An all wood, no nail clock tower was build in a small hill overlooking the then small town called Jesselton in memory of the first popular district officer of Jesselton that served during the British North Borneo Chartered Company Administration named Francis George Atkinson, who succumbed to tropical disease at a young age of 28.
Time flies. The structure had survived the destruction of Jesselton Town during World War II, now the oldest standing structure in Sabah, under the Antiquity and History Section of Sabah Museum, this building still serves to keep the time.
2010, Kota Kinabalu City.
Now, it was said that a shopping mall will be build where the structure stands. Which means, another piece of history will be gone.
Another shopping mall. Among of all things that people in Kota Kinabalu needed, another shopping mall to be build there. I do hope that anyone who is involved with this project will move your so called shopping mall somewhere. We don't need anymore shopping malls. We want an improved public transport system.
Please keep the clock tower where it is.
Dear Mr. Mayor, what say you?
Update @9:32pm:
It was said that the tower will not be removed or relocated but the progress will still be done adjacent to the clock, called Atkinson Tower. Supposed to be some hotel, gallery, mall to be build. (Check here: http://www.atkinsontower.com/vision.aspx)
Good if there is no damage done to the clock. However, I would prefer the place to be turn into a park with the clock in the middle and a small gallery opened next to it that shows the history of Jesselton, just like the Chimney Museum in Labuan.
Well, that's just my own thoughts la...others know what is better for the place and for the city better than I do. But I do know one thing, there other people out there just like me that love to see our historical building to be preserved for our future generations to see and know the story of the ground that they are stepping on.
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