Rome Was Not Built In A Day

As part of the exercise to involve stakeholders to participate in the planning and design of Sembulan River Beautification Project, a briefing was conducted by the Project Consultants to its stakeholders.

With full enthusiasm and high expectation, I attended the project briefing, hoping to share the joy with the stakeholders, besides showing moral support to the Project Consultants.

Most of the stakeholder was supportive of the project (of course, why not?  It was 100% government funded, to give the people a better living environment).  However, very typical as expected, the most negative respond was from the end user, the ultimate beneficiary of the Project - the people of Kampung Sembulan!  How cynical!  When feedback was asked by the City Hall Chief Planner, the Kampung Representative bluntly voiced out a very typical kampung minded question “what is the benefits to our kampung falks?”

What is wrong with these people?!!  Can’t they see the title of the Project “Sembulan River Beautification Project”?  Isn’t the title speaks clearly the noble objective of the Project?  Are they expecting Sembulan River as a dirty kampung drain for another millennium?  Come on folks, Sembulan is just few yards away form the CBD (Central Business District)!  Are they not looking forward a better living environment – a cleaner neighborhood?  Fortunate enough that this area has been selected, don’t they know there is always limited fund for urban environmental improvement program!?

Looking back to the history of many other world class cities, is there any city that is not continuously under go transformation?  Just like any other living organisms, a living city - is always in the growing state, always in progress, always in the move, in the change!  Why is Sembulan River or Kota Kinabalu exceptional?!  Unless it is a dead city!

“Rome Was Not Built in a Day” This is an old say I have learned since time in memory, I think it is not foreign to many too.  However, how many of us have given much thought about it?  Did any one aware of the depth of this old say?

Rome, as one of the oldest and most beautiful city in human civilization:

1.     The city of Rome marks the best standard of a beautiful city,

2.     The city has been developed for thousands of years, experienced countless evolution and revolution,

3.     Rome, though is an old and matured city, is still developing, continuously.

What an excellent example!  Such an old and established city, Rome is still developing!

Please wake up the folks of Kampung Sembulan, it is either you want Sembulan to die off and left out, or to let it grow and prosper.