Komtar reborn with new wonders

GEORGE TOWN: One way of getting rid of one’s fear of heights is to face it head on.

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz’s moment of truth came when he visited the glass skywalk on Komtar’s roof which, at about a quarter of a kilometre above ground, is the highest in South-East Asia.

“I am acrophobic, but then we must all be willing to try everything at least once, right?” Mohd Nazri grinned as he stepped onto the glass with the terracotta rooftops of the pre-war houses of George Town World Heritage Site beneath his feet.

Initially skittish about walking out, Nazri was bolstered by waves of encouragement and friendly jesting from his entourage.

He successfully walked the entire length of the skywalk, holding firmly onto the railing and even bravely looked down. Nazri was given a rousing applause for his attempt.

The glass footpath, called the Rainbow Skywalk, is a semi-circle path that juts several metres out of Komtar’s roof, offering visitors a one-of-a-kind panorama of Penang Island from Gurney Drive in the north to Pulau Jerejak, 12km to the southwest.

It was built using the same technology as America’s Grand Canyon Skywalk.

“The irony is that we all once wrote Komtar off as a forgotten old building. It is incredible to see a yesteryear landmark icon being reborn,” he told reporters after touring the new attractions.

The minister officially opened The Top@Komtar yesterday, representing Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Komtar now boasts an observatory deck on Level 65, where the old rooftop helipad was.

Three new levels were added onto it, including a rooftop viewing point on Level 68, where the skywalk is.

The new elevators will take visitors from Level Five, which is packed with even more attractions in the form of amusement games such as a virtual reality submersible called Ocean Explorer, a shooting game using virtual reality visors called Spacetime Squad and the 7D Discovery Motion Theatre.

Where Komtar’s old urban garden and open podium used to be is now the Jurassic Research Centre featuring over 200 full-sized animatronic dinosaurs and reproductions of fossils, dinosaur eggs and embryos as an “edutainment” treat for children.

There are also evergreen fun rides such as a musical carousel, dinosaur rides and manifold shooting games.

In Dr Ahmad Zahid’s speech, read out by Mohd Nazri, he described Komtar or Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak – named after the second Prime Minister – as a beloved icon of Malaysians.

“This tallest structure in Penang is a reminder of the vision of former chief minister, the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu, who realised the need for both urban development and heritage conservation.”

The rejuvenation of Komtar was done by Only World Group (OWG), a listed company that specialises in theme parks and tourism attractions.

“It is a big challenge to make an old building attractive again, but we managed to fill a niche by blending products that have family entertainment values and tourist appeal,” said OWG chief executive officer Datuk Seri Richard Koh.

Present at the opening was Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, state government, business and community leaders, and also DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang.