Dr Lim Mah Hui has stepped down as MBPP councillor representing the civil society coalition Penang Forum after serving six years. Penang Forum has nominated another individual to represent civil society in Penang for the coming year. This is Mah Hui’s resignation speech:
I wish to inform my fellow councillors that this will be my last speech to the council as I have declined to be nominated by civil society to the state authority for reappointment to the coasil.
I thank the state and the council for giving me the opportunity to serve the people of Penang as a city councillor for the last six years. It has been a truly educational experience. As Harold Laski, a famous political scientist once said, one learns more about politics in one year at the school of hard knocks than one learns from a decade of lectures in political science in classroom.
Allow me to begin by congratulating the council on some important progress achieved since I joined the council. Among the most recent and important is the introduction of a bike share system in George Town. I remember making a speech at MBM on promoting cycling as one important alternative and complementary sustainable transport mode. Many cities have done that, and we must redouble our effort.
Yes, the city is cleaner and segregation of waste has been legislated. But implementation is still wanting. We need to see results in higher recycling rates and lower generation of solid waste. The city is greener in some parts with more pocket parks and tree planting. One of the best things I did with my cleaner greener allocation is the planting of trees along almost the whole stretch of Persiaran Gurney. Every time I cycle or drive by that road, I feel very happy.
But I am concerned with the lack of care and maintenance of existing trees, the higher incidence of illegal cutting of trees and even of hill forest as is so evident with the Botak Hill episode. As I said before, our beautiful hills are seriously degraded. Council should demand imposition of heavy penalty include jail sentence to deter such irresponsible behaviour.
Council should be commended for upgrading the walkways around the Pulau Tikus area. This should be a benchmark for other parts of the city and island to follow. But once again, enforcement is sorely lacking. Walkability is impeded by motorcyclists riding on pedestrian walkways and cars parking on them.
One of the most serious threats facing the council is over building in the city. I will not call this development. Development is not about erecting more high-rise buildings in every imaginable plot of land all over the island, with scant regard to neighbourhood, street scape, traffic congestion and liveability. Buildings with heritage value, even if not yet designated as such, are torn down illegally, as with the Khaw Sim Bee mansion, or legally as in the dismantling of a heritage value building along Macalister Road, to make way for the Tropicana project.
Last month building guidelines on height control along Scotland Road, a designated protocol road, were changed to allow a developer to double the number of floors he can build from 12 to 22 on a small plot of one-acre land. In another case, submission for approval has been made for construction of a 38-storey hotel on a small plot of land measuring 29,000 sq ft in a residential area along Jln Tanjong Tokong and Pantai Molek. There is good development and there is bad development. Such practices, in my mind, do not constitute good or sustainable development.
Let me now touch on the running of the Council. The Council exists to serve ratepayers and the public. Section 23 of the Local Government Act 1976 states that all meetings of the local authority shall be open to the public and to representatives of the press unless the local authority by resolution at the meeting otherwise decides, although this clause does not apply to any committee unless such committee decides otherwise.
In the interest of promoting greater transparency and participation, and in accordance with Local Agenda 21 that encourages the promotion greater public participation, this council should be a leader to adopt the policy of allowing members of the public to speak at full council meetings, and also to open up its committee and sub-committee meetings to members of the public. We can then claim to be a CAT government.
Let me end by saying that there have been ups and downs in my tenure as a councillor. There have been moments of conflict but also more moments of cooperation. I offer my apologies if I have stepped on toes in the course of my duties. Rest assured that everything was done with the best of intention and for the betterment of our city.
Address to the full council meeting of MBPP on 22 December 2016
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Heritage activist Khoo Salma made Penang city councillor
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/heritage-activist-khoo-salma-made-penang-city-councillor-062800986.html
GEORGE TOWN, Jan 4 — Heritage activist Khoo Salma Nasution was among 10 local councillors announced by state exco Chow Kon Yeow today.
Khoo, who replaces Dr Lim Mah Hui as a councillor representing the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Penang Forum, is also one of five new faces appointed in the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
“I want to focus on environmental issues and as a city councillor, I want to ensure Penang’s environment is protected,” she said on her appointment.
Khoo is the vice president of Penang Heritage Trust and has been a member of the watchdog group since 1989.
as you said dr lim lagi best. dr lim is the best you have. period.
SO?
On The Star Property page today:
Official Launching of Quay West Residence (ver la excelente) at Queensbay Mall on 19-22 Jan.
