Break the Wall… and the Memories Down

By Shaun Lee

The Pudu Prison is certainly an iconic structure.  Having been around for almost 114 years since its building commenced in 1891, this prison is quite a sight to behold, particularly because of the 394-meter wall surrounding it.  Construction of the wall, also known as Pudu Gaol in Jalan Hang Tuah was finally completed in 1895 at a cost of RM15, 360.90.

Construction of the 4.5 m high wall had once set a record for the longest mural in the world. There were stories that the inmates painted the wall using only their fingers and their palms were true and all throughout the process they were guarded by the prison wardens.

In the early stages, this prison was initially used as a confinement area for male and female wrongdoers with short sentences as it was the only prison in the state of Selangor at the time.  Later, its inhabitants included drug-related offenders and prisoners attending court hearings.  This prison was also the area for corporal punishment via caning and hanging.

Some of Malaysia’s most notorious criminals such as Wong Swee Chin aka Botak Chin whose robbing spree gave him the nickname “Robin Hood of Malaysia” and Kevin Barlow and Brian Chambers, both Australian citizens in Malaysia who were convicted of drug trafficking were housed at this very prison before sent to the gallows.

The Pudu Prison can be considered a historical landmark within the heart of Kuala Lumpur as it’s quite a sight when viewed from the monorail trains shuttling between the Imbi and Hang Tuah stations. Sadly, not everyone shares this view as proven in June 2009 when the government made the decision to demolish the prison complex and develop it in phases.

When questioned about the decision taken, the reply from Deputy Finance Minister Awang Adek Hussain was that despite being more than a century old, it would not be turned into a heritage site as it is not a source of pride. So in June 2010, the demolition began when the eastern wall of the prison came tumbling down in order to enable a road-widening project.

The government’s stance on the building was made pretty clear when the Deputy Finance Minister and Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said that the Pudu Prison was “not something to be proud of” and “not fit to be called a heritage building”.

Would the decision to demolish have been made if the building was Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad? Because both these buildings were built at the same time and designed by the same engineer, C. E. Spooner. Extensive work was done on Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad while Pudu Prison has been left to retain its original form.

However, many Malaysians still consider Pudu Prison a significant part of history.  Some of these people had actually been directly related to the prison either as prisoners or wardens.

An unnamed ex-prisoner who spent two years in the prison for heroin trafficking mentioned “mixed feelings” towards the prison whereas a 72-year old former warden known as Hamdan was “sad” that the prison was to be demolished.

Upon chatting with the younger generation, it was made clear that the demolishing of the prison was a wrong move. “It’s a bad,” said UCSI University student Abilash Menon,  “Kuala Lumpur has lost one historical building and is now empty, history-wise.”

Judging by the overall reaction of some of the aforementioned response towards the issue as well as from personal observation, it would be safe to say that the demolishing of the Pudu Prison may not be one of the government’s better ideas.  Though their intentions may be beneficial towards the public, the price of memories and history which has to be paid makes the end result almost an insignificant reward.

It might be already too late to save Pudu Prison but Badan Warisan Malaysia who has been advocating for several years against the demolition of the prison hopes that the awareness raised by this episode will strengthen the resolve of members of the public to be conscious of how fragile our heritage is and speak up for its protection, conservation and preservation.