Brickfields residents say 'shocked' by Jalan Travers name change

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — Brickfields community leaders slammed the sudden renaming of Jalan Travers to Jalan Rakyat, labelling the change as “shocking” and saying the local residents were never consulted.

Brickfields Rukun Tetangga chairman S. Kanakiahnaidu said he could not understand the reason behind the change.

He said, none of the business owners or residents in the area had any clue of the plan to change the name of the road.

“The name Jalan Travers has historical meaning to it. What meaning does ‘Jalan Rakyat’ have to the people here?” he said.

Kanakiahnaidu said the opening of the new Bank Rakyat towers would not positively affect the residents and hence it did not deserve to have a street named after the building.

“The area is already congested and is now becoming overdeveloped.

“Will the new towers employ people from Brickfields?”

He had been receiving a constant stream of messages from fellow residents following the incident.

“We look so powerless as residents. 

“The authorities can’t just change the name of the road!” said a resident, who lives at Sri Impiana Condominium nearby. 

Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association president Datuk Mumtaz Ali said the name change caught him by surprise.

“While the government states its aim is to engage the community, clearly it has failed on this matter,” he said.

Mumtaz said the effects of the new street name would be felt, particularly by business owners in the area.

“They would have to change their letterheads, signage, and probably their business cards as well.

“While the government may be attempting to rejuvenate the city by renaming different roads, it should also consider the implications as well.”

Brickfields Business Community Society president Datuk V. Subramaniam said while the government had the right to implement the name change, it should have done so with prior dialogue and consultation with the residents.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak announced yesterday that a section of Jalan Travers in front of the new Bank Rakyat Twin Towers had been renamed Jalan Rakyat.

Najib said the new street name would “celebrate the people who are the lifeblood of the excellence of Bank Rakyat, comprising the multiracial members, clients and society throughout the country”.