The Penang government's delay to table the proposed amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act 1979, drafted to safeguard historical structures, has irked an opposition leader.

Penang DAP chairperson Chow Kon Yeow, whose Tanjung parliamentary constituency houses the most number of heritage buildings, wants the amendments to be speedily implemented.

The amendments had been drafted in 2003 to strengthen the government's policy to conserve, preserve, develop and manage historical and heritage buildings.

The Tanjung parliamentary constituency covers a major part of the George Town City, which once housed more than 10,000 pre-war houses with historic significance and heritage value.

At one point, Penang had approximately 12,000 of such buildings. Many have been demolished, vacated or turned into haunts for drug addicts since the Control of Rent (Repeal) Act 1997 was fully enforced on Jan 1, 2000.

As a result of the residents' exodus, the inner parts of George Town City had transformed into a "ghost city".

Chow said the amendments would help safeguard, conserve and promote historically vibrant structures, and help revitalise George Town into a lively and dynamic cosmopolitan city.

"Delaying the implementation of the amendments will only dampen our efforts to preserve our culture and heritage.

"It will foil our attempts to promote George Town, alongside Malacca, for Unesco's World Heritage Listing," he added.

The government first mooted the idea to make the amendments to the 1979 Act in 2003.

But, until today, the bill of the amendments, which had been tabled at the parliament in November 2003, is yet to be debated by the elected representatives.

Past glory

If implemented, the amendments, among others, would establish a National Heritage Board, enforce local authorities to gazette, declare, conserve and enhance heritage buildings in their respective areas, set up a Heritage Fund for building owners to carry out conservation work; and compel owners to carry out proper maintenance of their buildings.

At present, pre-war and heritage building owners in George Town, for instance, have been flouting the loopholes of the local by-laws to demolish their buildings and rebuild different structures on the site.

Chow said the proposed amendments would tighten the loopholes and strengthen the local councils to strictly enforce heritage rules on building owners.

Meanwhile, social awareness group Save Ourselves (SOS) secretary Ong Boon Keong said the city would remain a "ghost city" without the pre-war houses and residents.

He said George Town needed a proper legal mechanism, large funds, strict enforcement and systematic management to develop a vibrant and progressive cosmopolitan residential-cum-commercial area.

"Without this, George Town cannot restore its past glory as a livable, lively and dynamic city," he added.

ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini's Penang-based stringer.