Several NGOs today teamed up for a historical tour in an effort to stave off the mass rapid transit (MRT) project, which they fear will destroy buildings around Jalan Sultan and Jalan Bukit Bintang in Kuala Lumpur, many of which they consider to have historical value.

The group of some 50 people took off from the soon-to-be-demolished Klang bus terminal at 9.30am and planted black flags along their 3km walk to Jalan Bukit Bintang to mark the affected buildings.

NONECo-chairperson of the Committee to Protect Jalan Sultan and Jalan Bukit Bintang (CPJSJBB), Stanley Yong, explained that although black is the colour of mourning for the Chinese community, the purpose was to voice their grievances before there is need to mourn the loss of heritage.

Other NGOs present to show support were Majlis Permuafakatan Kampung Tradisi Melayu Wilayah Persekutuan (Muafakat) and Pakis Anak Muda. Also accompanying the group was Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun.

The group was led by two tour guides, who made many stops to explain, in Malay and in Chinese, the historical significance of several sites, the route of the MRT tunnels and the alternative route along Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock the MRT opponents have proposed.

One stop was at the Kwong Fook Wing Tailor on Jalan Sultan, where the third-generation tailor Kwong Kim Lyew, 64, boasted about his clientele.

Kwong said the second prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein had made his suits for his trip to China in 1974, two former Agong, and a former sultan of Negri Sembilan.

“The Chinese have a saying that wealth doesn’t last three generations, but I’d hate it if it was to end for something out of my control,” said Kwong of his 97-old business, which he hoped would see its 100th anniversary.

The group was then led upstairs to the Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association, which the tour guides said was a must-see place for theatre fans.

The opera troupes based here had often performed to raise funds for the anti-Japanese resistance movements in China at the dawn of  World War II.

The visitors were later treated to a poetry recital, in Malay and in Chinese, about defending the country’s heritage.

The group also made a brief stop outside a small red shed along Jalan Sultan, where the Chinese revolutionary Sun Yat Sen is said to have visited to rally support for his movement.

According to tour guide Teoh Chee Keong, the support of Chinese communities living outside China was instrumental in Sun’s effort to overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a republic in its place.

During the tour, the group was briefly stopped by two police officers in a patrol car. After being told that the group was a historical tour to appreciate KL’s history and also to oppose the MRT project, the police allowed the group to proceed, on condition they did not obstruct traffic.

The tour ended at 1.25pm at the intersection of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail, which is near the proposed site of the MRT's Bukit Bintang station.

The tour group finally dispersed after shouting slogans such as “save Bukit Bintang” and “save KL heritage”.

[PHOTO GALLERY]