Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil says ‘Bangsar South’ has not been ‘wiped’ off the map of the Klang Valley in favour of Kampung Kerinchi. — Picture by Firdaus Latif

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 21 ― Contrary to what some may think, the name “Bangsar South” has not been “wiped” off the map of the Klang Valley in favour of Kampung Kerinchi, Fahmi Fadzil said.

The Lembah Pantai MP sought to clear up the public misunderstanding following a proclamation ceremony over the weekend that restored the Kampung Kerinchi name in a nod to the area’s history and his personal GE14 pledge.

“I noticed that some people, including the media, have misunderstood or have not seen clearly enough what the Pemasyhuran of Kg Kerinchi means.

“Just to be extra clear, we have not “wiped out” the name Bangsar South in the dramatic fashion that some media have put in their headlines,” he said in a Facebook posting here yesterday.

Fahmi previously told Malay Mail in an interview on Friday that the ceremony did not mean the entire obliteration that is Bangsar South but the re-emphasis that the area historically and culturally is Kampung Kerinchi.

The official proclamation event used the Malay word “pemasyhuran”, which has a royal connotation to publicly mark the area’s historical and socio-political identity.

Roughly seven years ago, the area was renamed “Bangsar South” by property developers when it became more gentrified, in an attempt to borrow the prestige of “Bangsar” ― a more affluent and trendy suburb to the north.

Fahmi also attached a photo depicting the boundaries of Kampung Kerinchi, with Bangsar South clearly marked within.

“Actually, we have clarified that Bangsar South, Pantai Hillpark, Taman Bukit Angkasa, LRT Universiti, KL Gateway Mall, Angkasapuri, PPR Kg Kerinchi, Vista Angkasa and much more are all subsets of (ie geographically within) Kg Kerinchi,” Fahmi said.