Roaring support from youths to stop Atkinson Tower project

By Queville To

KOTA KINABALU: An unexpected flush of support from Kota Kinabalu's youth community for calls to protect the historical Atkinson Clock Tower site is being seen as a strong indication of change seeping through Sabah.

A defiant mood seemed to prevail as hundreds of young and hip Sabahans lined-up at the two day Hobbycon 2010 convention held here, to sign a petition to stop a mixed-commercial development which threatened to erase the tower which is one of the city's last links to its colonial history.

Over 1,000 KK citizens - young and old - attended a 10-minute awareness talk on the historical value of the Atkinson Clock Tower built in 1905, organised by Heritage Sabah, a group of concerned citizens keen to ensure that KK's development is not at the expense of the city’s historical legacy.

According to Richard Nelson Sokial the spokesperson for Heritage Sabah, the petition urging the state government to scrap the controversial project drew more than 500 signatures last weekend .

“(The) majority of the signatories supporting the campaign over the weekend were Sabahan youths aged between 18-28 years.

"What surprised us was that some youths walked up to us asking, ‘where do we sign' even before we went on stage for our presentation, " he said.

Sokial believed that the burst of enthusiastic support was an indication that there is wide-felt acceptance of the group's heritage conservation advocacy.

"Many of them have been keeping themselves updated with the ongoing development of the Atkinson Clock Tower issue on Facebook.

“This is a pleasantly surprising and encouraging turn of events, not just for our campaign but also because it gives us hope that the next generation of Sabahans – who are our state’s future leaders and stakeholders – are able to think for themselves and appreciate the importance of preserving our historical landmarks,” said Sokial who is the organisor of the 'Save Our Heritage' campaign.

Youth support

While delighted with the latest finding that youths of KK are voicing their opinion against the project, Sokial was however not so optimistic of the campaign's ability to stop the controversial project.

The architect cited the Sabah government's track record of constantly ignoring public objection for his pessimism.

“The general public is cynical about the transparency of the evaluation process for this 16-storey shopping mall. We cannot blame the rakyat. It is really up to the government to regain the people’s trust and confidence by listening to the rakyat’s concerns,” he contended.

The group nevertheless renewed its call to the Local Government and Housing Ministry, to scrap the construction of the building which will be just metres away from the city’s oldest standing landmark.

“The Atkinson Clock Tower area should be developed as a public recreation park, not another shopping mall. This is the right thing to do. We owe it to the next generation of Sabahans.

"We urge the Central Board to make the right decision,” said Sokial.

The proposed project dubbed ‘Atkinson Tower’ is a joint venture between developer Benteng Pulangan Sdn. Bhd. and the Sabah Housing and Town Development Authority (SHTDA).

Skepticism against government

The controversial project even triggered a heated argument between SHTDA chairman Rubin Balang and Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Masidi Manjun who questioned the rationale behind approving the project.

An angry Balang had even called for the resignation of Masidi.

Although the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report was rejected but it is widely speculated that the state government will proceed with the building as planned.

“Many citizens of KK city have voiced their objection to this proposed commercial project next to our historical city landmark, knowing that it will destroy its heritage significance,” Sokial said.

He added that even the Sabah Museum and various local NGOs and professional bodies such as PAM (Architects Association Malaysia) Sabah Chapter, are opposing the development. PAM Sabah had in fact officially voiced their disagreement citing the negative urban impact on the city.

Sokial also noted that public awareness on the need to protect remaining heritage in the state, especially among the youth, is growing and should not be underestimated. - FMT