First, it was “confirmed” that the name will be changed (“Klang municipal councillor Ho San Sang confirmed the name change, saying it was part of a “rebranding exercise.” The district tourism committee member did not elaborate.”)

Then two other MPK councilors said this:

This was said by the Klang municipal councillor L. Segaran, who admitted that a proposal to rename Little India in Klang was made but it did not get the council’s support.

“After that the matter was not even raised at the recent full board meeting.

However, he added that in the event the suggestion was given consideration and a name change was on the cards, he would be one of those to strongly reject the move.

Fellow MPK councilor Azmizam Zaman Huri said Little India would never be given a name change.

“We have not even thought about it. Little India will remain Little India as this is the name used to promote the place as a tourist destination,’’ Azmizam said.

He said Kuala Lumpur had its Chinatown and Selangor had its Little India.

The MPK Secretary said this:

When contacted, Klang Municipal Council (MPK) secretary Mohd Jaid Ehsan said the district tourism council proposed the change of Little India to Medan Kelana last year.

“It is only a proposal and still at a preliminary stage, the council has not made a decision on the change of name.

“We are collecting feedback from the public and do not want to rush into any decision,” he said.

Mohd Jaid added that the proposal was made on the grounds that Little India made it sound like the area was only for one race.

Klang MP Charles Santiago? Well, his comments:

Klang MP Charles Santiago disagreed with the change and said that one should respect the uniqueness among the people in Malaysia.

“It is a well-known cultural and business centre, which has existed for many years,” he said.

Santiago added that Little India was not something unique to Malaysia as there were similar enclaves the world over.

“The change of name will destroy the uniqueness and businesses in this area,” he said.

Views of two groups:

Meanwhile, the Klang Little India Traders Association are puzzled as to why the authorities had not consulted their association when proposing to change the name of the shopping enclave.

“Aren’t they supposed to at least hear us out before putting forward the proposal?’’ the association president T. Muthusamy said.

“The traders in Little India, which is located along the Jalan Tengku Kelana stretch, had invested a lot of money and effort to turn the area into what it is today.

“Therefore it is only fair that we are consulted as well as informed of the proposed name change,’’ said Muthusamy, adding that the proposal to rename Little India as Medan Kelana was uncalled for.”

Muthusamy said Little India was now known internationally due to the hard work done by the traders there to promote the area as a tourist destination.

He said renaming Little India would also deny the area its sense of identity, which was an important and sensitive matter to many Klang residents.

According to Muthusamy, the local authorities informed the association in 2007 that the name Little India had already been gazetted.

“We were told that the name has been gazetted when the sign board was put up, so why the proposal to change now?’’ he added.

Muthusamy said the association also wanted a clarification from MPK whether or not the name Little India has been gazetted.

“If it is not gazetted yet, we wanted it to be gazetted immediately.

“The area has all the necessary qualifications to be gazetted as Little India,’’ he added.

Coalition of Malaysian Indian NGOs secretary Gunaraj George concurred and added that Little India must remain Little India because of the many Indian businesses in the area.

He said the proposed name change also contradicted the government’s efforts in propagating a multi-racial and multi-cultural identity for the nation.

“The relevant authorities must also realise that even the mere suggestion of such a move will create unhappiness and dissatisfaction among certain communities,’’ Gunaraj said.

I agree with Gunaraj. We are talking about our unique multi-racial cultures in the international arena, but now want to erase one such identity. The tourism council is being blamed for this near disaster.

MPK better do a good job of collecting the feedback because no one is aware of any proposal of name changing. I think the backlash in media is already a good indicator of the seriousness of the issue.

So, looks like Klangites can breathe easier for the moment, until the next incompetent fella comes up with another ridiculuous idea.