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Your letters: Don'€™t sacrifice public space

This is a comment on “SE Asia’s tallest tower to rise in KL” (The Jakarta Post Online, Aug

The Jakarta Post
Wed, August 28, 2013

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Your letters: Don'€™t sacrifice public space

T

his is a comment on '€œSE Asia'€™s tallest tower to rise in KL'€ (The Jakarta Post Online, Aug. 19), taken from the ANN.

We have to recognize that cultural heritage and social development are often two of the most complex issues to tackle.

I would like to congratulate Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) president and group chief executive Hamad Kama Piah bin Che Othman for providing a very easy and simple explanation for the public about why the tower needs to be built on the top of the hill in a historical national heritage area, which will eventually have to be leveled to make way for underground car parks.

But I wonder what the PNB president'€™s opinion about public space is?

Personally, I think a public space is a space that encourages social interaction. That is the most basic of all explanations that I can come up with. It is an inspiring place because, whether you are a local or a tourist, people can sit under the shade of trees to read books, sing, enjoy the sunshine, have a picnic, draw or sketch the beautiful scenery or whatever else.

Throughout my journey getting to know tourists visiting KL, most of them complained that KL has no town planning. Initially, when I heard what they said, I would cringe. But I had to smile, as they were speaking of the truth.

Malaysia is like the human body. Imagine vehicles that run through unmaintained roads are like blood flowing in a clogged vein; people are desperate in such a way that they commit crimes because the body has not produced enough antibodies to combat the main source of sickness, which is spreading worse than cancer, called corruption.

With a heavy heart I would urge the government and anybody who reads this to consider that '€œa healthy body has a healthy mind'€. People are stressed out due to massive workloads. People need space, public space.

Yeo Kien Kiong
Kuala Lumpur

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