By G VinodKUALA LUMPUR: Amidst much fanfare and heavy security presence, Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh today put “Little India” on the big map of the world.
Both premiers jointly launched Malaysia's new attraction at Brickfields here at about 6pm to rousing applause of the nearly 10,000 crowd.
Najib and Manmohan unveiled a giant water fountain at Jalan Travers, as performers showcased their dance routines to reflect the multi-racial nature of the country.
Earlier, the two leaders were entertained to a special rendition of the 1Malaysia song, both in Malay and Tamil, praising Najib for his 1Malaysia concept which promotes acceptance and unity in diversity.
Later, the crowd was treated to a classical dance featuring Ramli Ibrahim, a well-known Odyssey dancer.
Among those who witnessed the special event was R Deva. He said he came all the way from Ipoh to see the Indian prime minister unveil “Little India”.
“I can see a lot of changes in Brickfields and I am very happy about it,” he said, adding that business for traders will certainly pick up with this new look.
But for some representatives of the National Union of Banking Employees (NUBE), they initially had something else in mind when they came for the event.
“At first, we planned to submit a memorandum to both premiers over some grievences involving a bank that employed staff from both countries.
“However, after receiving a guarantee that the government will look into our grouses, we dropped the plan,” said NUBE's representative Mohd Dauzkaply Nor.
Instead, he and his colleagues joined in the celebration in support of Najib.
More tourists, more revenue
Turning his attention to Little India, Dauzkaply said the area had always been a popular business hub and with the new image, it will attract more tourists and generate more revenue for the tourism industry.
“It will be good for the Indian traders here as they will see better business in the future. Besides Indians, other races too will come here to shop and dine,” he said.
But for some traders, the heavy security net thrown around the area had affected their business.
Kannan (not his real name), who owns a saree outlet nearby, said his business was affected because the area was cordoned off .
“My loss for today stands at RM10,000. I may have lost additional sales as this is nearing the Deepavali season,” he said, adding that the police should not have blocked all the roads, including the pedestrian walks.
“The police must understand that the people did not only come to see the launching but also to shop and dine around here.
“By blocking even the pedestrian paths, customers were put off” said Kannan.
However, there is one bright news to cheer up Kannan. He said the Little India project will serve as an advertisement for the traders which will benefit them in the long run.
“Tourists will come to know about us and visit this place,” he said.
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