No tower please, we're Malaysians

By Patrick Lee - Free Malaysia Today

PETALING JAYA: In a massive chorus of disapproval, 100,000 Malaysians on Facebook have come out in protest of the proposed Warisan Merdeka tower.

The group called "1M Malaysians Reject 100-storey Mega Tower" was formed earlier this week after the skyscraper was first announced by Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Budget 2011.

The 100-storey tower, which will be developed by the country's largest fund management company, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), will cost about RM5 billion. Construction will commence next year, and is expected to be completed by 2015.

Criticising the government's decision, many of the group's members ticked off the government for not using its money wisely.

"This idea is absolutely ridiculous. Anyone with any leadership or governmental sense would know that buildings do not solve the social issues and the unrest of citizens," said a member, Aaron Lam.

"If the leaders of this nation still don't get this, they probably should go back to the basics and play Sim City (a city-building simulation game) or some management simulation games before taking on a real nation," he added.

Other members have suggested that the government pull out of the project and concentrate instead on more pressing issues, such as poverty and education.

"Such a huge amount of money can be put to better use. This sum (RM5 billion) can be used for better causes like eradicating poverty and providing scholarships," said Raevathi Supramaniam.

“Foreigners come to Malaysia to see the beauty of our culture, our food, and our flora and fauna, not a RM5-billion mega tower. There is nothing to be proud of if we have the tower but still have people begging for some money by the roadside," said Nur Quraisha Hanapiah.

“(The government should) use the RM5 billion instead to help our government servants pay for their children's school books, tuition fees and milk for babies,” said another member, Hizwan Ahmad, who urged Malaysians to reject the Barisan Nasional.

Fear of heights

With thousands of new members joining every hour, the group's rapid growth has even caught its members by surprise.

Interestingly, a much smaller counter-group in support of the tower known as "Kami Sokong Menara Warisan" (KSWW) has been formed.

Mocking the anti-tower group, a KSWW member known only as Ali Setan said, "People who aren't supportive of the project have a fear of heights. They say the RM5 billion should go to hospitals, but in truth, they're really suffering (from a fear of heights)."

However, even with a membership of under 300, the majority of KSWW members appear to be against the project.

Disagreeing with growing criticism, many cabinet ministers have sided with the Warisan Merdeka idea.

Najib had said that the project would benefit the economy.

Chipping in her two cents' worth, Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen said that the tower would bring more tourists to Malaysia.

In a move to quell public anger, PNB's chief executive officer Hama Kama Piah Che Othman said that neither the government's money nor unit trust funds would be used to develop the towering skyscraper.

He said that PNB had more than enough money to build the tower, although it remains to be seen who will foot the bill at the end of the day.