Letter from Khng Eu Meng
Quite a number of roads here bear the names of eminent people who
were pioneers in various fields.
These roads were named during colonial times.
But it struck me that road names mostly do not include surnames,
especially if they are Chinese -
for example, Eu Chin Street (Seah Eu Chin), Joo Chiat Road
(Chew Joo Chiat),
Kim Seng Road (Tan Kim
Seng), Liang Seah Street (Seah Liang Seah), Jalan Boon
Lay (Chia Boon
Lay), Boon Keng Road (Lim Boon Keng), Ann Siang Hill
(Chia Ann Siang)
and Keong Saik Street (Tan Keong Saik).
Perhaps, during those days, it was a sign of familiarity. Who
didn't know Kim Seng or Keong Saik then?
But with the passage of time, few today will know who these people
were.
Who is this Ann Siang or Joo Chiat, one may well wonder. And, given
the absence of surnames, it is harder to trace their history.
There are roads that do bear the full Chinese names, but these are
few and far between. Names that come to mind are Cheang Hong Lim
Place in Telok Ayer and Eu Tong Seng Street in Chinatown.
In Malaysia, I noted that road names tend to bear the full names
and titles of those they commemorate. Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock in
Malacca, Khoo Sian Ewe Road in Penang, Jalan Wong Ah Fook in Johor
Baru, and Jalan Yap Ah Loy in Kuala Lumpur are but a few
examples.
While it can be appreciated that a change of these very old road
names may disrupt one's familiarity with them, in the long run, I
believe it would better serve our history and heritage for our
future generations.
http://www.todayonline.com/Voices/EDC120508-0000009/Joo-Chiat-who?-Let-our-roads-bear-full-names
