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A government plan to spend nearly US$1 million on decorative lights and other cosmetic upgrades in Kuala Lumpur’s famed Bukit Bintang district has drawn fierce backlash, with residents questioning the priorities of city planners as floods and ageing infrastructure continue to plague the Malaysian capital. The Housing and Local Government Ministry on Wednesday unveiled the “I Lite U” initiative – a 4 million ringgit (US$950,000) project to illuminate Bukit Bintang and spruce up its streets ahead of the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 tourism campaign. Minister Nga Kor Ming said the goal was to make the entertainment district “no less than Ginza street in Tokyo or Orchard Road in Singapore”, with a parade “as good as Disneyland’s” planned for the official launch on January 3. But the plan was met with quick disapproval on Malaysia’s raucous social media, with dozens of comments reminding the minister of the constant fear of flash floods and deadly falling trees caused by increasingly unpredictable storms. “So busy focusing on fun only. Fix the flooding first,” read a comment by one Iskandar Arshadi to a social media post on Nga’s announcement. Officials, however, argue that a refreshed Bukit Bintang would help Kuala Lumpur remain competitive with other Asian shopping corridors, draw higher‑spending tourists and support businesses in the surrounding area, especially ahead of the country’s show‑piece tourism year. Nga said the lighting, cleaning and traffic measures were being coordinated with Kuala Lumpur City Hall and waste‑management agencies to keep the area clean and vibrant. The ministry has also linked the project to a wider push to create more nighttime attractions in the capital on the argument that tourists stay longer and spend more when there is a safe, well‑lit evening precinct. Yet for many Kuala Lumpur residents, the idea of evening strolls and late-night festivals rings hollow when basic infrastructure remains so vulnerable to extreme weather. Nearly a dozen roads were cut off by flash floods during evening peak-hour traffic in April, as rivers and storm water drainage systems around the city failed to contain the surge in rainfall during a storm. An estimated 1.5 million cars travel in and out of Kuala Lumpur daily and as many as 6 million cars are packed into the city on any given day, according to government data. Last week, a man was killed and a woman injured in two separate incidents as a raging storm caused trees to fall on their cars while they were driving. It was the latest fatality caused by ageing trees in Kuala Lumpur. Last year, one person died and another was injured when a tree fell on 17 vehicles in the city centre. Malaysians have also slammed the government for its fixation on trying to rebrand Bukit Bintang into a copy of popular destinations in other countries, arguing that the district already has a “vibe” of its own. “Tourists don’t fly to Kuala Lumpur to see another Orchard Road, they come for the KL vibe, the multilingual crowd, the contrast between old shophouses and new towers,” read a comment by one Zachary Chia. “Authenticity sells better than imitation.” Others suggested the government focus on increasing representation of the country’s diverse ethnic groups and cultures in Bukit Bintang instead of letting it become overrun by Arab shawarma restaurants and Chinese pulled noodle joints. “No need to copy. Turn Bukit Bintang into the face of Malaysia,” said one Sazali Abu Bakar. The government has set aside a total budget of 700 million ringgit to promote Visit Malaysia Year 2026. It hopes to pull in 47 million foreign visitors and about 330 billion ringgit (US$78.2 billion) in tourism revenue next year. Malaysia ranked as Southeast Asia’s top tourism destination so far this year, pulling in 28.2 million visitors over the first eight months of 2025, according to government data. It was a 14.5 per cent surge from a year earlier, driven by relaxed visa requirements for visitors from China and India. It outstripped the performance of regional rival Thailand, which saw its total visitor count fall 7 per cent to 21.8 million over the same period as Chinese nationals avoided the kingdom over fears that they could be targeted by crime syndicates.
