By Parliament Opposition Leader, DAP Secretary –General and MP for Tanjung , Lim Kit Siang , in Penang on Friday , 7 January 1994;
Tan Gim Hwa would be ‘ making a joke ‘ of the wanton destruction of the Penang heritage building , Hotel metropole , in asking its new owner to rebuild it within six months if MPPP does not have original building plan or scale drawing
The Penang Chief Minister , Dr. Koh Tsu Koon and the Penang Heritage Trust have come out in open support for the demand by the MPPP President, Datuk Tan Gim Hwa that Hotel Metropole should be rebuilt and restored by within six months.
The first question Tan Gim Hwa should answer is whether the MPPP has a record of the original building plans for Hotel Metropole which would have been built in the turn of the century about 100 years ago, together with the building plans for the various subsequent renovations.
Alternatively , has the MPPP a scale drawing of Hotel Metropolr so that it could be rebuilt?
If the MPPP doesnot have a record of the original building plans or a scale drawing of Hotel Metropole , then no body could rebuild Hotel Metropole whether in six months or six years.
Tan Gim Hwa would be guilty of ‘ making a joke’ of the wanton destruction of the Pennag heritage building Hotel Metropole , in asking the new owners to rebuild Hotel metropole when MPPP does not have any original building plans or scale drawing .
This would be like ‘ adding salt to injury’ in making a ridiculoys proposal to rebuild Hotel Metropole after so Tan Gim HWa jad abysmally failed in his duty to stop Hotel Metropole from demolition.
Tan Gim Hwa ;s duty as MPPP President is to prevent the destruction of any heritage building , and not to issue summons to rebuild it after it had been demolished without the MPPP lifting a finger to stop it and going into hiding for 10days;
Even if Hotel Metropole could be rebuilt , it would be a mockery and a laughing stock of a ‘ heritage building ‘ , for it would be a mere copy and not the original of the two-storey 1990 Building originally known as ‘ Nava Scotia’, but a mere copy . It would be Hotel Metropole 1994 and not ‘ Navo Scotia ‘ 1990.
MPPP should announce a freeze of all future development on Hotel Metropole land for next 20 years because of the wanton destructions of heritage building
Both Tan Gim Hwa and Dr. Koh Tsun Koon referred to legal action which the MPPP could take if the new owners did not comply with the order to rebuild Hotel Metropole in six months.
What effective legal action could the MPPP take under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 ? A paltry fine of RM 20,000?
If all that the MPPP could do is to impose a RM 20,000 fine for the wanton destruction of heritage building on the MPPP conservation list , the scandalous Hotel Metropole example would encourage irresponsible owners of other heritage buildings to do likewise.
A fine of RM 20,000 or even RM 40,000 would not stop the wanton destruction of heritage buildings as millions or ten of millions of ringgit could be made after redevelopment of high-raise buildings.
If the State Government and MPPP are serious about wanting to stop the wanton destruction of heritage buildings , then MPPP should announce and impose a freeze of all future development on Hotel Metropole and a deterrent to the destruction of other heritage buildings in Penang.
An opinion survey would show that overwhelming majority of Penangities believe that Gim Hwa had prior knowledge of the demolition of Hotel Metropole beforehead.
Tan Gim Hwa claimed that both he and the MPPP were ignorant and not a party to the demolition of Hotel Metropole . However, Gim Hwa has not been able to explain why the MPPP took no action whatsoever for 10 days after the demolition!
I have no doubt that if an opinion poll is conducted among the people of Penang as to whether they believe that Tan Gim Hwa had prior knowledge of the demolition of Hotel Metropole on Christmasn Day, the overwhelming majority would be of the opinion that Tan Gim hwa knew all about the demolition of Hotel Metropole before land.
Is the MPPP or the Penang State Government prepared to commission such an opinion survey?
A public Inquiry Commission must be establishment to investigate how a RM2 company , Dolphin Square Sdn. Bhd could acquire Hotel Metropole for RM 9.5 million and demolished it within three weeks.
This is why there must be a Public Inquiry Commission into the demolition of the heritage building , Hotel Metro pole . The Public Inquiry Commission must investigate how a RM2 company Dolphin Square Sdn. Bhd could acquire Hotel Metropole for RM 9.5 million and demolished it in a ‘ lighting operation ‘ on Christmas Day – exactly three weeks after transaction.
It must also investigate whether Tan Gim Hwa had prior knowledge of the demolition of Hotel Metropole; whether the demolition of Hotel Metropole is an essential condition of the sale of the proverty ; the connection between the series of transactions involving the sale of Tan Gim Hwa ;s share in Hotel Metropole Sdn. Bhd. The sale of Hotel Metropole Sdn. Bhd to Cempaka Sdn. Bhd. And the subsequent sale of Hotel Metropole by Cempaka Sdn Bhd to the RM2 Company , Dolphin Square Sdn Bhd.
Call on Tan Gim Hwa to state whether Shih Chung Primary School had been removed from MPPP list of 20 conservation buildings along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah
Tan Gim Hwa said two days ago that Hotel Metropole had not been removed from the four- year MPPP list of 20 conservations buildings along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah – or Millionaires ‘ Row.
In this case , Tan Gim Hwa should explain his statement which appeared in the local press on 2nd December 1993 announcing that the Penang Municipal Council had identified about 10 hsitorcial buildings along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah which are worthy of conservation , and that apart from these buildings , all other properties along the road had been ‘ released’ for development.
If MPPP under Tan GIm Hwa had decided only 10 buildings along Jalan Sutan Ahmad Shah are worthy of conservaction, this means that the MPPP had released 10 other buildings and sites which had been on the MPPP ‘s conservation list for Jalan Sultan Ahmad since 1989.
Tan Gim Hwa should make public the Jalan Sultan Ahamd Shah Buildings which had been removed from the 1989 MPPP list of 20 conservation buildings and sites and released for development.
In particular , Tan Gim Hwa should explain whether the historical heritage building , Shih Chung Primary School along Jalan Sultan Admad Shah , had been removed from the MPPP conservation list and released for development – as it was reported recently as having been sold to Malaysia Vegetable Oil Refinery Sdn . Bhd for RM 9.5 million – and what action the MPPP has taken to ensure that there would not be a repetition of another ‘lightning demolition ‘ like Hotel Metropole.