KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 7 — 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 it is “unhealthy” to make an issue out of the matter, which is still in the proposal stage, as it does not bring any benefit to the harmony of the society in a multiracial country.
“We are not looking at (gazetting) all (Chinese villages), but if there are villages that are hundreds of years old, we will certainly gazette (them), just as we did with the Hulu Langat Geopark and parts of the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark area, including Malay villages.
“If we look at the geopark, which includes Kampung Kuang, Kampung Kundang, the Selayang area, Batu Caves, and several other areas, including Kampung Kemensah, they are all gazetted as national geoparks, and the next step is to make them a Unesco heritage site.
“All these have been done for so long, but they (critics) don’t see the benefit because in their minds, they want to spin whatever issues they can for short-term political gain that do not bring benefits to racial harmony and stability in the country,” he said.
Amirudin said this at a press conference yesterday when commenting on the statement by Perikatan Nasional MP 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 Alhaj’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.
He added that for the initial stage, the state will look to ensure that 50 per cent of the representation comprised diploma graduates or higher.
At yesterday’s event, Amirudin’s witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Celcom-Digi Bhd and the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council, in addition to launching the MPAJ Convention Centre and MPAJ traffic wardens.
— Bernama
