Something old and something new
Published on: Sunday, October 27, 2019
By: Sohan Das
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The association building was planned during British rule in 1956 after World War Two had flattened the whole of Labuan town. A plaque at the facade of the building facing Jalan OKK Awang Besar (before called High Street) reads “Erection of the First block of permanent shophouses under the new township plan 1956.”
The whole block has a similar design and so were some subsequent blocks but many had got rid of the chimneys to convert into three-storey structures.
According to old residents here when the shophouse was built it was sold for merely RM30,000 but today it could easily fetch about RM2 million and interestingly enough a number of the corner units of these blocks were purchased by clan associations reflecting the shrewd far-sighted decisions of them.
Along those with corner units were Teochew, Ann Kwai and the Hainan associations. Later the Labuan Chinese Chamber of Commerce also owned one.
As for the building at the background it was built at a reported cost of RM6 million in the mid-80s by a local tycoon. It served as the first Financial centre office when Labuan was declared an International Offshore Financial Centre (IOFC).
It was inside this building that then Finance Minister Tun Daim Zainuddin unveiled Labuan’s new status with the remarks “At the right place at the right time.” Today the building serves as administration centre of Labuan Corporation.
Another building that stands as a departure from modern-day design is the British mansion-style Harrisons Sabah Sdn Bhd (known before as Harrisons and Crosfield). Also built after the war, the building had not succumbed to structural changes.
The building with a spacious balcony jutting out from its first floor and supported by two pillars sits on a prime town location next to the harbour. When the new township development started, the choice sites were given to British companies. The lots in front of Harrisons were occupied by North Borneo Trading and Borneo Company. Both companies are no longer in operation and the lots had been used as car parks.
Harrisons those days was a powerful trading house in Labuan and were shipping agents for famous international shipping companies such as Blue Funnel Lines, Maersk lines and Blue Sea to name a few and Japanese “Maru” series of cargo vessels.
The stevedores that handle the cargoes discharged from vessels came from India and worked under Ali Brothers. There were no containers or palletised service. In those day it was gruelling work to unload the cargoes. Inland logistic support services were handled by mostly Chinese residing at Kampong Sungei Keling and Rancha. The port was usually booming with tens of thousands tonnes cargo awaiting clearance to Brunei Shell. Later the construction of the RM2 billion Sabah Gas Industries (SGI) started in 1981. Vessels came from Europe and Japan. Barter trade was also booming.
A third building that merits comments is the colonial-style post office with several pillars at its entrance. It is almost similar in appearance to the Labuan History Museum, a third building that was in the area. The Courthouse has since become a restaurant. The post office played an important role in those years since there were direct flights between here and Hong Kong by Cathay Pacific Airlines, Qantas Airways (Australia) and British Airways. Labuan had the most suitable runway for such flights.
The airlines brought in mail and Labuan served as a clearing point for some foreign mail.
A building that is no more near there is the Labuan Recreation Club which was the social pulse of the island. Parties were there and many locals learned how to play snooker, darts and ballroom dancing. In its place today sits a five-star hotel.
A tour operator Tony Alexander felt it is important for towns to preserve some of their old buildings as there’s irreplaceable heritage value.
He added that Penang and Malacca were rich with such heritage and was the reason many visit these two cities. “In the case of Labuan, it is better having a few rather than none at all.”
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