Don't turn nomination of Chinese new villages as Unesco World Heritage Site into racial issue - S'gor MB

KUALA LUMPUR: The proposal to nominate Chinese new villages in Selangor to be given Unesco World Heritage Site status should not be turned into a racial issue, said Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.

He said this matter which is still in the proposal stage is not 'healthy' to be played up as an issue because it is seen as a matter that does not provide any benefit to the harmony of society in a multiracial country.

"...we will look at not all (proposals for gazetting) but if there are villages that are hundreds of years old, we will definitely gazette (them) as we had gazetted the Hulu Langat Geopark and part of the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark area including the Malay villages.

"If we look at the Geopark, included is Kampung Kuang, Kampung Kundang, the Selayang area, Batu Caves, and several other areas, including Kampung Kemensah, which are all gazetted under the national Geopark and the next step is to become a UNESCO heritage (site).

"... all that has been done long before but it is not seen as a useful thing because in their minds what issues they can spin for short-term political interests do not bring benefits to racial harmony and stability in the country," he said.

Amirudin said this at a press conference when commenting on the statement by Perikatan Nasional member of parliament Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal who questioned the proposal.

Previously the media reported Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming as saying that plans were being drawn up to nominate Chinese new villages in Selangor as a Unesco World Heritage Site to recognise the cultural and historical significance of these settlements.

Meanwhile, commenting on the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's statement that 50 per cent of the members of the Royal Klang City Council (MBDK) should be professionals who are experts in urban development, he said, his team will work hard to ensure that this can be achieved.

"We will work hard on that to fulfill the hope expressed by Tuanku and now we are trying to reach 50 per cent of the representation comprising diploma graduates and above," he also said.

At yesterday's event, he witnessed the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Celcom-Digi Bhd and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ), in addition to launching the MPAJ Convention Centre and MPAJ traffic wardens.

-- BERNAMA

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