‘Unreasonable’ to disband heritage body over George Town Festival’s teaser video: Penang CM

Chow Kon Yeow emphasises that its key role is to safeguard George Town's Unesco World Heritage Site status

1:30 PM MYT

 

GEORGE TOWN – It is unreasonable, says Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, after dismissing calls for George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) to be disbanded following the backlash over the festival teaser video.

He added that GTWHI, as a state government agency entrusted with overseeing the George Town Unesco Heritage Site, should be judged solely on its role in preserving the area’s status.

“I find the request for GTWHI to be disbanded just because it owns the festival to be completely unreasonable. GTWHI has been around for 16 years, and it has been given numerous awards and recognitions by Unesco and the World Heritage Committee.

“The heritage site (under GTWHI’s supervision) has been recognised as the best managed heritage site in Southeast Asia,” he told the reporters after visiting a heritage cafe here.

Yesterday, Sebarang Jaya assemblyman Izhar Shah Arif Shah of Bersatu called for GTWHI, which owns the festival, to be disbanded after the controversy that arose from the promotional video for the George Town Festival.

According to critics, the teaser video produced by the festival organiser only focused on Chinese and Indian cultures in the state and lacked Malay representation.

Izhar said the apology issued by the organiser was inadequate to allay the disappointment of the Malay community.

The festival organiser, Kerson Media Global Sdn Bhd, said it has removed the video and issued an apology, insisting that efforts were made in the planning and promotion of the festival to ensure an “inclusive, comprehensive and balanced representation”. 

The company also said the event scheduled to take place from July 19 to 28 in Penang’s capital city will feature eight programmes from Malay individuals and groups.

Meanwhile, GTWHI said in a separate statement that it had set performance benchmarks for the festival. 

Noting that 53 out of the 80 programmes set to feature in the festival will feature performances from local artists, GTWHI said it had advised Kerson Media Global to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

Chow also dismissed Permatang Pauh MP Muhammad Fawwaz Mohamad Jan’s call for the city to be renamed to Tanjung Penaga, saying that George Town, as well as other places in the country, have historical legacies that were passed down not only from British colonials but also from other colonial powers such as the Dutch, Portuguese and Hindu empires.

“It would be an enormous task to wipe out the legacies of all the colonial powers in this country.”

On Tuesday, Fawwaz suggested the renaming of the city to Tanjung Penaga, which was the city’s original name before it was changed by the British colonialists. 

In a statement, the PAS lawmaker said the renaming should be done to reflect Malaysia’s identity and that the state “should not take pride in the identity given by the colonisers”. – July 19, 2024

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