The ePintas website can be found at epintas.penang.gov.my.
now you know where to complain. please do not pollute this site with your complains.your complains are like skinhead’s graffiti.
You own anilnetto.com?
ATTENTION:
Use e-Pintas to lodge complaints, Penangites told
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/01/04/use-e-pintas-to-lodge-complaints-penangites-told/utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A%20FreeMalaysiaToday%20%28FMT%20News%29
The system directly notifies the relevant Penang government department and complainants can expect a reply within three days.
GEORGE TOWN: Penangites who have complaints but do not know which government department or authority to turn to have the option of using the online complaints platform called the Penang Information and Complaints System, or ePintas.
A Penang Town and Country Planning Department (JPBD) spokesperson said ePintas received all sorts of complaints.
“Sometimes people don’t know which department to take their complaints to. They can visit the ePintas website to fill out the online form and describe the problem.
“Heads of departments of various government bodies in the state have access to this website. As they are notified directly, the relevant department will respond in three days, at the most.
“ePintas is more convenient as the complaint can be filed at any hour of the day,” she told FMT.
Hope it is “bikin (dalam 3 Hari) serupa cakap”
BN sold 36 times more land and yet received less money than the present state government, this is the change from the CAT administration that benefited Penangites!
============
Press Statement By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 2.1.2017.
Penang Would Have Recorded RM1,074 Million In Accumulated Surplus Since 2008 If RM500 Million Had Not Been Allocated For The Public & Affordable Housing Fund Out Of The RM658 Million In Land Sales.
Penang would have recorded RM1,074 million in accumulated surplus since 2008 if RM500 million had not been allocated for the Public & Affordable Housing Fund. This RM500 million Public & Affordable Housing Fund was taken out of the RM658 million in land sales by the state government, clearly showing that land sales was not the reason for the annual surpluses of the state government, which amounted to RM574 million since 2008.
The Penang state government is proud of its sterling achievement of recording annual surpluses consistently and at the same time reduced its state debts by 90% since 2008. This singular success of annual budget surpluses coupled with low debt is a result of upholding CAT governance of competency, accountability and transparency.
These annual budget surpluses is the reason why the state government is able to afford and repeats our offer to lend the Federal government RM50 million to help them keep their 2016 promise to give RM50 million for Chinese primary schools. Is the Federal government so “poor” that for the second year running, it can not even find RM50 million development funds promised for Chinese primary schools last year. Something is very wrong and shameful if the Federal government cannot even find RM50 million or 0.02% out of the entire RM261 billion 2017 budget.
Since 2008, Penang has recorded accumulated budget surpluses of RM574 million over the last 8 years, which is more than what BN achieved over the last 50 years they ruled Penang from 1957-2007 of RM373 million. Whilst our political opponents do not deny that we performed better in 8 years than they did in 50 years, they claimed that these surpluses are achieved by land sales.
The Penang state government received a total revenue of RM4,947 million since 2008. Land sales revenue since 2008 amounted to RM658 million or 13% of the total revenue of RM4,947 million. Out of the land sales revenue of RM658 million, the state government had allocated RM500 million for the Public and Affordable Housing Fund to build low cost, low-medium cost and houses below RM300,000/-.
In other words, since 2008 only RM158 million was available as contribution towards accumulated surplus of RM574 million, and towards establishing a welfare state where over RM400 million has been paid out as cash payments to 1.6 million Penangites and schools. Or hundreds of millions of ringgit for development purposes to build public infrastructure.
The previous government had also conducted land sales on a much larger scale selling 3,661 acres compared to only 106.1 acres under the present state government. And yet the present state government brought in a higher sum of RM1.1102 billion from the sale of 106.1 acres of land due to our open competitive tender system.
Compared to the different system of selling 3,661 acres by the previous BN state government that only obtained a lesser amount of RM1.0586 billion, such as the sale of reclaimed land in Tanjung Pinang at only RM1 per square feet. BN sold 36 times more land and yet received less money than the present state government, this is the change from the CAT administration that benefited Penangites!
Residents question approval of reclamation works in Bayan Bay
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/367778
More than 1,000 residents at Bayan Bay in George Town want the Penang DAP government to explain why it approved a reclamation project in the area which is affecting their lives.
The residents’ representative, S Geeta, claimed the land reclamation works there not only caused pollution, but was also very noisy.
“They (developers) begin work as early as 7am until late at night every day, causing inconvenience to residents with the loud noise,” she told reporters in George Town, today.
Geeta claimed the project also caused traffic congestion from Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah up to Jalan Aziz Ibrahim in George Town, as residents had to double park their vehicles along the street.
