GEORGE TOWN: Penang is awaiting the go-ahead from the Heritage Department to list its hawker culture as a Unesco intangible cultural heritage.
State Tourism, Arts, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Yeoh Soon Hin said Penang intends to list its hawker culture into the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity under the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage.
He said the state had voiced its intention to the Heritage Department for a joint nomination alongside Singapore.
“Although we very much want it to be a Penang initiative, Unesco has set that the nomination can only be made through a member country, in this case a Singapore and Malaysia joint nomination.
“So, we have written to the Heritage Department and the Deputy Tourism Minister Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik on the matter,” he said in his winding up speech on the fourth day of the state legislative assembly sitting this afternoon.
Lee Khai Loon (PH-Machang Bubuk) stood up and said the state must be aggressive in pushing for the listing or risk losing out.
On a related matter, Lee also asked why none of Penang’s food had received Michelin star ratings despite being famous worldwide.
“Our food here is more famous than those in Singapore. So, why have none of them received the Michelin star?
“Why is the state not pursuing this further?” he asked.
Yeoh acknowledged that they had been slow on the matter but said the state was committed to pursuing the matter further.