MPs claim heritage under siege by Menara Warisan
Published: Oct 10, 2013 8:29 AM | Updated: Oct 10, 2013 8:36 AM
The government needs to halt the construction of the 118-storey Menara Warisan as its current construction site close to Stadium Merdeka may disturb an area that should be preserved under a national heritage rule, opposition parliamentarians have said.
The government needs to halt the construction of the 118-storey Menara Warisan as its current construction site close to Stadium Merdeka may disturb an area that should be preserved under a national heritage rule, opposition parliamentarians have said.
DAP's Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun and Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming (from left, in photo) questioned why the project has persisted even though it was on Tunku Park, situated within 200 metres of Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara, both protected under the National Heritage Act (2005).
"We want to know if the Commissioner of Heritage, Professor Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid, has consulted KL City Hall (DBKL) on the possible negative impact of the building of Menara Warisan on these two national heritage sites," Ong and Fong said in a statement.
They noted that Tourism and Culture Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz had replied in Parliament last month that the Tunku Park was in fact within the buffer zone of the two stadiums.
"We also urge the commissioner, with the full support of the tourism minister, to designate Taman Merdeka Negara as a Heritage Site," the MPs said in a statement today.
If completed, the Menara Warisan or Warisan Merdeka tower would be taller than Petronas' Twin Towers and would rank as one of the tallest buildings in the world.
When the tower, with estimated cost of RM5 billion, was first announced in 2010 by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, it faced protests from netizens and opposition members who claim that the vanity project was an unnecessary waste of public funds.
Government-linked corporation PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd had revived the project and started acquiring land around Stadium Merdeka last year.
DAP's Bukit Bintang MP Fong Kui Lun and Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming (from left, in photo) questioned why the project has persisted even though it was on Tunku Park, situated within 200 metres of Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara, both protected under the National Heritage Act (2005)."We want to know if the Commissioner of Heritage, Professor Siti Zuraina Abdul Majid, has consulted KL City Hall (DBKL) on the possible negative impact of the building of Menara Warisan on these two national heritage sites," Ong and Fong said in a statement.
They noted that Tourism and Culture Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz had replied in Parliament last month that the Tunku Park was in fact within the buffer zone of the two stadiums.
"We also urge the commissioner, with the full support of the tourism minister, to designate Taman Merdeka Negara as a Heritage Site," the MPs said in a statement today.
If completed, the Menara Warisan or Warisan Merdeka tower would be taller than Petronas' Twin Towers and would rank as one of the tallest buildings in the world.
When the tower, with estimated cost of RM5 billion, was first announced in 2010 by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, it faced protests from netizens and opposition members who claim that the vanity project was an unnecessary waste of public funds.Government-linked corporation PNB Merdeka Ventures Sdn Bhd had revived the project and started acquiring land around Stadium Merdeka last year.
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