/// Cover Story
Importance of Preserving Our Local Heritage
Text and Photos by Richard Nelson Sokial
Hill. Visibility of the Atkinson
Clock Tower is important to Kota
Kinabalu as this is now the only
distinguishable feature that links
back to the early origins of this city.
Preserving our local heritage is
becoming extremely crucial not
only for aesthetic and historical
purposes, but also to preserve our
identity and way of life as Sabahans.
Sabah’s heritage is unique because
it is a result of more than a century
of interaction between British
colonists, the Chinese immigrants,
the Sikh and Punjabi peacekeepers,
inland native people and seafaring
communities such as the Bajaus and
the Iranun.
Preservation of heritage in Sabah
consists of two main components.
We need a better policy protection
and guidelines supported and
implemented by the Sabah
government. Plus, we also need
to promote heritage appreciation
and understanding among the
local community and business
owners, followed up with basic
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guidelines and rules on how to
maintain heritage sites and building
within their own capacity. This two
components must go hand-in-hand
otherwise neither one can be truly
effective to protect and preserve
heritage aspects on its own.
It was a shame that when Jesselton
was built after the war, there
was no attempt to reconcile the
town’s subsequent planning with
the surviving public buildings and
landmarks such as the Atkinson
Clock Tower and the Old Post Office.
As such, now historical buildings
such as the Old Post Office can
hardly be seen from a panoramic
angle which is a lost opportunity for
tourists visiting the city.
The Atkinson Clock Tower itself is
the only visible landmark left due to
its location on the slope of Atkinson
The greenery of the Signal Hill
ridgeline is a natural heritage that
also goes back to the early days of
Jesselton. Maintaining the historical
importance of Prince Phillip Park
in Tanjung Aru is important. The
park is currently run down and
needs subtle upgrades that do not
alter the appearance and original
landscape of the park entirely.
Having some infrastructural
improvements at the beachfront
is good as long public access is
guaranteed.
The raw sewerage problem currently
flowing out onto the beachfront
and eminent traffic congestion
must be solved. No matter what
KK city planning does in the future,
this green sideline – unbroken by
high rise development should be
maintained.
Heritage tourism is still an untapped
resource in Sabah’s local industry.
It can be one of the sustainable
tourism products which will also
help rejuvenate the local craft and
small businesses in heritage zoned
areas. However, the government
must be willing to learn the intrinsic
values of heritage preservation
– and be open to implementing
suggestions, new ideas and
recommendations by NGOs such
as Heritage Sabah in order to make
sure that the heritage sites continue
to be protected and presented in
a respectable way for tourists and
locals alike.
Infrastructure such as better road
access, better lighting, appropriate
signage and supporting public
amenities are a must in order to
make the experience of visiting
heritage sites more meaningful and
value-for-money.
For any business to succeed, it
depends on continued demand
for a brand or product. The same
case for tourism in Sabah, if there
is no concise long term planning
that balances between the need
for commercial profit versus an
authentic culture, environment
and hospitality, tourists will only
come once but will never return.
The business will die and affect the
livelihood of all those who depend
on it. A lot of jobs in Sabah depend
on the tourism industry, therefore
it is of utmost importance to Sabah
that the tourism industry introduces
and implements sustainable
policies for the benefit of everyone
concerned.
Architectural and Cultural Heritage
Society of Sabah, otherwise known
as Heritage Sabah advocates for
the protection and preservation
of cultural and historical buildings
and sites in Sabah, to create public
awareness and appreciation.