Malaysian-Indians upset over move to rename shopping street

A move to rename Little India, an enclave in the Malaysian town of Klang which is
famous for shops selling Indian goods, has upset the community which fear that the move will erase the identity of the area. 

Ethnic Indian businessmen and elected representatives argue that the shopping street is a well-known tourist spot popular with visitors from other countries and if the opposition-ruled Selangor state authorities renames it Medan Kelana, it will hurt tourism.

The congested enclave comprises over 100 shops mostly selling Indian goods and eatables. It is an important income generator for Klang, one of the oldest towns in the country. A top official of the Malaysian Indian Congress, G Palanivel said on Wednesday that "the move to change its name will erase the area's identity" and appealed to Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to intervene.

Palanivel was commenting on reports that the Klang municipality would soon remove two signboards with the name 'Little India' and replace them with Medan Kelana. In the southern state of Johor, Malaysian Indian Business Association president P Sivakumar said Little India had significant business value as a tourist attraction and should not be renamed.

Local people are outraged and feel the practice of renaming roads can wipe out local history and render these places and their origins obscure to future generations and
foreign visitors. 

The enclave attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the country -– to shop and taste the offerings. One of the local dailies said the market in Klang's little
Indian quarters had a permanent atmosphere of a Madras Bazaar attracting locals and tourists from Singapore, Indonesia and even from Europe.

Klang town has a rich history filled with royal intrigues, disputes and wars. It is a mosaic that includes Chinese, Indian and other Asian migrants, whose cultural and economic contributions to Klang are part of the town's heritage, Star daily said.

The man whose name is to replace Little India, Tengku Kelana, was a colourful and independent-minded son of Sultan Alaeddin Sulaiman Shah (1898-1938). He was born Tengku Musa Eddin and reportedly crossed swords with the British resident of the day, TS Adams, who had him removed as the Crown Prince in 1933.

Tengku Eddin was conferred the title Tengku Kelana Jaya Putera and, following the British defeat and occupation by the Japanese, was installed as Sultan taking the name, Sultan Musa Ghiatuddin Riayat Shah. But the returning British deposed him and exiled him to the Cocos Keeling Island where he fell sick and died soon after he returned in 1955, the daily said.

Tengku Kelana is remembered in numerous ways in Selangor today -– schools, mosques, housing estates, roads and commercial complexes have been named after him.