Putrajaya a grandiose dream

Putrajaya a grandiose dream

Julia Yeow, Deutsche Presse-Agentur, Putrajaya, Malaysia

A majestic room in the west wing of the prime minister's official
residence offers guests a commanding sight of Malaysia's newest
tourist attraction -- the sprawling administrative capital of
Putrajaya.

The view from the prime minister's official home, a mansion
built on a hillside, offers glimpses of a two-tiered concrete
bridge, and a large pink-domed mosque built along one of the
world's largest man- made lakes.

These commanding sights are just some of the attractions at
the 4,580-hectare city which was carved out and built from
scratch from a vast land of rubber and palm oil plantations.
The US$5.3 billion city was the pet project of former prime
minister Mahathir Mohamad, and the veteran leader's grand plans
are not finished yet.

Mahathir named the city after Malaysia's founding father,
Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra, adding jaya, the Malay word for
"success".

Government buildings that mix modern facilities with
centuries-old Islamic architecture are a common sight, and rows
of apartment blocks and even shopping malls have begun to take
shape.

Visitors can take a guided tour of the prime minister's
residence, called Seri Perdana, which includes visiting a banquet
hall, a prayer chamber featuring walls carved with Muslim
calligraphy, a meeting room and a guest lounge.

Officials estimate that more than one million people have
visited the halls of Seri Perdana in just over three years.

"The house is very beautiful," Wang Qi Hong, a college
lecturer from China, said at the end of his tour of Seri
Perdana's bougainvillea-filled garden. "I would have liked to see
more of it."

Another landmark is a massive mosque constructed in rose-
tinted granite with a soaring 116-meter-tall minaret. Built to
accommodate 15,000 worshipers, the structure also hosts a
permanent exhibition of rare copies of the Koran.

But Putrajaya not only offers sights of grand architecture; it
also boasts of breathtaking scenery with it's meticulously
designed and manicured hills and freshwater wetlands teeming with
swans, flamingos and nearly 60,000 trees and shrubs.

Besides trekking in the wetlands, nature-lovers can take a
stroll at Putrajaya's Botanical Gardens, which contains more than
700 plant species from across Asia and Africa.

The place also boasts a 170-meter-long bridge enabling
visitors to walk through a canopy of a rain forest.

A breathtaking artificial lake that covers more than one-tenth
of Putrajaya's total area also beckons the more adventurous
visitor. Tourists can choose to go kayaking in the seven-
kilometer-long lake or cruise on gondola-like vessels.

But despite all the attractions, the metropolis is eerily
quiet, a sign of difficulties convincing people to move their
lives from chaotic, vibrant Kuala Lumpur to the new city, located
about 40 kilometers away.

Authorities are also hard-pressed to boost Putrajaya's modest
number of foreign visitors -- an estimated 200,000 in 2003 -- and
lure millions of Malaysians who have never set foot here.

"If I were to go someplace for a vacation, I wouldn't choose
to come to Putrajaya," said Sam Wong, a resident of Kuala Lumpur
visiting Putrajaya for the first time.

"It's architecture and grandiose (quality) is worth making a
visit, but there aren't enough attractions to make it a holiday
destination," he said.

However, officials say the lack of interest is just part of
teething problems, and plan to build more attractions in
Putrajaya over the next three years, including a gargantuan
shopping mall, artificial picnic beach, water theme park and
maritime museum.

"Once everything is in place, Putrajaya will be an awesome
city to visit -- it gives visitors a blend of the extremely
modern, with the beauty of nature," said an official.