KOTA KINABALU: An environmental activist, Dr CY Vun, disagreed with the recent suggestion to relocate the War Memorial at the City Park in front of the Kota Kinabalu City Hall to its original location in Gaya Street.
Vun described the suggestion by Pertubuhan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Sabah Chapter and supported by the Architectural and Cultural Heritage Society of Sabah, as not only practical but also devoid of good reasons.
He said his research showed that in the 1970s the people were against the relocation of the War Memorial, a sandstone cenotaph that was unvelied on May 8, 1923 at Gaya Street in memory of those who perished during the World War One. However, the authority gave good reasons to convince the public that it should be shifted then.
“Now members of PAM suggested the War Memorial be shifted back to its original site with no good reasons.
“In fact, as a professional body, PAM should instead urge the government, in particular the City Hall and the tourism authorities, to beautify the present location of the War Memorial and the surrounding infrastructure so as so further enhance its appeal as one of the premier tourist attraction sites in the City centre,” he said.
Vun also questioned whether PAM had consulted or sought the views of business operators along the Gaya Street, and as far as he understood the operators were not in favour of its suggestion.
“What is wrong with the present site? It spacious enough and does not cause any obstruction to the government to hold the memorial service or private sector to organise activities there anytime.
“The cenotaph is around 90 years old … has caught up with age and, in view of its brittleness it should be restored and further beautify, and should not be shifted around unnecessarily,” he said.
Vun reasoned that shifting the War Memorial to the original site in Gaya Street is impractical and also infeasible in view of the fact that the area is congested and busy almost daily, particularly on Sunday where the popular weekly trade fair is being held there, rain or shine.
“During the Gaya Street Fair you can see how congested the area is and how aggressive those hawkers conduct their businesses, tying their ropes to hold their tents everywhere. Worst still, the cenotaph will likely be vandalised or even damaged as people would certainly sit or stand on it.
“And should a ceremony be conducted there, other than no ample space, it would block the two busy streets unnecessarily,” he said.
According to him, a historical site like a War Memorial is meant to be kept in a particular place permanently, restored, maintained and beautified, and not meant to be shifted around at the whims and fancies of any Tom, Dick and Harry.
Vun also questioned the real motive of PAM’s sudden suggestions without prior consultation with the members of the community, especially the business operators in the vicinity.
Last week, PAM Sabah Chapter urged for the War Memorial monument to be brought back to its original spot in Gaya Street in a small open area facing BB Cafe and Party Play Lifestyle ?at the intersection of the former Dunlop Street and Main Street along what is now known as Gaya Street.
Its chairman Ar. Victor Wong opined that it’s high time for the people to acknowledge the importance of restoring our city landmarks.
“A lot of confusion over our local history and places stems from the fact that monuments such as these were moved from one place to another. While it may have been a well-intended action back in the 1970s, removing the monument from Gaya Street was an oversight because its current location is not historically accurate,” Wong added.