GEORGE TOWN, April 28 — The owner of the landmark Waterfall Cafe in Penang today claimed the demolition of the long-standing eatery has destroyed a family business he says dates back more than a century.
S. Ananth Raj said the restaurant was first started by his grandfather within the Penang Botanic Gardens during the British colonial era, where rent was paid to the authorities at the time.
He said the family was later relocated outside the gardens to a roundabout area before being moved again in 2010 to its current location when the entrance road was widened.
“Later, we were relocated outside the Botanic Gardens, to the roundabout area that has since been built there,” he said in a statement.
He added that the family has remained at the site ever since and maintained that they were not trespassers.
“We have remained here ever since. We were not trespassers, but had been paying rent to the government throughout that period,” he said.
Ananth Raj said discussions had taken place with the District and Land Office when plans were made for a research centre at the Botanic Gardens.
“During those discussions, the District and Land Office mentioned the possibility of relocating us to a future parking building,” he said.
However, he said the proposal was not accepted as it would have forced the business to shut down during construction.
“However, the matter was only discussed briefly. I never received any verbal or written offer from any party regarding this matter,” he claimed.
He also said rental payments stopped being collected in 2017 and alleged the situation was later used to classify the cafe as an encroacher.
“When my lawyer wrote to the District Office in April 2024, no response was given by the authorities,” he said.
He said the authorities only replied on April 15 this year, stating that all settlement offers had been rejected.
“In that letter, it was stated that ‘all settlement offers were rejected’ even though no offers had ever been made before,” he said.
Ananth Raj said he was given 10 days to vacate the premises and had repeatedly sought assistance from the Penang chief minister since 2024 without success.
“I had sought the Penang chief minister’s assistance since 2024 to save our business but there was no response from him,” he said.
He said the cafe was demolished today despite his appeal for an extension.
“Today, our family’s livelihood has been destroyed by an agency of the state government,” he said.
He also accused Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow of misrepresenting the situation.
“I do not know whether the chief minister fully understands this issue, or whether he has been misled by government officials who wish to see Waterfall Cafe disappear from the Botanic Gardens area,” he said.
Earlier today, Chow said negotiations over the site had been ongoing since 1990 but failed to reach a resolution despite repeated discussions with stakeholders.
He said multiple eviction notices had been issued, including one on January 4, 2024, which were not complied with.
Chow said the final notice was issued on April 15 this year before enforcement action was carried out today.
Date: 28 April, 2026 9:00 pm
Source: Malay Mail
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