“We have ‘fought’ with ourselves mentally since the project began in 2014 and it became even more serious when the reclamation work began to intensify last year,” she said.
According to Geeta, the residents had sent letters of protest, including to Deputy Chief Minister I Mohd Rashid Hasnon and the Penang Island City Council, but claimed none had responded.
“Residents also question the attitude of the state government in frequently using the slogan towards a cleaner, healthier, greener and safer Penang, but the situation here (reclamation work) does not reflect it at all,” she said.
Geeta said residents also hoped Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng would view the problem seriously and provide them with the explanation.
GEORGE TOWN: Suburb township Pulau Tikus is set to become Penang’s first environmental neighbourhood with greenery in public spaces and walking pavements as part of its people-friendly infrastructure project.
Its assemblyman Yap Soo Huey said the five-phased neighbourhood improvement project is to create active and connected neighbourhoods with the aim of getting people living nearby to walk and exercise in public spaces and to reduce traffic and car dependency.
The five phases include the area in front of Burmah House, Tan Mark book centre, Bellisa Row, Immaculate Conception Church and near Jalan Brown.
http://www.thesundaily.my/news/2109415
Anil should elaborate on such good initiative.
Lim Mah Hui should be proud of Yap Soo Huey.
Surprisingly Anil does not endorse the project.
Environment ministry set to propose new procedure in EIA, DEIA for all projects in the country
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/environment-ministry-set-propose-procedure-121117607.html
“The current EIA and DEIA only focuses on projects approved by the state government or federal government in protecting the environment. It is not inclusive as many elements are sidelines, which eventually affects the environment.” Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said
Better late than never!
Richard Rogers: “When public space is eroded, our civic culture suffers, even our democracy.”
http://edition.cnn.com/2016/11/04/architecture/richard-rogers-guest-editor/index.html
Market forces have sapped the vitality of the high street, replacing it with the heavily policed world of the shopping mall, where only those with enough money, the right clothes, or the right colored skin are allowed in.
The car is the other enemy — of our public space, and of cities as a whole. When the car became king it destroyed the spirit of community, ate up the public realm, and demanded that cities be redesigned to meet its needs.
Public space became road space, and the meeting places of people were torn up to satisfy the car’s insatiable appetite for ring roads, roundabouts, highways and car parks, ripping the souls out of cities. Great highways severed communities and gobbled up land, occupying up to 60 per cent of the land area of cities like Los Angeles.
In the past 20 years, we have seen a slow revolution, a roll-back of the dominance of the car, and the re-assertion that public space is for everyone, that it is the pedestrian and cyclist, not the motorist, who should have the upper hand.
It is no accident that the cities that are voted the most liveable and the most enjoyable to visit are those where the car is controlled and the public can dominate the street. Beginning to reclaim our cities from cars has enabled the resurgence of downtown districts, and made our cities cleaner, healthier and more vital.
This is what Malaysians good at. Copy and paste
Pls try harder (& for your good sake pls don’t copy my phrase)!
Go ask Niao Kong what CAT phrases to use for attacking others.
When and where did you patent the phase and is your trade mark? Similarly for goodness sake don’t use the phases associated with CAT which is trade mark of komtar. Try harder to use other phases.
Daily slams CM’s office for meddling in editorial matters
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/12/23/daily-slams-cms-office-for-meddling-in-editorial-matters/
EDITORS decide on news reports to be published and it is not for the Penang Chief Minister’s office to meddle, Sin Chew Daily reported.
Describing the interference by Lim Guan Eng’s office as “unreasonable”, the Chinese daily in a statement published on Wednesday, said over the last eight years, the exposure and coverage given to the Chief Minister were no less than that for any Federal Minister.
It also said that Lim was regularly featured on the front page of its northern region edition.
“Therefore, the baseless accusations made by Lim’s office showed that either the officers did not do their job well or there is a hidden agenda.
“Aside from that, whether a news story should be published, on which page and the length of the story is determined by the importance of the news on a daily basis. This is not something Lim’s office can dictate,” the statement read.
The daily pointed out that many of Lim’s statements were repetitive and therefore, its editorial team has the absolute right to determine its usage.
The daily was responding to a series of letters by Lim’s press secretary Cheong Yin Fan that the newspaper has not been publishing statements of the Chief Minister, including the launch of The [email protected] on its national page like other newspapers.
The daily described the accusations as “ridiculous and childish”.
