Heritage villages under threat in Malaysia?

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca, are one of four world heritage sites in Malaysia. As noted by UNESCO, the influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible, reflecting 500 years of trade and other exchanges.

Today the cities receive millions of visitors, yet nearby traditional Malay villages are being razed to make way for the rapid urban development that is now nearly ubiquitous throughout South-East Asia. However, as recently reported by the Rakyat Post, developers plans are sparking a lively debate as to what constitutes heritage, and prompting one opposition politician to claim that the state government's "idea of preserving heritage is all about the Unesco World Heritage site, but what about these kampungs [villages] with a living heritage?”

Of course, the tension between "living heritage" and "preserved heritage" is not unique to Malaysia, and it is difficult to get the balance right. However, it is worth making the effort. While everyone can point to a historically significant site which is being overrun by developers and hustlers, there is something sterile and unsatisfying to visit a site that has been stripped bare of the social and community fabric from which it was created.