Jalan Sultan heritage

By NAENTI KAUR

Title: Changing times, eroding values

Rooted in heritage
Yesterday’s then is today’s now
Now is tomorrow’s future.
In the continuum of time
Change is its heartbeat
Change is the only certainty.
But change is not destruction, not obliteration.
Change is wholly growth
Sacred
Rooted in heritage. – Chin San Sooi, 2011

Playwright Chin San Sooi’s poem about the destruction of Jalan Sultan had a simple message: progress is possible without sacrificing the past.

“It sums up how many feel about wanting to preserve Jalan Sultan despite the planned MRT project,”said Ho Choy Meng, who painted the the poem on his behalf.

She was just one among 60 artists who turned up at the wall of a building in Chinatown to voice their support for preserving the area. The effort was part of Malaysian media group Star Publications ‘Preserve Our Heritage’ campaign.

It was launched after an announcement of the planned acquisition of several pre-war buildings in Chinatown for an MRT project sent shockwaves through the community here. Even though some of the buildings have already been destroyed and most are in an extremely dilapidated state, many still stand – a visible reminder of the history of Chinese settlement in Kuala Lumpur.

The wall was spruced up with a fresh coat of yellow paint a few days before the event on Oct 15 courtesy of Dulux. Each artist was then given a 24x24 inch space to paint their vision. Among the images were of the founder of Kuala Lumpur, Yap Ah Loy as well as Sultan Abdul Samad, the ruler of the state of Selangor in which Kuala Lumpur was located and who the road is named after. The man who brought them all together for the effort was fellow artist Phillip Wong.

While the artists were busy painting their mini masterpieces, a group of us were taken on a guided tour by tour guide and entrepreneur Stevisie YS Chan who grew up in Chinatown and now runs a travel and tour agency as well as several backpacker inns.
“My father was a barber and my mother a laundry lady and they met while working here,” he said, explaining his close ties to the area.

Among the many hidden gems Chan pointed out were the former Grocery Shops Association which has been turned into a hotel. The year on top, 1931, was the 20th anniversary of the founding of Kuomintang. The building, with the original facade preserved, has been converted into a budget hotel.

Another notable landmark which provided entertainment before TV and radio was the Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association. It staged many colourful presentations for the benefit oft those living and working in Chinatown.

Kwong Fook Wing Tailor was founded in 1915 and is still a family business run by the third generation now.

Chan said the Rent Control Act spelt the death knell of Chinatown. The Act, that was in place since 1948, was repealed only in 1997 but it its effect is still being felt now in the dilapidated and unkempt state of the area. With a rental ceiling fixed, shopowners did not see the value in the properties. Many of the shops were rented to middlemen at a low price who then sublet it to third parties.

Chan said Jalan Sultan should be preserved as a living museum. “The cultural activities of its inhabitants are just as important as the buildings they live and trade in,’’ he said.

Although the government has announced it will not demolish the shophouses along Jalan Sultan, adding they had historical value, the fact remains that they have not been gazetted as heritage buildings.

To erase the identity of Jalan Sultan would not only be a loss to the Chinese community and traders here, but a tragedy for multicultural and diverse Malaysia – something we are quick to promote overseas but fail to appreciate closer to home.

Untitled from naentii kaur on Vimeo.

Durian deals in SS2

Ahmad and Aminah enjoy their durian but with sips of coconut water in between.




















A worker at Pahang Durian calculates that this 2.6kg Musang King durian costs RM91 or USD30.







Pahang Durian managing director Chong Yeow Choy holds up a paper cutting from China Press to show how much Malaysian durian costs in Shanghai restaurants.

















This is what the thorny durian looks like inside. The flesh is very creamy.











Picking the right durian is a serious
activity.












The banner at this durian stall reads "Eat until you are full for RM10."












The range of durian varieties displayed on a board at a stall.





















The yellower the flesh of the durian, the more tasty it is, claim durian connoiseurs.











By NK Sidhu

D24, Rajah Kunyit, Udang Merah – these names sound strange to most Malaysians but not to durian connoisseurs. The durian is often dubbed the king of fruits, based on its great popularity. It could also be due to its price; the most expensive variety, the Musang King, currently costs USD12 per kilo.

However, one can still get all-you-can-eat offers starting from USD5 in several places including the “durian mile” in SS2, Petaling Jaya where several open-air stalls have sprouted.

The higher price is sometimes due to seasonal weather and a bad crop. A bigger threat looms though as Malaysian durians have gone global. In April Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao formally agreed to allow the entry of Malaysian durians into mainland China. Macau’s gambling king Stanley Ho and Hong Kong’s Li Ka-Shing are said to be huge fans too.

This mass export certainly poses a threat to durian loving-Malaysians as prices are expected to go up while the best varieties will be exported. Managing director of Pahang Durian Cheong Yeow Choy held up a China Press article dated Sept 23 to prove his point. It said that frozen durian from Malaysia is being sold at astronomical sums in two restaurants in China and cited the Musang King variety which sells from between RM95 to RM120 for 500gm in Shanghai restaurants.

Malaysia, according to Fama (Federal Agriculture Marketing Authority), produces about 300,000 metric tons of durians a year, mainly for domestic consumption. Cheong gets his supply of the fruit from Sungai Klau, Raub, in the state of Pahang, about a four-hour drive from here. He said the fruit is transported daily to his stall.

Durian is not plucked from a tree, he explains. “When ripe it falls to the ground. And the fruit only lasts for a couple of days. Beyond that it does not taste good anymore,” he explained in Malay.

Curious, I asked him what happens to the unsold fruit. He told me that old durian is sold at a morning market the next day at 50% off.

Over at www.ss2durian.com, a Chinese couple were tucking in to multiple durians under the all-you-can-eat offer which is good value for money.

“You can try the different types of durian here as each variety is unique, some are more bitter, others are sweeter. And if you are not happy with the fruit, the stall will replace it,” said the man who did not want to be named. The couple paid USD7 each but the price changes daily.

Over at another stall, Aminah and Ahmad had to pay USD5 for just one durian. "The price is quite high compared to the all you can eat offer but I did not want to overeat and fall sick later,'' said Aminah. A fresh coconut was on the table and they took sips while eating the durian. The heatiness of the durian is said to be balanced by the coolness of the coconut. However, Aminah admits she prefers Kiwi fruit to durian.