DOMINATING the island’s skyline, Komtar (Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak) is the landmark of Penang and touted to be the icon of its urban renewal programme.

But this imposing structure now serves as a “colossal reminder” to uncompleted projects under the five-phase Komtar master plan.

For some, it is also an image of neglect and for the harsher ones, it is a reminder of how Penang has lagged behind other states.

Komtar, once the pride of Penang, is in need of a major makeover in order for it to compete with modern shopping malls.
The Komtar plan was conceived following the appointment of the state’s development arm, Penang Development Corporation, to undertake the project in 1969.

Till today, more than 30 years later, only two and a half phases have been completed.

Phase 1 (comprising the 65-storey Komtar tower, the geodesic dome, a part of the four-storey podium and the 17-storey Shangri-La Hotel) and Phase 2A (the remainder of the podium and a multi-storey carpark) were completed in 1986 while Phase 4 (Prangin Mall) was ready in 2000.

The uncompleted Phases 2B, 3 and 5 were originally earmarked to be developed for commercial purposes.

The plots of land under Phases 2B and 3 were sold off to Metrojaya Bhd and Postmix Sdn Bhd respectively while Phase 5’s plan was revised in 2002 and its new one features a centralised transportation hub.

Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Lee Hack Teik took the state government to task for failing to develop the whole project although more than 30 years had lapsed.

“To date, only Phases 1, 2a and 4 of the master plan have been completed. The area under Phase 5 has been left in neglect with overgrown brambles and some 80 vacant pre-war houses are now home to drug addicts, mosquitoes and rats. Passers-by have even spotted monkeys and snakes there.

Komtar assemblyman Lim Gim Soon said he was sad to see the glory of Komtar fading as it was an important symbol of Penang.

“The abandoned Metrojaya project under Phase 2 has become an ugly sight,” he said, adding that PDC should find a solution to revive the uncompleted phases.

However, he gave the thumbs-up to the state’s plan to build a public transportation hub as this was much needed to ease traffic woes in the area.

Tanjung MP Chow Kon Yeow said: “When the state acquired the land from the people in the 1970s, the Land Acquisition Act 1960 only allowed such acquisitions for public utility projects.

“However, the Act was later amended in 1992 to allow acquisition for commercial development as well. This is like cheating the people of their homes for the aim of profit-making.”

He said it was a sheer waste that people were evicted from their homes over 10 years ago for the sake of development projects which had been either abandoned or stalled.

He said the Komtar master plan should be recorded in the Malaysia Book of Records as “the country’s longest unfinished public project.”

Henry Butcher Malaysia valuation department assistant manager Yeoh Peng Hong said the value of Komtar’s shoplots had substantially dropped compared to prices 15 years ago.

“The value for those on the first and second floors has dropped by at least 30% to 40% and 10% to 20% for shoplots on the ground floor and third floor,” he said.

He said drop in value was the result of poor maintenance, lack of facilities and the mushrooming of new shopping complexes on the island.

“With the presence of Prangin Mall and Gurney Plaza, fewer shoppers are coming to Komtar,” he said, adding that the new Giant hypermarket and upcoming Queensbay Mall would also add to the competition.

Yeoh also said that the population was no longer concentrated in George Town as more residential areas were fast emerging in the outskirts such as Tanjung Bungah and Relau.

He expressed hopes that the up-and-coming Penang Times Square complex would attract more people back to George Town and the Komtar area.