Culture
The Forgetting of History
Changing road names
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Culture
The Forgetting of History
Changing road names |
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Names are so important IN "SUCH A LONG JOURNEY," by Rohinton Mistry, the protagonist the Bombay citizen Dinshaw tells his friend Gustad that "Names are so important" He goes on. "I grew up on Lamington Road. But it has disappeared. In its place is Dadasaheb Bhadkhamkar Marg. My school was on Carnac Road. Now suddenly it's on Lokmanya Tilak Marg. I live at Sleater Road. Soon that will also disappear. My whole life I have come to work at Flora Fountain. And one fine day the name changes. So what happens to the life I have lived? Will I get a second chance to live it all again, with these new names? Tell me what happens to my life. Rubbed out, just like that? Tell me!" 
That same feeling of helpless rejection must have prompted the two year fight against the Scott Road name change to Jalan D S Ramanathan. (See photo) The bureaucracy's battle tactics moved the new signboard higher and higher but it was never out of reach of the angry obliterating brush. Bureaucracy triumphed in the end the unwelcome signboard is now nailed to its defiant post. Never mind if Scott was a shady figure from the past and a partner of the supreme merchant adventurer Francis Light, he is history. But the bureaucracy has no interest in our past. In the beginning, North Beach, that marked the northern limits of the town, was deleted and replaced with Gurney Drive. Western Road, the western boundary became the nondescript Jalan Utama. Northam Road, that splendid spine of a road lined with magnificent angsana trees was erased from memory with Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah |
Hong Kong Sreet In the heart of town, Hong Kong Street has simply disappeared perhaps because the city council could not find where to put the Cheong Fatt Tze road sign when the Komtar sprawl obliterated all in its long shadow, but we are told by Dr Chin Fook Weng, for many terms a city councillor, that "In the mid 90's the state road naming committee decided to replace Hong Kong Street with Jalan Cheong Fatt Tze and reasons for that are unknown even today." (The Star, 4.2.2002) The historic Prangin Road which ran along the Prangin River is now Jalan Lim Chwee Leong; and in case the reader does not know who he was, he was the father of Tun Lim Chong Eu Yahudi Road is now Jalan Zainal Abidin and one cannot think of any other reason than that someone was out to show that Penang is anti Jew Pitt Street named after Sir William Pitt, PM of England, which helps to fix the date of its making has given way to Masjid Kapitan Kling. Fortunately the Hokkien name is forever - Kuan Im Teng Cheng, the Street in front of The Temple of the Goddess of Mercy. Further out Green Lane, once with an abundance of good rambutan and coconut has gone, replaced by Jalan Masjid Negara, as if a masjid hungered for a street name like some yearning yang berhormat. Further down the road Batu Lanchang, a historic place name, gave way to Jalan Tan Sri Teh Ewe Lim The resolution of the city council made when the labour party was in power that names should be preserved and new names only on new roads has been ignored It would be unforgivable if we gave up roadsigns such as history-rich" Burma"," Rangoon", "Mandalay", "Tavoy", "Irrawady" and replaced them with names of ambitious politicians. And we would obliterate the Thai memory if we were to abandon Siam Road, Jalan Mano, and others. |
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names preserve Fortunately for this city history is preserved by the Chinese habit of clinging to old names. For instance, Lam Ch'an'ah, the swamp - where rice fields were (Carnarvon Street), The Green Lane, and what could be more effective as markers in the island's growth than First Street, Second Street and so on to Seventh Street (from Cecil Street on), and tiong lor (Middle Road or Macalister Road). Ch'ia Chooi Lor (Burmah Road) where the water trucks drew water from the aqueduct bringing water to town, and who can forget that there was a cattle pen in the middle of Chulia Street with Gu Gantang. And then there are Sin Kay (New Street or Campbell Street)the street of the new Japanese prostitutes and Jipun Kay (Cintra Street) , Snua T'au (Swatow) Kay and Kiam Hoo Tniah (Prangin Lane) where the saltfish were laid out to dry. Goh P'a Teng (the five lamps) marking the quay where the boats tied up after sailing up to stop at Burmah Road. Then there is Chnia Chooi Kang (Clear Water Stream) which reminds us that once upon a time the Sungei Pinang was an unpolluted stream. Tua Kay (Main Street or China Street) remains to remind us where the heart of the town was at the beginning of the 19th century. And more history is embodied in P'a T'i Kay, the street of blacksmiths (Bridge Street) Ang teng kak (At the corner of the red lantern or Noordin Street Ghaut) which reminds us the time when the boats tied up and unloaded their cargoes, P'ar T'ang-ah Kay (Coppersmith's Road , part of Armenian Street and P'uah Cheok Hang (Acheen Street) reminding us that stone workers made cemetery stones here It is useful to remember that the Kennedy family refused to agree to the proposal to change Cape Canaveral to Cape Kennedy because they said the ancient name should be preserved. # |
| ______ INDEX Point to the article that you want to read, and CLICK Home Baba Sayings Book Review Ch'a Koay Tiau Clan Jetties Opium King Street Names Table Manners |
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The Paintings of Yeo Hoe Koon August 21 to 31 |
| ____________________ The Penang File Issue 23 |