Coliseum: Rais Yatim, show us the big plan

That's the problem with this government. It makes plans behind closed doors and keeps its stories close to its chest. Then it implements - awarding contracts, acquiring property, before it announces to the press.

This essentially assumes the rakyat, especially its local community, are imbeciles incapable of critical thinking. This is feudal thinking. This is stupid.

The Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry wants to acquire (or at the very least, lease) the Coliseum as part of its masterplan to make Jln Tuanku Abdul Rahman a cultural and arts hub in the city. The building owner, Dr Chua Seong Siew, was slapped with a 30-day notice yesterday by DBKL to vacate the premises. He has been offered RM500k for the property as fair compensation.

Rais Yatim, CAH Minister said: “Back in December 2004 the Cabinet made a decision based on a Cultural and Arts Development paper that the city should become a notable arts, heritage and cultural centre and it would start along Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman.”

Reports the Star Online:
( http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/9/nation/15085625&sec=nation&focus=1 and http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/8/9/nation/15087006&sec=nation )
No other place, he said was as good as Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman as it was where tourists converged and it was ideal for them to see musical shows staged here. Cinema shows could also continue.
Currently, Rais said, adjacent to the Coliseum is an open place used as a car park and where wayang kulit and cultural performances are staged in the evenings. These are all multi-racial and multi-cultural activities.
“Then came the idea that if we can acquire the Coliseum and maintain its cinematic function, it would serve us better and this was the decision of the committee,” he explained.
The plan, he said, was to show Malaysians films and hold workshops, film activities, stage performances and make the Coliseum cinema a multi-purpose venue.

Dammit, Rais, you guys had a plan back in 2004 and till now we've not seen a thread of it. All that's been emerging of the KL Arts Centre Plan are words from your mouth even till today. Is this the way to gain public support? Keep the people in the dark?

Show us the plan.

Show us the homework from your consultants and advisors. Publish the KL Arts Centre Plan, visuals and all. Get the real specialists to speak, not the minister. Start from the big picture to the small, and perhaps we can understand why The Coliseum is so critical that it has to be acquired from the legal owner; and why the Tamil/Bollywood moviegoers have to be deprived of a favourite haunt; and how Jln TAR can maintain its vibrant spontaneous patina.

Chances are the reasons will not be half as compelling. I dare say that.

Chances are I, for one, can tell you that the Central Market and its immediate locale make for a far, far better alternative to your pursuits. The extant forecourt, the river, Dayabumi, the LRT, are solidly inbuilt. The old Klang Bus Station can be appropriated easily to serve this cultural palate.

Petaling St and Jln Masjid India fall within easy walking distance. Ditto Lebuh Ampang. The Padang quadrangle is equally accessible. The old KL Train Station, a beautiful but underused relic is nearby, and the grand Hotel Majestic. This whole area is a cultural goldmine. It already has a balance of civic and commercial, something so vital to the success of a cultural hub.

In fact, efforts had been made in the 80s when the Central Market was first upgraded. It was a fantastic idea left to rot. What was once a galleria by the Gombak River is pretty much dead. Why not rejuvenate this jewel properly and make it right? Make it the place instead of bullying the property out of honest citizens by implementing yet another half-baked scheme.

Show us the plan, Rais. And let us - the people - weigh the merits.

(Photo credit: Kelly - http://www.blogexplosion.com/review.php?SiteID=24363 )