Monument drawing locals despite bad publicity

ALOR SETAR: Despite attracting public rebuke and bad publicity, the unsavoury monument erected to remember “Japanese heroes” has begun drawing locals.

Many Alor Setar folk were seen visiting the monument site in the centre of the old town.

When asked for their thoughts on the monument, most did not hold back strong words.

“I really can’t digest how can we thank a party who came to Malaya and attacked our ancestors.

“Monument is put up to

remember and thank people, so why must the state government accept the proposal of the

Japanese consulate?” asked local businesswoman Niasarah Mohd Zalehan, 42.

She went there with her engineer husband Jamil Hussain, 42, and son Mikael Agas Tya, five.

“We have a lot of heroes that we want to thank, so either we remove this or we dedicate it to better heroes or candidates,” she added.

Retired English teacher K.T. Ong, 63, was unhappy the monument seemed to glorify the WWII Imperial Japanese Army.”

“We should not have erected this monument. The Japanese were our enemy then. We should not glorify them,” Ong said.