Same here. Your complain about tokong are repetitve and like recycle oil to cook goreng pisang. Like sin chew the accusations are also “ridiculous and childish”.
So you love a CM with Big Cat Ego?
Penangites will dread the days when this Big Cat Ego rules everything including donkeys!
please prove i love cm but you hate cm even during xmas because you have a smaller ego than his.
You lick at everything this Deity of you’re does.
Dedak Komtar sure heboh!
Dr Lim tells why he walked
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/12/25/dr-lim-tells-why-he-walked-fiery-councillor-fed-up-that-change-is-not-happening-in-penang/
GEORGE TOWN: The only city councillor here who dared to go against the state government does not want to continue after his term ends on New Year’s Eve because he is disappointed with the Penang Island City Council (MBPP).
Dr Lim Mah Hui (pic) said he no longer wanted to serve because “the change in Penang that we want doesn’t seem to be happening”.
“I will remain active as a Penang Forum committee member. I will still speak up on public issues.
“I believe people in public offices should serve for limited terms. Perhaps it will take a fresher mind with new ideas and approaches to make things happen for the better,” he said.
Dr Lim, who has served as a councillor since 2011, also believed that the council should allow the public to observe council committee meetings.
“The committee meetings are where decisions are made. If people are watching the deliberations, then public scrutiny can help temper political interests,” he added.
The press and the public are allowed to witness full council meetings, but Dr Lim said these were formal meetings to confirm matters that had been decided upon.
Dr Lim is the sole city councillor out of 24 with no political ties. A former professor and international banker, he was nominated to MBPP by Penang Forum, a loose coalition of numerous NGOs in the state.
His appointment stemmed from the current government’s 2008 move to swear in councillors representing NGOs. Four such councillors were initially appointed but since 2012, although the official NGO councillors still stand at four, only Dr Lim is known to come strictly from civil society.
He made his maverick nature clear less than a year after being a councillor when he joined a group of 30 people to publicly protest against his own council outside City Hall months after being appointed.
In March this year, he was involved in a heated exchange with Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng during an NGO dialogue session over parking woes, road-widening projects and the council enforcement’s car-towing figures.
In July, Dr Lim criticised the state’s Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) and suggested an alternative better, cheaper, faster transport master plan.
A month before that, he sent a letter to Unesco expressing fears that the PTMP would jeopardise George Town’s World Heritage Site status.
Throughout his tenure in MBPP, Dr Lim has been called a liar, back-stabber and betrayer of the state government by local politicians. NGO members, however, hold him in high regard.
“Nobody can live up to Mah Hui’s standard as an example of integrity and representing public interest without fear or favour.
“He had been talking about stepping down for some time.
“Maybe he needs to take a break and we hope he will accept the post again,” said fellow Penang Forum member Khoo Salma Nasution, whom the group has nominated to take Dr Lim’s place.
Former DAP member Roger Teoh, who was initially at loggerheads with Dr Lim over the PTMP, said it was a shame that local politicians had painted him in a negative light.
“Something was not right about how the state was reacting to Dr Lim’s Unesco letter. I felt he was unfairly labelled as treasonous. If his concerns were heard internally, would he have needed to write to Unesco?” he asked.
Teoh had initially supported the PTMP and openly criticised Dr Lim.
He changed his stand after doing a Masters thesis research on car use in 100 cities around the world, which led him to resign from DAP recently.
please dont spin during xmas. roger teoh is doing his doctorate not master. you dont give people proper respect. soon we have to call him dr teoh if he pass.
Go tell that to The Star! You seem not to read properly, but jump…
Even if you copy, copy smart. No blindly. No wonder the cream has left Penang and remain the scrums at the bottom of the pot.
I am not like your Niao Kong ‘which’ only likes what ‘it’ reads!
Never mind that if Penangites are fooled beyond believe!
Pls try harder to fool us!
Bolehland is spinning downward barang mail so 2017 we readers hope no animosity btwn tunglang and zoro.
Anil can be mediator to bring peace.
🙂
Reality is, Niao Kong is creating for itself more enmity than any other Penang Chief Minister before it!
So, it should do a reality check before more damages is done comes GE14.
That’s the truth. Who would want to dwell on negativities which can consume the spirit inside. If we don’t care about this CM, we just let it be.
I can’t blame zero for his thinking as it is the circumstance created by those who think they can do no wrong, thus leading those along the path to self destruction.
in reality you fault everything gomen did. even the bike lanes and road improvements when cars are stuck burning co2 and money. petrol price going up and cars and buses are idle unable to move in jam wasting resources, money, polluting and causing global warning
Pity that zoro!
