July 7 — George Town’s Unesco World Heritage status is not under threat, with Penang continuing to preserve the site’s Outstanding Universal Value (OUV), state Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Wong Hon Wai said today
Wong said George Town’s World Heritage Site remains in a healthy state as the city marks the 18th anniversary of its inscription as a Unesco World Heritage Site
“The heritage status of Penang is not under threat but has grown positively and in healthy status,” he said during the launch of the Cultural Heritage Hub (CH2)
Advertisement
Advertisement
He said Penang has successfully maintained the site’s OUV through legal frameworks and planning policies, supported by the collective efforts of George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI), the Penang Island City Council (MBPP), the Office of the State Heritage Commissioner, Penang Global Tourism, the state government, non-governmental organisations and local residents
While existing guidelines and the Penang State Heritage Enactment continue to safeguard heritage buildings, Wong said the state is now broadening its focus to include intangible cultural heritage
As part of that effort, Penang gazetted 50 items as state heritage this year, comprising 28 heritage foods, 15 heritage sites and seven elements of intangible cultural heritage
The newly gazetted heritage sites include the Cherok Tok Kun Inscription, Fort Cornwallis, the Guar Kepah Archaeological Site, Penang Free School, Kapitan Keling Mosque, Leong San Tong Khoo Kongsi and St George’s Church
Advertisement
Advertisement
Wong said preserving these landmarks was essential to protecting Penang’s multicultural history, which continues to attract visitors from around the world
The seven recognised intangible cultural heritage elements are nasi kandar culture, kopitiam culture, the Thaipusam procession, the Chingay procession, the St Anne’s Festival in Bukit Mertajam, the Penang Tanjong dialect and silambam
The state has also gazetted 28 heritage food items, including cendol, char kuey teow, Hokkien mee, nasi kandar, pasembor, roti Benggali and teh tarik
Wong said the state government is supporting two joint nominations for Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list, namely Chingay by Malaysia and Singapore, and lion dance by Malaysia and China, with both nomination dossiers already submitted to Unesco
Advertisement
Advertisement
“Penang is also backing a proposed Unesco application titled ‘Historic Living Mercantile Settlements: George Town and the Indian Ocean’, led by the Government of India together with Masjid Kapitan Keling and Nagore Dargah Sheriff in George Town,” he said
He said the proposal is now at the exploratory and preliminary stage
Wong said the state is also continuing to identify more sites for protection
“We are considering these two sites, Makam Dato Koyah in George Town and Kwangtung and Tengchow Cemetery Number one, to be gazetted as state heritage sites,” he said
Earlier, Wong launched the Cultural Heritage Hub, a new adaptive reuse project involving seven and a half heritage shophouses owned by Lim Kongsi Toon Pun Tong that were destroyed in a fire in 2015
Advertisement
Advertisement
The clan association has leased the building to GTWHI under a 30-year agreement at a nominal rental
GTWHI will be fully responsible for the restoration works and for transforming the space into a heritage interpretation, creative economy and community engagement hub
Wong said the project demonstrates how public-private partnerships can help preserve heritage buildings while creating new cultural and economic opportunities within George Town’s Unesco World Heritage Site
