Sunday, May 11, 2014

The Mighty Guan Gong

The Guan Gong temple (right) amid the ruins.

The site where the Wong Ah Fook old mansion used to be.

Just now I was busy so had no time to write too long. In the morning I visited the site of the Wong Ah Fook old mansion. There was a temple measuring some 10 ft x 12 ft still standing there among the ruins.

It was the temple of Guan Gong（关公) , the God of War.

According to the devotees, Guan Gong had stopped the excavator from tearing down his temple, which was built 14 years ago and its committee members registered it as the Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Guan Sheng Tan in January 2003.

The devotees are gearing up to celebrate the deity's birthday which falls on the 24th day of the sixth lunar month (July 20 this year).

No development will be approved there by the Johor Baru City Council. The Opposition wants the state government to rebuild the old mansion. The owner not only can't do anything with the land, he also faces a hefty fine.

So, what is the next course of action now? One which will seem fair and beneficial for all parties.

The story that appeared in NST online

11 May 2014 Johor Baru MP urged mansion owner to meet him

JOHOR BARU: Johor Baru Member of Parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad today urged the owner of the Wong Ah Fook old mansion to come and see him so that a decision can be made on the next course of action to be taken.

Earlier, members of the Persatuan Penganut Agama Buddha Guan Sheng Tan had approached Shahrir to help them find an alternative as they, too, are facing eviction from the owner. The temple was actually an extension of the Wong Ah Fook old mansion, and was set up 14 years ago.

It honours the deity Guan Kong, whose birthday celebration will fall on July 20.

According to the temple committee chairman, Koh Kim Poh, he had received a call on Wednesday from a man claiming to be a representative of the owner reminding the committee members to vacate the temple by the end of the month. The temple was left unscathed during the demolition on April 30 but is now standing among the ruins.

"The owner or his representative can see me or the Johor Baru MCA Public Complaints bureau chairman John Cheah on this matter.

"It is best that all parties meet before another mistake occurs. The owner committed the first mistake when he demolished a soon-to-be declared heritage mansion without submitting any building plans to the local council. He then did a second mistake by demolishing it in haste without getting permit from the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB)," Shahrir added.

Read more: Johor Baru MP urged mansion ownwer to meet him - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/johor-baru-mp-urged-mansion-ownwer-to-meet-him-1.593486#ixzz31OOGK6f6

Happy Go Lucky

I walked out of the dental clinic this afternoon with a bounce in my steps. My mood was light and happy. I was scared stiff minutes before the dental check-up. But the dental surgeon has a very gentle touch. I would recommend her service to anyone.

The clinic is at Jalan Padi 2 in Bandar Baru Uda, Johor Baru.

Having your teeth checked once or twice a year is a necessity. Sometimes we just scare ourselves silly.

It really can be a pleasant experience having a dental check-up.

I also got this beautiful scarf as a gift today. And one more highlight of this Saturday, I got to savour "bee hoon goreng kampung". I really hope I can cook this dish someday.

Another day to count my blessings!

Friday, May 9, 2014

Owner's Statement

The owner of the Wong Ah Fook mansion in Jalan Lumba Kuda, Johor Baru, has finally broken his silence over the demolition of the 150-year-old building.

In a statement issued through his law firm yesterday he said the mansion was a private property. YES, VERY TRUE.

It also stated: "In April, the owner and its tenants had hired an engineering firm to conduct an inspection on the mansion. They found structural defects and concluded that the building was unfit for occupation.

"Members of the public had entered the building without consent on many occasions, giving rise to issues of public safety.

"Drug addicts had also been seen entering the mansion.

"Because of the potential risks, the mansion was demolished last Wednesday."

EVEN THOUGH THE PRIVATE ENGINEERING FIRM HAD FOUND STRUCTURAL DEFECTS AND THIS HAD POSED A THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY, THE CITY COUNCIL'S APPROVAL STILL HAD TO BE SOUGHT PRIOR TO ANY CONSTRUCTION OR DEMOLITION.

The owner, however, expressed his regret that public sentiment was not considered before the mansion was demolished. THIS ONE TRUE.

The lawyer who read the statement also denied speculations that the building was demolished to make way for a condominium project/restaurant. The owner was not present.

As for the time the demolition work started according to the statement, HAAH!

The saga continues ...

Savour the Moment

I was here! Had dinner with a family. Knowing that my vision is not so sharp at night and my sense of direction go haywire at times --- more like most of the time --- the family also came to get me from the house.

Well, to be honest I would probably be too lazy to drive there all by myself.

These are just some of the dishes that were on our table. I didn't take a picture of every dish. This Japanese restaurant in Bandar Baru Permas Jaya, Johor Baru is still drawing in the crowd since the day it opened.