Another use of snake oil. When did you pity people as everyone complain about you when they respond to your comments.
So, now it’s snake oil in your vocabulary after ghee?
You Deity sure have excess of Komtar Snake Oil for you!
Pls lah, if you are lack of substance to comment, don’t ever copy others’.
Only Amazon Parrot does!
Have a Silent Night and Wonderful Christmas!
The Cat sings: Silent Night, Silent Everyone, All is Done, PTMP.
Kwong Wah (Chinese newspaper) reported today that the Penang City Council has taken enforcement action against some illegal extension structures at a luxury house in Batu Uban, belonging to an Umno leader Ahmad Ismail.
http://www.kwongwah.com.my/?p=244319
On the day action was taken against Kaffa Café (unapproved toilet extension) Gerakan leaders cried aloud that the local council only dare to take action against the Chinese.
Maybe it should be Umno’s turn to cry that the local Council only dare to take action against the Malays.
This is the racial game of the Barisan opposition.
Mr Teng Chang Yeow, the Chairman should convene a meeting to decide whether the Council is anti-Chinese or anti-Malay.
Meanwhile the MBSP councillor H’ng Mooi Lye came under fire for demolishing illegal toilet extension of Kaffa Cafe.
https://sg.news.yahoo.com/gerakan-youth-accuses-penang-councillor-abuse-punishing-critic-045900887.html
http://www.malaysiaoutlook.com/police-report-made-against-seberang-perai-councillor-over-cafe-demolition-remark/
Dr Lim Mah Hui was the best voice we ever had, courageous, principled and conscionable. I was surprised at the amount of vitriol in the comments section in Malaysiakini which followed the news of his resignation. LGE’s cybertroopers are as vacuous and ignorant as the red shirts that rally for Jamal. Enamoured of his developer cronies, LGE is [allegedly] intent on wreaking environmental and developmental havoc on Penang, and his … do the baying for him. The man is not a planner or architect and should not be let loose in the corridors of power.
you must be very happy over bn and gilakan cyber troopers over the demolition of illegal toilet in airport as mentionrd in fmt and demolition ikan bakar hotel operating without permits
“Dr Lim Mah Hui was the best voice we ever had”
Even a simple praise can evoke ….
In the beginning of 308, I thought CAT was human, but now I see it as… Worst than Garfield, loving on the outside, sly & cunning beneath the nasty fur.
And I also see [someone] enamoured of this Deity without any common sense.
This political worshipping has to stop if Penang is to progress + develop sustainably.
Thanks God, this is not SingLand, a land of nepotistic politics where dissidents & the vocals can be sued by the nepotists like relentless bullies.
Any true blue politician can & willing to fight for the weak to the extent of going to jail.
But the moment money is dangled between his 2 eyes, his ego can literally grow with the power.
Not architect nor planner but an accountant, so are we allegedly saying that accountant cannot be counted upon? Isn’t Anil an accountant 🙂
Yes, I am. But things like the proposal for the Penang transport masterplan have to be put online so that imdependent experts on sustainable mobility, both local and international, can provide their feedback on whether the SRS proposal is the right way to go.
then it will be of true service if Anil can compile online feedbacks from independent viewpoints of experts or typical voices of penang-lang for submission to the panel for rightful action ?
Anil we appreciate your alternate viewpoints from vintage perspectives over modern cosmothinking !
Thanks, Mannan. Unfortunately, modern cosmo thinking involves the de facto corporate takeover of much of the Commons.
Anil, why double standard? Ask federal to put online and reveal the HSR. similar to PTMP.
no problem when financing is by rakyat. but here are some private commercial involvement. if you are the person willing to put your billions investmeny you put your proposal to gomen online? your commercial will agree the same?
Cosmo koperasi rakyat (CKR) can be on the GE14 independent candidates?
Do people realise the implications of some of the revised guidelines that our pseudo-planner-cum-architect has pushed through for this fair island? Where planning densities had been 30 units per acre, we now are going to see 128 units per acre. What studies have been undertaken to evaluate if our roads and other infrastructure can support this massive jump? Is there going to be enough landscaping and open space after we cram in the necessary carparking for these developments?
We already don’t have enough public spaces and parks. Do not under-estimate the importance of these to the psychological and physical health of a city’s denizens.
Where the distance between a high tower-block to the next [across a common boundary] used to be 100 ft, we’re seeing 40 ft. Yes, cram it all in.
