Jalan Melayu in Kuala Lumpur will be redeveloped to give it a Malay identity in terms of business, culture and heritage.

Socio-cultural affairs adviser to the government Rais Yatim said the effort was important as there was no street in the federal capital that really portrayed Malay socio-culture that could be shown off to foreign tourists.

He said the government’s effort to redevelop Jalan Melayu (Malay Street, in English), which is near Jalan Masjid India, should not be envied by the other communities as the Indian community here already had their Little India in Brickfields and the Chinese community, China Town in Jalan Petaling.  

“The Malay community, however, has no street where the scene is typically Malay,” he said after a tour of the Jalan Melayu area in Kuala Lumpur today.

Rais, the former information, communications and culture minister, said the redevelopment of Jalan Melayu was expected to start in January next year, involving various agencies including the Prime Minister’s Department, Tourism Ministry, Kuala Lumpur City Hall and the National Heritage Department.

“We will think of activities that can be held in Jalan Melayu but the first thing we should do is to try repair the roofs of the shophouses and create lots for Malay traders.”

Rais said he would also suggest to the government the establishment of the National Heritage Foundation to undertake efforts to boost nation-building.

He said if the idea was agreed upon, he would seek the most practical formula to ensure that Malaysians were culture, arts and heritage-savvy.

- Bernama