Thursday August 25, 2011
By YIP YOKE TENG
teng@thestar.com.my
Photos by LOW LAY PHON
Naina Mohamed took out a black and white photograph kept carefully between the pages of his thick accounts book. The stall with a wooden rack fitted to the wall was neatly lined with toiletries, cigarette packs and books, much like how it is today. A young Indian boy manned the stall, sitting at the very location Naina sits every day.
At first glance, the boy in the photograph looked like a young Naina but he was quick to point out that it was his father in the picture.
If there is anyone who is most familiar with the day-to-day life in Jalan Sultan for the past decades, it is none other than Naina who mans his bookstand attached to the 83-year-old Hotel Lok Ann from Monday to Saturday, and watched how the face of Jalan Sultan changed bit by bit.The bookstand has been there since 1955. Naina’s father took over the business from a friend and they had never left the spot since then.
He narrated how the place had changed from a bustling but dust-free area plied by tricycles to a perpetually congested hub now.
He had witnessed some of the major events in the country’s history, including the funeral of Botak Chin at the nearby Chik Shin Tong funeral parlour amid a strong police presence.
“I have spent my whole life here. This stall helped my father raise me and my siblings and helped me raise my three children who are now successful in their careers. All my friends are here and I meet interesting people every day who come to visit Chinatown, this is my life,” said the 56-year-old who speaks fluent Cantonese.He said he could not sleep well in the past weeks knowing that the pre-war buildings in Jalan Sultan had to make way for the Klang Valley MRT project, adding that a small stall like his would surely be washed away by the waves of development.
He is now grinning from ear to ear, upon learning that the building had been saved from the bulldozers following a meeting between MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
“All of us are very happy, the traders and shopowners here are very close friends. We really do not want to be separated from each other,” he said.
Dr Chua, who brought the good news to all on Tuesday, said the decision not to demolish the buildings was important to maintain the identity of Chinatown.
“The area is also an important tourist and historical landmark in Kuala Lumpur,” he said after leading a delegation of Jalan Sultan traders to meet SPAD.
Fashion accessory wholesaler Daniel Wong, who is one of the three who heads the committee of traders and shopowners in Jalan Sultan affected by the project, said they were delighted that the government had heard the people and saw the value in these heritage buildings.
However, he said the committee hoped an official letter could be released to nullify the Form E issued under the Land Acquisition Act 1960 and to ensure that the acquisition of the buildings would not happen.
“We feel relieved that the government had taken the people’s voices into consideration but we need assurance as we still feel threatened by the powerful Land Acquisition Act,” he said, adding that they needed to learn about the project’s engineering plans and hoped that the stronger buildings would not need to be vacated.
By YIP YOKE TENG
teng@thestar.com.my
Photos by LOW LAY PHON
Naina Mohamed took out a black and white photograph kept carefully between the pages of his thick accounts book. The stall with a wooden rack fitted to the wall was neatly lined with toiletries, cigarette packs and books, much like how it is today. A young Indian boy manned the stall, sitting at the very location Naina sits every day.
At first glance, the boy in the photograph looked like a young Naina but he was quick to point out that it was his father in the picture.
If there is anyone who is most familiar with the day-to-day life in Jalan Sultan for the past decades, it is none other than Naina who mans his bookstand attached to the 83-year-old Hotel Lok Ann from Monday to Saturday, and watched how the face of Jalan Sultan changed bit by bit.The bookstand has been there since 1955. Naina’s father took over the business from a friend and they had never left the spot since then.
He narrated how the place had changed from a bustling but dust-free area plied by tricycles to a perpetually congested hub now.
 |
| Naina Mohamed manning his bookstand in Jalan Sultan. – By LOW LAY PHON / The Star |
 |
| Rich history: Ng showing old photos of Yan Keng |
He had witnessed some of the major events in the country’s history, including the funeral of Botak Chin at the nearby Chik Shin Tong funeral parlour amid a strong police presence.
“I have spent my whole life here. This stall helped my father raise me and my siblings and helped me raise my three children who are now successful in their careers. All my friends are here and I meet interesting people every day who come to visit Chinatown, this is my life,” said the 56-year-old who speaks fluent Cantonese.
He is now grinning from ear to ear, upon learning that the building had been saved from the bulldozers following a meeting between MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD).
“All of us are very happy, the traders and shopowners here are very close friends. We really do not want to be separated from each other,” he said.
Dr Chua, who brought the good news to all on Tuesday, said the decision not to demolish the buildings was important to maintain the identity of Chinatown.
“The area is also an important tourist and historical landmark in Kuala Lumpur,” he said after leading a delegation of Jalan Sultan traders to meet SPAD.
Fashion accessory wholesaler Daniel Wong, who is one of the three who heads the committee of traders and shopowners in Jalan Sultan affected by the project, said they were delighted that the government had heard the people and saw the value in these heritage buildings.
However, he said the committee hoped an official letter could be released to nullify the Form E issued under the Land Acquisition Act 1960 and to ensure that the acquisition of the buildings would not happen.
“We feel relieved that the government had taken the people’s voices into consideration but we need assurance as we still feel threatened by the powerful Land Acquisition Act,” he said, adding that they needed to learn about the project’s engineering plans and hoped that the stronger buildings would not need to be vacated.
 |
| Saved from demolition: An aerial view of the popular Jalan Sultan. |
“Also, we hope that the government would compensate the traders and owners on the loss suffered during the period of six months they have to be moved or more if there is a delay,” he added.
The Selangor Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association’s secretary-general Ng Siak Wing and Lok Ann Hotel’s operator Stephen Yong had expressed gratitude that the old buildings would remain intact during and after the MRT project’s construction.
“Yan Keng was formed in 1920 but the building was already there when we moved in. It is a priceless structure of more than 100 years and we cannot afford to lose it.
“We are very relieved that the government sees its value and has saved it even while development moves on,” he said.
Yong, who had invested a handsome sum in refurbishing the interior of Lok Ann for the comfort of backpackers, echoed Wong’s concerns.
The Selangor Yan Keng Benevolent Dramatic Association’s secretary-general Ng Siak Wing and Lok Ann Hotel’s operator Stephen Yong had expressed gratitude that the old buildings would remain intact during and after the MRT project’s construction.
“Yan Keng was formed in 1920 but the building was already there when we moved in. It is a priceless structure of more than 100 years and we cannot afford to lose it.
“We are very relieved that the government sees its value and has saved it even while development moves on,” he said.
Yong, who had invested a handsome sum in refurbishing the interior of Lok Ann for the comfort of backpackers, echoed Wong’s concerns.
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