What are the ecological, psychological, environmental, aesthetic consequences of these decisions? LGE doesn’t seem to care that he’s ruining Penang’s liveability, charm and aesthetic qualities, the very attributes that visitors from the world over exult about. See what happens to our tourist dollars when we become yet another ugly Asian city.
To those that say we have to modernise, I say, yes, but get it done by people who are trained in the various planning and design disciplines. Not politicians who pretend they know better.
Actually, the occupancy rate of some condos are not even near to 90%, some not even reaching 50%. To take the averaging rate for the whole state, may I assume it at 60-70% occupancy?
Depending on pricing & location, the home ownership / purchase may comprise significant speculation over actual buy to stay. So, why must there be more density per acre as if Penangites are getting on the ‘rabbit heat’ & start producing more babies?
This decision to increase more properties (I suspect) is hinged to developers greed & cartel dealing with state gomen. More so with the ongoing swap-deals where the side in need of more money (from the one who has it) to develop the state is in a compromising position (to accede to higher densities demand). Prove me wrong.
you mean those trained in shenzhen, hong kong, singland are wrong where higher densities are used? we should use down under standard where houses are acre block with backyard for bbq?
Of course you are always wrong. In public housing the actual population density is higher than the design. Family in each home is like rabbits. Many living rooms are turned into sleeping rooms at night. Why no complains and double standards? In condos the design is higher but the actual population is even lower. Their children maybe in singland studying or working.
Condo occupancy low no issue as the owners still have to pay tax cukai pintu, the state revenues continue on the rise to help the needy Commons???
Condo occupancy low no issue?
Isn’t it irresponsible of state planner to create such unpalatable situation disrupting property price (at cartel control) & concretisation of breathing space (less greenery) & artificial demand for land & construction materials leading to spike in prices?
Who suffers? Still no issue?
Low occupancy no issue as rich people could be buying them now as legacy for their children.
Public housing pay no little yet it is overuse and few years late, full maintenance and painting I required as compare to condo which is under use.
Zoro wants to compare Penang’s planning to Singapore. Don’t joke.
Singapore has massive professional input into its Master Plan and Concept Plan, which are implemented via detailed local plans. It has entire departments and budgets for urban walkways and their famed forests in city spaces. Professionals, not politicians. Where are our Local Plans? What Structure Plan?
I trained and have worked in Singapore and the UK, and can comment on how different they are from Penang.
You want to compare how professionals are singland planners. If you are really a planner please take a good look at Google satellite plan and have a good look at how much brown field in singland than green field in Penang. Take a good look at how much land Penang airport is occupying penang island. What you say planner? Why singland has very wide roads usually with 3 or 4 lanes on each direction? Why not in Penang?
Please use your eyes. In condos, management landscape and green the surrounding within its boundary. In public housing or flats, you see cars, kapchais, ramli burgers or warung litter the landscape. Why no complains?
Hi, Lee Ba None.
Looking forward to more of your professional input to debunk the ‘myth’ of CAT’s state planning for the good of all.
Tun lang and anil. Here a very good example of talent Lee Ba None has to cari makan overseas. Tun lang please employ this planner to work in Penang. What sort of opportunities can Lee Ba None get in penang or Malaysia?
Zoro, it’s true that when you take a cursory look at a Google map of Penang and Singapore, Penang seems to have so much openness and greenery. Or when you fly over our island.
But when you land and really experience the place is when you see how chaotic and unplanned Penang is. It’s a planning mess, ugliness everywhere. The green you saw from far away is almost entirely unregulated, unprotected by statute. It’s only accidentally green, for now. Take another look in 5 to 10 years. LGE’s friends or their ilk would have turned the green to grey.
Compare the experience of Penang’s urban spaces to Singapore’s, from street level. If you are still intent on being querulous and would wish to dispute that, despite the quality of urban Singapore being universally applauded, then you, Zoro, only just pretend to know what you are talking about.
And similarly with London… you might think it’s all built up and a mess of concrete from a satellite’s viewpoint. But up close, most parts of the old city brim with charm and liveability.
“Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
— Samuel Johnson
There’s a park within walking distance anywhere you live. Absolutely. It could be a small pocket park, or the linear spaces along the Thames, or the thousands upon thousands of acres of commons or Royal parks or the garden squares and other open spaces. Hampstead Heath [800 acres], Richmond Park [2400 acres], Epping Forest [6100 acres], Thames Chase [24,300] and dozens of other beautiful spaces preserved for posterity for Londoners and protected by law. When you think about it, most of the open spaces we enjoy in Penang, from the Botanic Gardens to the Esplanade to Air Itam Dam, are legacies of English planning.
