Yet another proposal to change the name of some town in Malaysia has popped up.
This time, the target is Port Dickson, and Pertubuhan Pemerkasaan Identiti, an alliance of Muslim and nationalist groups, wants it to be called Pantai Dermaga.
Negeri Sembilan menteri besar Aminuddin Harun was quick to dismiss it, pointing out that the town is already recognised as a prominent beach resort and its name carries “a distinct identity known to locals and tourists alike”.
But for the proponents of the change, it is the only way to discard the last vestiges of the colonial era.
The Indian government cited the same reason for renaming Bombay as Mumbai in 1995, but the moniker “Bollywood” still endures, perhaps for the better.
Somehow, “Mullywood” does not inspire the same romance or dance moves, nor does it have the same ring to it.
There have been several attempts to do the same in Malaysia, some successful, others quickly forgotten.
In 1967, Jesselton became Kota Kinabalu. Few, if any, will remember Jesselton or Sir Charles Jessel, a first baronet (also a knight), British barrister, magistrate and businessman after whom the town was named, which is just as well given that he had never visited the town in the first place.
As recently as last year, a PAS member of parliament had proposed that George Town be renamed Tanjung Penaga. The MP, Fawaz Jan, claimed that was the original name of the place where the city stands today. Back then it must have been barely a village.
The British decided it was a good place to settle down, so they built a city where once a village stood. And probably to mark their claim on the land that was never theirs, they gave it a name that they were familiar with.
Or perhaps, for the Mat Sallehs, “Tanjung Penaga” was too difficult to pronounce. Or maybe they just wanted to please King George III. Whatever the reason, the name has endured for close to 250 years now, although some islanders still refer to the state capital as “Tanjung”.
Back to Pantai Dermaga… no, it’s still Port Dickson, Aminuddin has the place close to his heart. He was born and raised there, and he is its MP today.
In any case, a new name is not going to change our history. We were partly and eventually wholly a Portuguese, Dutch and British territory for 446 years — from the fall of Malacca (note now it’s Melaka) to the Portuguese armada led by Alfonso d’Albuquerque in 1511 to independence in 1957.
Nothing will erase that. The three European powers of the past had left behind many physical reminders of their rule, built for military, or religious purposes or simply and expression of love.
The Portuguese built A’Fomosa (Portuguese for “The Famous”) to defend Malacca, their newly acquired base, from invaders, and the British had Fort Cornwallis in Penang for the same reason.
Also in Malacca, the Nossa Senhora da Annunciada, or the Chapel of Mother of God, later renamed Church of St Paul, was to meet the builders’ religious obligations, while Kellie’s Castle in Perak was the symbol of a man’s devotion to his wife.
We have now embraced these monuments as our legacy and are promoting them to draw the tourist dollar. No shame in that.
Renaming Port Dickson or George Town will not remove our colonial heritage just as demolishing Fort Cornwallis or Kellie’s Castle will not change our history.
We cannot alter the past. Let’s live with that.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
