, subways, trams, etc that are fully-linked and service virtually every area of a major city. They have to be well-built and well-maintained. They have to be well thought out so that upgrading works don’t happen every few years. MRT is going to do the same for us. Yes, there will be pain for the ones who considered ‘UO superstore as heritage building’ now. But look at how much public transport helps users and businesses around the public transport hubs. In Hong Kong, major MRT stations have shopping malls built next to them or above them. Huge residential developments surround most (if not all) MRT stations. Why? Because commuting is easier, to work, to school, to the mall…less time is spent being stuck in traffic, less money is spent on petrol or taxi fares, and everyone is happier.