I do not expect you’ll concede that Singapore and London have much to teach Penang. In other words, that Penang would benefit from their planning frameworks and mechanisms [and political will]. Or maybe you’ll acknowledge the obvious truth of it, but only secretly. You have every sign of being the bigot, so quite by definition, you’d be vacuous, obtuse and vapid, and stubbornly proud of it.
Lee Ba None, the way you put it – how the British planned & managed their practical + beautiful spaces brings back my fondness for British landscapes (gardens & gardening everywhere) & lifestyle thro’ the silver screens & lifestyle magazines.
Given a choice to emigrate, I would still choose Britain over New Zealand (my previous choice).
i ask you about singland and you tell me stories about london. i can tell you story about penang lang came down to kl and after few years miss chow kit and pudu road. you dont answer about singland you need not to call other people names. i have no respect for planners. i encounter planner putting important bldgs in hills which entail cutting. lucky in london and singland where lands are flat. try hong kong.
why not give free lessions to pg city council as you know how tight and level of town planning we have here instead of name calling here. british time they have to our ancestors to come when there is so much land
Garden City – a vision for Mega City
Of course tun lang suffer over minding developer’s money and land being use. No issues with polluted smoke from char kuey teow and buses emitting smoke in traffic jam.
Then don’t eat Char Koey Teow, don’t take bus lah.
Like some already boycotting McDonald’s!
Bikin serupa cakap.
Anil, here is your answer as why only 60% utilisation. Tun lang is trolling not to take public buses and go on fuel guzzling 4wds
Zoro, you want to see a pic of Rapid Bus tickets I have collect over the years from my travelling by Rapid?
I can submit a pic to anilnetto.com as proof of my environmental practice.
You can see it soon.
Anil, can you make an article of Rapid Penang using my picture of collected Rapid tickets?
Your response is appreciated before I submit it.
No money how to go to belum valley in 4wd with monkey bars?
Use your precious time not to spin & spin. Noise pollution is bad for blogging.
More so your incoherent English!
Nothing better to spin for the day but personal attack?
What a lousy troll not worth the Komtar Dedak!
If I were the CAT, “Pls Try Harder!”
There is a bigger stage in Iskandar Johor where Dr Lim can be an influential and recognizable vocal critic for sustainable development.
Iskandar Malaysia – Top 10 of the Year 2016
Good aerial video of the current major development (sustainable?) in Iskandar Johor.
It shows that Penang cannot escape even more unsustainable development if the state government is BN-Umno.
Jojo has plenty of land, yet they still reclaim land on coastal waters facing Singapore. Why?
The picture of Lim MH cycling could have been used to promote Link Bike?
I hope Lim MH will continue to voice his opinion, and not seal his mouth with black tapes (literally or not) like Gerakan Teng.
so much for lip service. why those praise him does the opposite. driving saloon cars and 4wds. pg with so many ngos big bark in thoery but never follow the leader who ride a bicycle when first class cycle lanes better than many world class city. even better than brisbane and perth
Singapore commuters share their passion of ‘Walk, Cycle, Ride’ lifestyle in Singapore:
Not sure how many Penangites are willing to adopt such lifestyle.
Need at least 2 decades for a wholly change in commuting. It took SingLand more than a decade since the 60s with improvement in public transport to get its citizens to ride buses. I took a bus from Bedok to Lion City in 1982 & waiting time was only 10 minutes.
Thanks to Lee kuan yew’s foresightedness and insistence. Otherwise the buses will be like Penang only 60% useage. Like soon many countries will follow and dance to gangnam style.
pg lang share their passiond on complains, cars, 4wds and dislike of public transport render 60% utilisation.
Haha.
What a loss to Penang and this is indeed the last nail on the CAT’s coffin.
what loss? many pg lang take asean scholar and work there happily. many chsnge their status because of race and religion. at least there is cat but bn no cat but rat
yes you better follow him and show better riding bicycle built for 2
What a loss.
Excellent speech by one of the best councillors to serve in the City Council!!
Whoa, such a long “resignation” letter weiwei !
Anyway, I really hope Anil will be in the council and I will endeavor to bring in as much as possible all friends and family members to join in the feedbacks in this blog.
Actually, it was a final speech to the full council.
Anil, what’s happening? So many good and qualified people leaving DAP! Surely Lim Guan Eng who is allegedly corrupt cannot be right all the time? Wake up Penangnites, let us work in unison to vote this allegedly corrupt CM out come PRU 14.
