Of place names and identity
What’s in a name? A lot, it would seem, especially when it concerns locations and appeal of property.
“A ROSE by any other name would smell as sweet.”
This famous quote from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet came to mind when I read about the brouhaha over the renaming of Bangsar South to Kerinchi. Actually, that’s not quite correct; it’s the reverting of Bangsar South to Kerinchi.
I remember Kerinchi from 20 years ago when I first moved to Petaling Jaya. Its main road was filled with hawker stalls and the area was popular with students from nearby Universiti Malaya who came for the affordable fare. Many of these outstation students also lived in the low-cost flats in the area.
Kerinchi is now totally unrecognisable. The area has been transformed into a more affluent enclave. Bangsar South can be considered an ultra modern suburb of KL.
But Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil was correct when he said that Kerinchi has a tradition and history of more than 100 years. According to him, Kampung Kerinchi was founded by Kuala Lumpur’s urban pioneers in the 1870s.
This entire debate started because one of Fahmi’s election promises was to revert Bangsar South to its original name of Kampung Kerinchi. Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) initiated the name change in 2012.
Fahmi criticised DBKL for changing the name without constructive consultation.
“Name changes should be viewed seriously and DBKL must not change the names so flippantly. Who are we without our sense of history? That is why we must not easily change place names,” he said.
But does it really matter if an area is called Kerinchi or Bangsar South?
This has been the subject of debate in recent weeks by stakeholders living in these areas.
It is a mixed reaction. For some, the economic value of their property is important while for others, tradition and heritage are significant.
The older generation who have lived in Kerinchi for decades witnessed its development and claim that it has lost its charm.
But if you speak to residents and property investors, they will say that the redevelopment of Kerinchi into Bangsar South with its gleaming new offices and residences has raised its image and property values.
And now, after weeks of arguments and counter-arguments, the matter appears to have been resolved, I think.
Bangsar South will now be a “taman” or neighbourhood in a larger township called Kerinchi. DBKL will put up more signages to prioritise the Kerinchi name. And, apparently, there will be an arch or arches erected at suitable entry points.
Will the matter now be closed? I don’t know, but it is interesting to note that DBKL wasn’t the only government agency that consented to the name change in the first place. Checks show that name changes in KL fall under the purview of the Federal Territories Committee on Geographical Names which is under the Federal Territories Ministry, and DBKL is one of its committee members.
The committee includes representatives from different DBKL departments, Pos Malaysia Bhd, Real Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia (Rehda) and Kuala Lumpur traffic police.
The process starts when DBKL receives applications from developers to change a name. Factors like history, general theme and landmarks in the area are taken into consideration before the committee gives the final approval.
Checks also indicate that the application to change the name from Kerinchi to Bangsar South was approved in 2008 but the actual change only took place in 2012.
If you look around KL, you’ll see that a number of the original place names have been changed at the behest of developers, ostensibly because the original name isn’t “sexy” enough or has negative connotations.
A good example of this is Segambut. Large swathes of this area have been renamed Solaris Dutamas and Mont Kiara North. The developers obviously believe that you won’t be able to market or sell property with a Segambut address. And if you ask buyers of property in the area, I’ll wager that the majority of them would not want a Segambut address too.
I’ve always wondered how developers get approval when it comes to naming their properties. Some are pretty mind-boggling. For example, the neighbourhood of Country Heights Damansara is nowhere near Damansara; in fact it’s closer to Kepong! In this case, the attraction of staying in a “Damansara” suburb must have superseded all other considerations.
With a new FT Minister in place and a number of new faces as KL MPs, one can only hope that the Federal Territories Committee on Geographical Names will be more judicious when it comes to approving name changes, especially if it is for marketing purposes and to “jack” up the appeal and property prices.