Jalan Munshi Abdullah is named after the Muslim writer and teacher Abdullah Abdul Kadir. It runs between Capsquare and Masjid India area.
KUALA LUMPUR: Ever passed by a street and wondered where the name came from?
Streets such as Jalan Hujan Emas, which translates to Golden Rain Road, and Jalan Ikan Emas (Golden Fish Road) are some of the many roads with intriguing names in Kuala Lumpur.
So, how do roads get their names?
The final say on all street names in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Labuan comes from the Federal Territories Committee on Geographical Names (FT committee), which is chaired by Federal Territories Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Adnan Md Ikhsan.
Jalan Travers became ’Jalan Rakyat’ in 2015.
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) executive director (planning) Datuk Mohd Najib Mohd explained that there were two main committees involved in the street-naming process here.
There are FT committee and Federal Territories Kuala Lumpur Technical Committee on Geographical Names (FT KL committee), chaired by Kuala Lumpur mayor Tan Sri Mohd Amin Nordin Abdul Aziz and if he is not available, Mohd Najib attends the meetings.
The FT KL committee includes representatives from different City Hall departments as well as others such as Pos Malaysia Bhd, Real Estate and Housing Developers Association Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur traffic police.
“Before an application reaches the FT KL committee, it goes through several processes first,” Mohd Najib told StarMetro recently.
He said the first step was when DBKL receives an application from property developers, public or even its internal departments to name a street.
“There will then be several filtering processes such as getting an overview plan for the area to check other road names in the area to ensure the proposed name is uniformed with the existing names,” he said.
Several factors are considered before the FT KL committee decides on a name to be presented to the other committee for final approval. These factors include the history, general theme and even landmarks in the area.
He said the National Archives and the Culture and Arts Department provide feedback on the history, while Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka checks on the language usage.
“The theme of the area such as animals, vegetables, flowers and famous people are also considered. This is to ensure the names are uniform.”
In Taman Overseas Union and Taman Yarl, there are notably various street names which takes inspiration from the clouds (awan) such as Jalan Awan Cempaka, Jalan Awan Cina and Jalan Awan Kecil.
Another nature-inspired theme is in Setapak, where Jalan Ayer Panas (translated to hot water) got its name as the area is known for its hot springs.
An old photo of the Sultan Street Station located at the intersection of Jalan Sultan and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock.
The subsequent street names in the area also followed the water theme – Jalan Ayer Hijau, Jalan Ayer Sungai and Jalan Ayer Jerneh.
Major roads named after prominent Malaysian leaders and those who have made significant contributions to the country include Jalan Aminuddin Baki, Jalan Munshi Abdullah, Jalan Chan Sow Lin and Jalan Tun Sambanthan.
He said the public could submit names of people in the community they want recognised.
Mohd Najib also said landmarks in the area were also taken into consideration as seen in Persiaran KLCC, Jalan Stadium and Jalan Pasar.
Jalan Chan Sow Lin and its side lanes is an industrial zone in Kuala Lumpur, built opposite the old airport in Sungai Besi. It is named after a tin tycoon to mark his contributions to the iron works industry.
There is also emphasis on community sensitivity when naming roads.
“We have to consider people’s feelings on certain things as we are a multiracial country,” he said.
Some roads, he said, were named as a referral point in the city.
“Roads such as Jalan Pahang were named as referral points on where they lead to.
The junction of High Street and Cross Street, now Jalan Tun H. S. Lee and Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin.
“In the past, there was no GPS to point us in the right direction so street names played an important role in directing road users,” he said.
On the case of proposals to change road names, he said that if DBKL felt the public would be against it, all parties concerned would be roped in for consultation.
There was a proposal to change Jalan Alor’s name but there were objections due to the fact that Jalan Alor was a popular name, especially among tourists.
“The committee will then convene and once we decide, we will explain the final decision. Usually all parties will be satisfied then,” he said.
He said they would take into account all reasoning and arguments first before reaching a decision.
The history, general theme and landmarks are considered in naming a street, says Mohd Najib.
When asked how the committee arrives at a final decision, he said no voting was involved.
“But the committee members will reason together and come to a unanimous decision,” he said.
The process to name a street from the point of application submission to gazetting the name takes about three months.
What is interesting to note is that gazetting a road plays a significant role to DBKL as it allows them to receive a certain amount of allocation from the Federal Government to help maintain the roads.
“The allocation will depend on the length of a road,” he said.