Air Putih wake up, create history by voting out a allegedly corrupt CM! You can do it!
worst than leaving. many have left penang for better work oppoetunties. others even left malaysia due to gilakan and its main partner. no one says anything on this
No walk out by political parties appointees? As usual in family always some disagreement.
You want everyone to agree with your Niao Kong? Is that what you love?
Pls lah, grow up fast!
you want everyone to disagree cm in everything. try harder.
Awang, diversity of races inevitably leads to diversity of frank opinions & sincere needs.
But this Arrogant Niao Kong wouldn’t buy any bit of it. How to be a party for all Malaysians?
Go on dreaming Niao Kong!
I feel sorry for those few good politicians in DAP like Tony Pua, Gobind Singh Deo & Liew Chin Tong.
We need another paradigm shift from this overtly-worshipped politician, a dimension as if the world will never see another ‘saviour’.
This is how Penang loses its talents who are already potentials for good purposes.
And may continue to lose some more in the future.
If the power that prowls the 28th Flr Komtar with great ambitions, proclaimed Penang’s under good hands,
& would always be a showcase of excellent state stewardship & achievement (to all envying states of Malaysia),
how will it continue to convince us Penangites who are now seeing ‘Tua Hee’ @ ground zero of political, ideological & personal conflicts???
When I read CAT, it more than ever stands on all fours like an insidious animal for whoever doesn’t see eye to eye:
Castigate, Alienate, Time-To-Go
he resign on his accord and you can take over and see what action party in action.
Pls check REALITY: how many politicians & non-politicians have resigned in the past due to Niao Kong?
Something must be very, very wrong with this entity you worship 24/7/365!
Pls don’t pollute Penang political atmosphere with your worshipping incense!
You complain like ah gee and ah Jo 7\11\ and insert articles irrelevant to anil’s topic of discussion and off track causing pollution and clogging up like traffic in the server. Don’t treat it like belum valley where you can drive your 4wd where ever you like. No wonder anil insist tramline to keep you on track
Here comes the ghee! To grease your Niao Kong’s Big Cat Ego!
good try but not good enough. same like sin chiew report. nothing new. repetative and even good in copy and paste. can even copy wrong with no respect for roger teoh
The drop in the ringgit’s value has increased the difficulty of reversing the brain drain from Malaysia, according to an international job placement agency, Michael Page.
In a report entitled “Southeast Asia Salary and Employment Outlook 2016”, the agency said more Malaysians were looking for overseas employment with the fall in the value of local salaries.
It noted that the government had been working hard to encourage overseas Malaysians to return through tax incentives and such schemes as the Returning Expert Programme.
However, it said, the take-up rate had been low because Malaysian expatriates felt the opportunities and lifestyle abroad outweighed the benefits of these programmes. Those who returned did so mostly for family reasons, it added.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2016/12/22/penang-transport-master-plan-documents-to-go-on-display/
Penang Transport Master Plan to be openly display for Penang-lang, and we hope Anil’s readers can give valuable feedback despite the absence of DrLim now.
The PTMP is not up-to-date i.e. not incorporating the latest changes.
How can it be fully transparent???
And requiring viewers signing of non-disclosure (secret documents?) & no photographic copying
shows how kia-su CAT is in their Transparency Mantra!
tun lang after making noise over pg structure plan no comment. the same to this plan too.only talk big and no action.
What kind of transparency and openness this is when there are so many restrictions imposed and only displayed at KOMTAR? Might as well display these plans at Pyongyang.
you want gomen to put up in all pasar malams and wet markets so traders can use as wrappers?? what a joke. complain so much about structure plan but do not know to to read as there is no comment forthcoming.
What a pasar malam mentality!
Of course people like us frequent pasar malam and gurney drive for our daily needs. You frequently air cond shopping mall and supermarket and yet you accuse of development, destroying the environment and culture.
You always right. Pasar Malam is wrong. You shop in super and hypermarket built by developers with ample space and scratch free for your 4wd. When did you become a true green with your ego and self interest?
Never grow up from spinning!
How to admit own mistakes?
How many friends have you?
Calvin, CAT’s Transparency is akin to a snake oil salesman’s aromatic oil promise dipped in slippery concoction with a manufacturing date: 308, expiry date: eternal on a label made of cat’s skin.
Before structure plan was released, barking ferously and when release not even a comment or even copy and paste.
Pls whisper to Niao Kong to reveal the latest structure plan with the latest changes before you drunkardly declare Transparency.