Ikusasa likaPenang njengeNdawo Yamagugu Omhlaba ye-UNESCO lihlaselwa abathuthukisi bezakhiwo ababona ukuthengisa amahhotela engeziwe njengekusasa embonini yezokuvakasha. Kukholakala ukuthi amaphrojekthi amane amahhotela ngaphakathi kwendawo eyisisekelo yamagugu kanye nendawo ye-buffer manje angaphansi kokuhlolwa kwe-UNESCO ngokwephula imikhawulo yobude.
I-UNESCO isiqinisekisile ukuthi izothumela umkhankaso wokuthola iqiniso “ekuqaleni kwenyanga ezayo” ukuze kuhlangatshezwane neziphathimandla zaseMalaysia ukuze kuxazululwe lolu daba uma kwenzeka inquma ukuhoxisa ukufakwa ohlwini kweGeorge Town njengeNdawo Yamagugu Omhlaba.
Abathuthukisi bezakhiwo abane abazindawo zabo zokuthuthukiswa ezingaphakathi kwendawo yaseGeorge Town evunyelwe njengeNdawo Yamagugu Omhlaba ye-UNESCO bathi manje banelungelo lokunxeshezelwa yiziphathimandla njengoba izimvume zanikezwa ngaphambi kokufakwa kuhlu kwesizinda sazo ngoJulayi 7, 2008.
Kodwa-ke, ngemuva kokufakwa kuhlu kwe-UNESCO imikhawulo yobude be-18m/XNUMX-storey yaqala ukusebenza.
Ihlangene neMalacca, i-UNESCO isimemezele iGeorge Town indawo eyingqophamlando ye-The Straits of Malacca njengoba “yakha indawo eyingqayizivele yezakhiwo nezamasiko ngaphandle kokufana noma kuphi eMpumalanga naseNingizimu-mpumalanga ye-Asia. Ihambisana nezakhiwo zokuhlala nezohwebo, iGeorge Town imele inkathi yaseBrithani kusukela ekupheleni kwekhulu le-18.”
Kukholakala ukuthi kwakukhona izitatimende "ezingavumelani futhi eziphikisanayo" ezinikezwe i-UNESCO njengengxenye yenqubo yokufakwa ohlwini kwePenang, ngokusho kuka-Ooi Chun Aun, umsizi wongqongqoshe omkhulu wasePenang. Manje usehlongoze ukubamba “uphenyo lwasekhaya olusemthethweni” ukuze azikhiphe ekugcineni kwecala elisemthethweni elifakwe abakhi abane bezakhiwo abathi bavinjwe ukuthi baqhubeke nemiklamo yabo yokwakha amahhotela ngenxa yemikhawulo yobude, ngaphansi kwemibandela Yomhlaba wayo. Ukubusa kweNdawo Yamagugu.
"Kuzosiza wonke amaqembu ukuthi athole amaqiniso awo ngaphambi kokuvakasha okulandelayo kwabahloli be-UNESCO," kusho u-Ooi. "Lolu phenyo luzokwenza kube lula ukutholwa kwamafayela amadala kanye nobufakazi obuvela kuhulumeni wangaphambilini owagunyaza amaphrojekthi amathathu."
Umbandela (1V) wesinqumo se-UNESCO mayelana nezindawo eziyigugu uthi: “izakhiwo ziye zagcina ubuqotho ngokuvumelana neziqondiso nezimiso zokongiwa kwemvelo.”
URichard Engelhardt, umeluleki wesifunda se-UNESCO e-Asia Pacific, uthe i-Penang kumele ihambisane nomkhawulo wokuphakama kwezakhiwo ngaphakathi kwendawo eyisisekelo kanye ne-buffer equkethwe kudosi ethunyelwe ku-UNESCO.
“UPenang ubevumelene nemingcele ethile kuphrofayili yamagugu ezakhiwo futhi kufanele abhalisele imihlahlandlela ebalulwe ezindaweni. Ukufakwa kuhlu kukaPenang noMalacca kungahoxiswa ngokungahambisani nalokho okufakwe kudosi”
Uma iziphathimandla zehluleka ukuzivikela, “abakhokhi bentela” kuyodingeka bathwale zonke izindleko ezibhekwa njengezikhokhwa izinkantolo, kwengeza u-Ooi.
Ethatha ukuma okuqinile ngalolu daba, uLim Guan Eng uthe isinqumo “sokugcina” mayelana nesiphetho samaphrojekthi amane sizokwenziwa ngoJuni. "Uma elinye lamaphrojekthi kufanele lihambe, nawo wonke amanye angahamba."