We couldn't finish the food so we "bungkus balik" (pack back). It is the trend now. Don't waste food. Even at wedding dinner or any gathering, don't be shy about asking the waiter to pack the leftovers.

And my wonderful host also gave me a gift to take home. I'm a lover of sensuous scents and alluring crystals/gemstones. Any gift that comes from the heart is a sweet gesture to be savoured.

A get together, a fleeting moment, a rendezvous --- planned or unplanned --- all is to be cherished.

Thank you for this night.

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Wake Up Call

06 May 2014

Let Wong Ah Fook be a wake-up call

By Chuah Bee Kim

THERE are two lessons to be learnt from the recent demolition of Wong Ah Fook's former mansion.
Perhaps there are more, but I only know of two for now.
Lesson number one: Do not procrastinate.
I spoke to some of the residents and business operators near the site and some of them said that the place stuck out like a sore thumb.
The once majestic eight-room mansion became dilapidated over the years.
Squatters went in to occupy the premises. Two Taoist temples were also set up about 14 years ago.
No one really took much notice of the place. I think most of Johor Baru residents will know of the popular Kedai Makanan Jadi Baru (Botak) at Jalan Lumba Kuda better than they know of Wong Ah Fook's Old Mansion.
I say this because when the old mansion was facing demolition -- at that time the structure was still standing -- some actually didn't know what I was talking about.
Then I said: "The old house near Botak's restaurant."
And just like that, everyone knew the location.
Over the years, no one made much noise. In fact, I did not hear anything about preservation of the old mansion until the site was fenced up.
Then the noise started, and it grew louder and louder.
To be fair to the new owner, he had forked out a big sum of money to buy the land for development.
I do not know if he knew about the state government's plan to have the house turned into a museum or heritage site when he signed on the dotted line to buy the land, but he must have grown desperate when he eventually found out.
The second lesson here.
He probably acted in haste which resulted in the demolition at night, which to some had seemed like he had acted like a "thief in the night".
But isn't that his land now? His intention was to develop the land which had not enjoyed much notice over the years until now.
I want to switch to another subject concerning an issue that may seem like nothing now but could become an even bigger issue than Wong Ah Fook's old mansion.
This concerns the reclamation works in Tanjung Kupang, Gelang Patah which is believed to have covered up half of the Merambong seagrass meadow in Sungai Pulai.
It's just grass, right?
To an environmentalist, this seagrass is a national treasure. It stretches 1.3km and has been accorded Environmentally Sensitive Area status.
It provides nutrients to the marine life in the vicinity and the Straits of Tebrau.
The destruction of this seagrass meadow will alter the marine environment and may even cause floods in the villages nearby.
To an economist, the fishery industry is a multi-billion investment.
Any possible threat to the fishery industry is going to affect those in the business as well as consumers.
Let the Wong Ah Fook issue be a wake-up call.
Don't procrastinate but don't act in haste, either.

Monday, May 5, 2014

From Misstep To Mess

05 May 2014

Anger at mansion demolition grows

By CHUAH BEE KIM

JOHOR BARU: AS outrage over the demolition of the 150-year-old Wong Ah Fook mansion grows, state authorities have pledged to ensure those responsible for tearing it down pay heavily for their action.
   While local authorities are seeking a maximum fine of RM500,000 against the landowner, a senior politician here had also promised to go all out to block whatever building plans that have been proposed on the plot.
   Johor Baru member of parliament Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad said yesterday he would push the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) to not grant approval for development plans that might have been proposed.
   "The local council must teach those responsible a lesson for acting like a thief by carrying out the demolition in the middle of the night."
   Shahrir said he had already seen Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin to discuss the matter.
   Meanwhile, MBJB chief whip Datuk Yahya Jaffar yesterday also lambasted the landowner for acting in haste after learning of the state government's plan to declare the mansion a historical site.
   "The process of gazetting the land as a historical site takes time.
   "The owner must have realised this and rushed to tear down the building before it could be done.
"The person who tore down the building did not obtain any permit before demolishing it."
Yahya said that the owner had also not submitted any proposed building plans on the plot.
   The 0.5ha plot is said to be worth about RM30 million, considering it is centrally located in a prime area.
   Yahya said the owner, a local residing in Singapore, would be charged under the Town and Country Planning Act 1976 for tearing down the building illegally.
   The offence carries a maximum RM500,000 fine.
On Saturday, Johor state secretary Datuk Ismail Karim said the state government could not do anything to stop the demolition as it was done in the middle of the night on Wednesday.
   He said by the time local authorities found out about it, the whole structure had been knocked down.