Time to breathe life back into Kota Bharu

Simple steps such as making essential government services available at the Kota Bharu Trade Centre and making it a place for youth to engage in sporting activities are all it takes to revive the old city.

From Irham Zulkernain

Kota Bharu is a city with historical significance and a rich cultural heritage. But it is dying — development has shifted from the grand old town centre to its new and more vibrant satellites of Tunjong and Kubang Kerian.

The deterioration is stark. Just to keep the Kelantan state capital alive for another 15 years will require immediate intervention. In medical metaphor, it is called an emergency surgery.

Nonetheless, it is not an impossible task. Sitting in the heart of the city is the key to its survival — the Kota Bharu Trade Centre (KBTC) — which is located near the Pasar Siti Khadijah wet market.

The state-government-owned asset is currently bereft of life, a sharp contrast to the vitality in Pasar Siti Khadijah.

The rot

The decay in the Kota Bharu city centre is there for all to see. Parkson, which once anchored the city’s commercial life from its premises in KBTC, is now a shell.

The retailer fled years ago, leaving behind acres of darkened floors. The shutters are down, the escalators are silent, and the air inside is stale.

The resuscitation

We do not need to tear down the existing building to save Kota Bharu; we simply need to redefine KBTC’s role within the capital.

Using the Kompleks Madani in Teluk Kumbar, Penang, as a model, the building can be brought back to life with the injection of high-demand government services such as the National Registration Department (JPN) and Immigration Department.

Beyond administrative functions, KBTC can operate as a true community centre — one that serves both civic needs and everyday life.

By integrating UTC-style services with indoor recreation facilities such as bowling, badminton, sepak takraw, and even pickleball, the building can once again attract daily foot traffic, especially from the city’s youth.

This model opens the building to a new demographic: youth — the same group that would reject the premise of hanging out in a wet market. With the establishment of government-run sports facilities, the city can now relive its glory days, with the soul — its youth — returning to it.

The economic loop

Critically, this proposal does not require the facility to generate profit — it only needs to generate footfall. By implementing a micro fee of RM5 per person for a two-hour court access — we lower the barrier to entry for students while generating enough revenue to cover court maintenance and repair, without having to rely on funds from the ministry of youth and sport.

But the real economic magic happens outside the walls of KBTC. A community centre brings hundreds of people into the city centre every evening — people who currently opt to go elsewhere.

When the games end, the crowd will be hungry and thirsty. Their natural destination would be the Pasar Siti Khadijah across the street.

This creates a positive feedback loop. The influx of evening customers will provide traditional vendors at the market a reason to extend their hours, naturally evolving the area into a vibrant night-time economy.

Even if the tenants at the market refuse to extend their hours, the night economy will evolve naturally with a daily pasar malam in close proximity with the centre. This move can be justified if we take into account the potential increase in appetite for a big meal after two hours on the badminton court.

The last stand

The infrastructure is already in place. The building belongs to the state. The need is undeniable. Kota Bharu stands at a crossroads. We can either let KBTC remain a million-ringgit reminder of failed ambitions, or we can unlock its doors and let the youth in.

The solution to saving the historic city isn’t to build something new; it is to breathe life into what we already have.

The blueprint is simple: open the doors, turn the lights on, and let the games begin. If we build it, they will come and they will bring the city back to life with them. - FMT

Irham Zulkernain is a writer based in Kelantan and a student of Applied English Language Studies at Universiti Poly-Tech Malaysia.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.