Some time ago, there was a proposal for Bangsar South not to continue to be Bangsar South; name that is. Bangsar South back to Kerinchi, anybody? Well, it’s now official. Article in TheMalayMail.com here. The name Bangsar South first appeared around 7 years ago. (Yes, I know because I used to go to my former company’s office once a month in Bangsar South). The article said that this was an attempt by some parties to rub off the prestige of an unrelated suburb to the north known for its affluence and hipness. MP for Lembah Pantai, Fahmi Fadzil said, “There is a mismatch between a place being sold and touted as Bangsar South with the reality that this was not Bangsar to begin with. Bangsar is north of the Federal Highway on the other side. This has never been Bangsar. This has always been Kampung Kerinchi.”
Fahmi said eventhough the name is now reverted to Kampung Kerinchi, it does not mean that everything that is Bangsar South will be obliterated but the re-emphasis that this area historically and culturally is Kampung Kerinchi. He said there is nothing to be embarrassed with the area being called “kampiung,” Malay word for “village.” He said, “We always have this negative connotation that ‘kampung’ means backwards. It does not necessarily mean backwards. The only thing backwards is our mentality. What is the point of having a first-rate city but having poor mentality?.” In the near future, there are plans to construct arches at three major entry points into the area ? the Universiti LRT station, the Petronas petrol station at the New Pantai Expressway, and Jalan Pantai Sentral. He said, “The arches would have a plaque that says ‘Selamat Datang ke Kampung Kerinchi, Kayo Di Hati Kamai’.” In the Kerinchi dialect, that phrase is a heart-warming embrace, meaning: “Welcome to Kampung Kerinchi, you are in our hearts.” Here’s that article in TheMalayMail.com for reference.
I personally think there’s nothing wrong to rebrand an area because this is part of development. I am not sure how will this affect the many other areas which have also been rebranded too. Let’s be honest here. Developers would want to create the best value for their developments and for their potential buyers this is a good thing too. None of us would like to buy into an area which does not increase in value over the years right? However, we should not be erasing the historical part of the area. As this is now a certainty, let’s see what happens in the near future between Bangsar South and Kampung Kerinchi’s combination. It’s a nice area by the way and I have many friends staying / working there too. As for their comments, maybe we talk about it in an article in the near future. Happy following.
written on 19 Jan 2019
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