Photos courtesy of Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim Facebook page
GEORGE TOWN: The roof and ceiling of the house where the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee was born, located in Jalan P. Ramlee here, has almost caved in due to a leakage problem.
The sad state of the house, whose roof was made of handwoven mengkuang leaves, got the attention of former Senate president Tan Sri Dr Rais Yatim, who posted an update on his Facebook page after visiting the house on Sunday (Sept 24).
"I was really surprised to find that the roof and ceiling of our great artiste's original house had almost collapsed due to a prolonged leak.
"It’s very sad, not to mention that this was the house of P. Ramlee, our national treasure. The spirit of Ramlee would cry seeing his heritage house in such a sorry state," he said Wednesday (Sept 27).
Rais urged the responsible department to immediately carry out repair works on the damaged parts.
P. Ramlee's dilapidated house did not escape the attention of Penang P. Ramlee Fan Club president Tan Sri Mohd Yussof Latiff, a big fan of the late artiste.
''I am upset over the state of the birthplace of the late P. Ramlee, which is now damaged. This should not have happened. This house is a national heritage; you cannot find it anywhere else,'' he said when contacted Wednesday.
Mohd Yusoff said he hoped that the authorities in charge of P. Ramlee's house such as the National Archives could repair the ceiling immediately to ensure that the national treasure is well-preserved.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the National Archives, when contacted by Bernama, said they got to know of the leakage and damaged roof and ceiling of P. Ramlee's house last week.
"The repair works to the roof and ceiling will be carried out by a contractor starting tomorrow," he said but declined to comment on the repair cost.
A media statement is expected to be issued by the National Archives soon. - Bernama
