jeudi, juin 17, 2010

PUDU JAIL, 1895

KUALA LUMPUR, June 17 (Bernama) -- The 300m stretch of the Pudu Prison wall along Jalan Pudu will be demolished on June 20-23 to make way for road widening and the construction of an underpass.

Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Ahmad Fuad Ismail said the construction of the underpass gave priority to road users although it involved a national treasure.

"Every day we face problems because of this wall, getting to the office late, so this is just a matter of which one is a priority to DBKL (Kuala Lumpur City Hall) and the government," he told reporters after visiting the site and Taman Shamelin Perkasa.

The underpass will be an alternative route linking Jalan Pudu to Cheras and will reduce congestion at Jalan Hang Tuah.

Construction will be carried out in stages and the project is expected to be completed in December 2012.

Meanwhile, the construction of the RM59.5 million flyover directly connecting Taman Maluri with Taman Shamelin, which started in March last year, is expected to be completed in March 2012.

-- BERNAMA


Nobody knew what to do with Pudu Jail. It was unsightly, it was haunted, it was a reminder that there were criminals long before anything else in KL.

Same thing with the smelly, dark and dank Central Market way back in the 80s. Only the late Tunku Abdullah had the vision to turn it into a cultural spot and voila! the new Central Market was born.

KL desperately needs new places to visit, new things to do, new attractions to experience. KL Fest is coming up fast and what do we have to show? The same old same same.

Don't get me wrong, I love the Philharmonic, KLCC, Kampung Baru, the new Changkat, the museums etc etc. I can take you to KL for the best nasi lemak bungkus and yong tau foo cucuk, durian, you name it.

But please tell me why we need new office buildings, roads, flyovers, underpasses where there are heritage buildings? We are bringing down a century old structure of KL because people are getting late to work?

Or really, no one thinks about how this building can be put to good use? Why can't we convert Pudu Jail to a magnificent open theatre for makyung, dikir barat, wayang kulit and more. The haunted atmosphere would turn into a haunting attraction you can't stay away from - wouldn't that be perfect?

Dear all of you who profess to love the arts especially Makyung, dear Ramli Ibrahim, John Gomez, Dato YTL, lover of the arts, JKKN - take this on!

Al-fatihah untuk Primadonna Makyung, Mak Jah yang dikasihi...we will find a permanent theater for the makyung one day...

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FB Message to YAB Prime Minister

Zalina Abdul Aziz
YAB Dato Seri,
I know my voice is one in 26 odd million. But I would like to bring your attention to PUDU JAIL 1895. Remember the successful conversion of Central Market. Wouldn't PJ1895 better serve KL as a daily Open Theatre for the arts like Makyung, Wayang Kulit and more?
http://ninotazizpurplemusings.blogspot.com/2010/06/pudu-jail-1895.html

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Email sent to Minister of Information, Communications and Culture:

Assalamualaikum YB Dato Seri,

Saya yakin YB Dato Seri sedia maklum bahawa Pudu Jail yang terbina pada tahun 1895,bangunan khazanah, akan bakal dirobohkan pada tanggal 20hb Jun 2010 ini.

Ingin saya mengambil iktibar daripada kejayaan Central Market yang berjaya diolah menjadi daya tarikan yang begitu hebat di Kuala Lumpur pada sekitar tahun lapan puluhan. Tidak mungkinkah kita dapat mengubah Pudu Jail kepada 'Open Theatre' mempersembahkan Makyung, Wayang Kulit, Menora, Rodat, Kuda Kepang dan sebagainya setiap malam? Para kraf teater yang membuat set, kostum, patung patung wayang kulit, juga dapat dikumpulkan disini. Tidak ketinggalan, kita juga dapat menjemput kumpulan teater serantau Nusantara untuk membuat persembahan di sini. Bukankah ini dapat menambah nilai astetik dan aktiviti kebudayaan di Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur tersergam indah, YB Dato Seri?

Ini sekadar cadangan membina dari penulis berjiwa warisan.

Blog saya meluahkan cadangan dalam hal ini di sini:
http://ninotazizpurplemusings.blogspot.com/2010/06/pudu-jail-1895.html


Dengan segala hormat,


Zalina Abdul Aziz @ ninotaziz
Penulis

7 commentaires:

Wan Sharif a dit…

Salam Puan Ninot,
Wow, I could not agree more.. we could turn the Pudu Jail into a magnificient open theatre for Makyong, Dikir Barat, Rodat, Menora,
Main Puteri, Wayang Kulit.. But then that will not bring money to those pockets..
We should form a strong team consist of those who want to preserve heritage building and our cultural heritage....
Thanks for sharing your precious thoughts..

Wan Sharif a dit…
Ce commentaire a été supprimé par l'auteur.
ninotaziz a dit…

I do not know whether there can be enough momentum. I just smsed the DG for JKKN, Jabatan Kebudyaan to think about this.

YB D S Rais Yatim is in charge of Warisan I think and he can say something. But PJ is set to be demolished on the 20th.

I will try to spread the word around.

Kama At-Tarawis a dit…

it's a sad day indeed if pudu jail goes..

Cat-from-Sydney a dit…

Aunty Ninot,
We have an old building called Queen Victoria Building right smack in the CBD. It has been turnes into an upmarket mall without sacrificing its heritage look. Guess what? The company entrusted with the job of refurbishment/renovation etc was a Malaysian one. My Mama said years ago she went to PJ when the building was open to the public for visits. Talk about gory tourism - complete with caning and hanging videos. Now that people are into vampire and stuffs (Twilight etc), how about resurrecting that concept?

2-sen thoughts of a cat,
Brad

ninotaziz a dit…

The demolition men have strated their work and decades of history go down the drain - because the men responsible did not know what to do with the place.

Either that - or the alternative was just too lucrative.

Wan Sharif a dit…

Although I do not like to speculate, history showed that the lucrative alternative win the day.

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