The Atkinson Clock Tower

The Atkinson Clock Tower at the City of Kota Kinabalu, from different angles, an important historical landmark that required upgrading to include facilities befiting the tourists to sit down and relax as well as enjoy the local cuisine and bring home some local souvenirs, if these are available at the compound of the Clock Tower, but they are not.

Jesselton 1911

What remains is the Atkinson Clock Tower that sit on top of a small hill called Signal Hill that acted as a beacon for ships plying the channel between Gaya Island and the mainland, that too will be over-shadowed if the developer, a State Government Agency goes ahead with their plan to build a multi storey hotel and car park and commercial complex that leaves only about 6 meters between the Clock Tower and the complex. The Chief Minister had called for the down-sizing of the project to maintain the beauty and value of the Clock Tower which is the last remaining icon of the British colonial period. There are two other icon, namely the Post Office Building which is now the Tourism Board office and one Government building site which was burnt down but now maintained as an art piece by the Sabah Art Gallery.

What Is In A Clock?

A Clock tells the time and the Grandfather's Clock is a Collectors Item that stands tall in the living room of the house and it becomes a family heritage and antique as years goes by. Sabah, the Land Below The Wind has such a Clock in Kota Kinabalu (formerly Jesselton) that acted as a beacon and navigational aids to ships plying the area. It stood unnoticed to many locals except for the visitors who walked up the hill on the cemented staircases to read the signboard put up by the authorities. You cant go in as it is fenced up. Now this Clock has become an issue. Architects, Historians, Nature Lovers, Environmentalists and many other Activists had put up a protest to the mixed development that is going to be put up by a Government Agency with a Private Developer and it is just besides the Clock Tower, that will soon lose its beauty and value should the project goes ahead and it had been approved by the Sabah State Cabinet.

Now the Chief Minister had asked for a reassessment. Good for the Clock. Hopefully the Planners and the Bureaucrats will have the foresight of safeguarding this last bastion of the British colonial era. There are not many of such landmarks left in Kota Kinabalu.

The Londoners are very proud that they have the Big Ben. We dont have a Big Ben , we only have a Small Clock in a Tower called the Atkinson Clock Tower. Now the Atkinson Clock Tower is in danger of being overshadowed by such a mega project that includes a Shopping Complex and Hotel and Kota Kinabalu seems to have lost sight of this small Clock Tower in lieu of a mega project which will also destroy the beauty of the Signal Hill.

Save the Atkinson Clock Tower!