GEORGE TOWN WORLD HERITAGE INCORPORATED HERITAGE EXCELLENCE CENTRE LAUNCHING CEREMONY
OPENING REMARKS BY TUAN CHOW KON YEOW
THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
GEORGE TOWN WORLD HERITAGE INCORPORATED
HERITAGE EXCELLENCE CENTRE LAUNCHING CEREMONY
7 JULY 2022
Mr Mohamed Djelid,
Director and Representative, UNESCO Office Jakarta
Ms Moe Chiba,
Chief of Culture, UNESCO Office Jakarta
Yang Berhormat Tuan Yeoh Soon Hin,
Penang State Executive Councilor for Tourism and Creative Economy
Yang Berhormat Dato’ Dr Mohamad Farazi bin Johari
State Financial Officer of Penang
Yang Berhormat Tuan Teh Lai Heng
Political Secretary to the Chief Minister of Penang and State Assemblyman for KOMTAR
Yang Berhormat Tuan Daniel Gooi Zi Sen
State Assemblyman for Pengkalan Kota
Yang Berbahagia Dato' Ar. Yew Tung Seang,
Mayor of City Council of Penang Island
Yang Berusaha Puan Bharathi Suppiah,
Deputy General Manager of Chief Minister Incorporated
Yang Berusaha Tuan Haji Jasri bin Kasim,
Secretary General, Malaysia National Commission for UNESCO
Yang Berusaha Dr Ang Ming Chee
General Manager of George Town World Heritage Incorporated
Members of the press
Happy 7th July, George Town Heritage City Day. It gives me great pleasure to be here for the George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI) Heritage Excellence Centre Launching Ceremony. It is good to see everyone physically again.
I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the George Town World Heritage Incorporated team, the consultant, contractors, and various partners, who are with us today now, for successfully completing the repair and restoration work for the George Town World Heritage Incorporated office, which functions as the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site Management office.
This is A JOB WELL DONE with great sensitivity to the historical features and aesthetics of the building, and most importantly, within the allocated budget!!
Unlike the physical upgrading works of modern buildings, physical changes on heritage buildings restoration and repair projects are limited. This project involved a lot of structural enhancement works that one hardly notices. I am glad that the restoration process has been documented in video, and the full version of such a restoration process will be shared to the public for education and awareness purposes by George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI).
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Melaka and George Town, Historic Cities of the Straits of Malacca were jointly inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the 7th of July, 2008, based on three outstanding universal values: 1) multicultural trading towns, 2) multicultural living heritage, 3) unique architecture and townscape. For the past 14 years, the Penang State Government has allocated over RM50 million for cultural heritage related projects in George Town. The projects include the George Town in the New Normal Project, Disaster Risk Reduction for Cultural Heritage, George Town Heritage Habitat Seed Fund, First Aid for Cultural Heritage, Cultural Books Programme for Schools, Tangible and Intangible Heritage Inventories, George Town Festival, George Town Heritage Celebrations, and many more.
George Town is exceptionally rich with history and culture in both tangible and intangible elements and is constantly evolving and adapting. To ensure that our Outstanding Universal Values remains sustainable and well maintained in the years to come, the Penang State Government through George Town World Heritage Incorporated is launching the George Town World Heritage Incorporated Heritage Excellence Centre.
I have confidence that George Town World Heritage Incorporated Heritage Excellence Centre will play a significant role in enhancing stakeholders’ collaborations in the protection and preservation of the built environment and cultural landscape, progressing towards a sustainable development of the city.
I am also here to encourage George Town World Heritage Incorporated, as the custodian of George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, to continue its visionary role in World Heritage Site Management, and establish strong international collaborations with more than 1,000 World Heritage Sites in the world. Together with other site managers, you will rise above hiccups and challenges to explore practical, creative, and innovative approaches in managing the heritage sites together.
More importantly, the George Town World Heritage Incorporated Heritage Excellence Centre shall aspire to inspire the younger generations in heritage conservation and safeguarding of intangible cultural heritage. Focusing on school aged students, and with support from the schools, this George Town World Heritage Incorporated Heritage Excellence Centre will provide the much needed “extra-curricular” to shape our younger generations with the true Malaysian spirits and identity so that they will grow up with great appreciation of the harmonious balance and mutual respect of our diversity despite our differences.
The act to LovePenang is a call to action and there are many ways we can show our love and appreciation to our beloved state. The GTWHi team has answered that call to action and the Heritage Excellence Centre is a testament to that. Shaping our younger generation to love and appreciate our cultures and heritage, so they may grow up proud of their backgrounds and together help propel the state forward.
Working together, we will be able to link our past to the present, strengthen our sense of place, and always remind ourselves of the shared memories and history that unite us as a nation, striving towards a holistic, meaningful, affordable, and accessible approach in accordance with the Penang2030 vision: “A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation.”
With this, I hereby declare the launch of the George Town World Heritage Incorporated Heritage Excellence Centre, to mark the 14th anniversary celebrations of the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site.