In her debut novel ‘912 Batu Road’, writer Viji Krishnamoorthy takes her readers to locations across West Malaysia as she criss-crosses between the Second World War and contemporary Malaysia.

When the book was published two years ago and we were in lockdown due to Covid-19, the author took us to different destinations in the country, via a virtual “road trip.”

The heritage “tour” from the pages of ‘912 Batu Road’ took its readers around the streets of George Town and elsewhere.

If a visitor were to visit Penang today, they could easily use the book and locate the row of terrace houses mentioned which are still standing along Sri Bahari Road, visit the Chowrasta Market, St Xavier’s Institution, the iconic Eastern & Oriental Hotel or visit Wadda Gurudwara Sahib (previously known as the Diamond Jubilee Sikh Temple).

In Perak, one can also pop into the shophouse in Papan which was occupied by freedom fighter Sybil Medan Karthigasu, a Malayan Eurasian nurse who (with her husband Dr Abdon Clement Karthigasu), supported the resistance during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.

The shophouse where freedom fighter Sybil Medan Karthigasu lived in Papan, Perak (photo courtesy of Trevor Sibert)

What is the common thread which links together all these buildings and structures mentioned by Krishnamoorthy in her book and the state of George Town’s heritage scene today?

For one, the places and buildings she has mentioned and unconsciously curated into a walking or cycling trail of sorts, are still standing.

The same unfortunately cannot be said of others, which have fallen into either disrepair, destroyed in fires or simply demolished.

Targeted for demolition … the 85-year old Rex Cinema building in George Town. (photo courtesy of Mikail Ong)

Trending currently is yet another sad tale of the 85 year-old Rex Cinema building located at the cross-streets of Jalan Burmah and Lorong Kinta, which is set to be torn down.

In its place, a 27-storey condominium project will take shape and serve as yet another sore-thumb sticking out on the fringes of the George Town Unesco World Heritage Site.

The exercise in finger-pointing between the authorities and heritage groups continues with no actual solution in sight.

Even as a signature campaign is underway to “save” the Rex Cinema from redevelopment, it appears that the real target in being accountable to this pending “destruction” is missed.

The local authorities who are responsible for granting approvals for the demolition of the building must defend its decision in allowing yet another page of Penang’s history book being “torn.”

Their radio silence in not being held accountable is no longer acceptable. Neither is the attitude of some elected representatives who are either opting to look the other way, or defending the demolition actions.

The Rex Cinema issue is not the first time when the local council has chosen to disregard the state’s built heritage.

Just how many more protests or petitions are needed to wake up the authorities into realising the disservice they are according to ratepayers and future generations by showing little regard for built and cultural history?

Staying mum and allowing developers to tear down buildings and replacing them with soulless high-rises is not the way to go and they know it.

Perhaps not much importance is being accorded to what is beginning to appear like a deliberate and systematic destruction of the city’s built heritage.

After all, we can always fall back on books like ‘912 Batu Road’, the Internet or movies in future for references on how rich Penang once was architecturally, couldn’t we?

The Eastern & Oriental Hotel (E&O) Penang features in the book 912 Batu Road (Pix by Marina Emmanuel)