GEORGE TOWN, March 15 — Penang does not plan to change the names of George Town and Butterworth to their original names because they are already well-known nationwide and abroad.
Prior to British colonisation, George Town was known as Tanjong Penaga while Butterworth was called Bagan.
State Tourism and Creative Economy Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said the state government was of the opinion that the names of these two places, which were given by the colonialist, have been used for the past 200 years and, as such, there was no need to change them.
“I do not see any justification for us to change the names of George Town (and Butterworth) because these names have been famous for a long time worldwide, the names have been in use for the past 200 years.
“So, the state government feels that there is no need to change their names because it is just a proposal by a select few,” he told a press conference regarding the implementation of the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) by air between Penang and Singapore here today.
He said the history of a place would always be known and remembered and should not be changed arbitrarily.
Yeoh said that, moreover, the request to change the names of George Town and Butterworth came from just a few individuals, adding that the committee did not want to make things difficult for the majority just for the sake of a select few.
“The name George Town is already widely accepted and if we want to change it, then it will involve many more name changes. So, let’s just stick to the same names (George Town and Butterworth),” he said.
Previously, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation, International Islamic University Malaysia’s (ISTAC-IIUM) Prof Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican had proposed that places named by the colonialist should be changed as they actually erased the early history of these places. — Bernama
