This is a statement released by Penang Forum:
Penang Forum welcomes and commends the Pakatan Harapan government for passing a bill to significantly raise the fine for firms that damage any street, five-foot ways, verandah or property belonging to local authorities or block pavements.
Among the victims of the Bukit Kukus landslide tragedy on 19 October was a cat, which succumbed a couple of days after being pulled out of from mounds of fallen earth and rocks. This morning, a group of environmentally conscious Penangites gathered across the road from Penang State Assembly and used the dead cat as a metaphor to mourn the demise of competence, accountability and transparency (CAT) in the state.
While the Bukit Kukus tragedy is still fresh on our minds, plans to build two new hotels on Penang Hill have finally been unveiled.
Wishing all readers a Happy Deepavali and hope you are having a wonderful break.
Some of you have asked for some thoughts on Budget 2018.
Well, first thing, let’s take a look at the monthly minimum wage, which has been raised by a further RM50 to RM1,100, the second increase in the year.
These are trees chopped down a couple of days ago in the Peirce Road area not from from Island Hospital. How many more roadside trees do we have to lose due to road widening or massive property development before we realise the intrinsic value of our trees?
The chart above by Penang Forum shows us that cars make up 96% of the modal share in Penang compared with just 33% in Singapore.
The Malaysian Insight did a series of articles on Penang recently, and as part of their journalistic work, they asked me what I thought about the civil society response to what is happening here. This is what I told them:
In the 2018 general election, the opposition parties in Penang received a drubbing and are either demoralised or ineffective now.
This is our “iconic” international airport at Pulau Pinang “Darul Banjir”. Let’s clear more hills, build and widen more roads, and pave paradise.
Let’s say they go ahead with that expensive RM8bn elevated LRT from the airport to George Town. Just think… passengers arriving at the airport can be transported by gondolas to the LRT station.
Imagine, we could turn Penang airport into something like St Mark’s Square at the Las Vegas Venetian Hotel and Casino, like this:
(That blue sky in the video is artificial. The whole set is indoors. Likewise, we can create a haze-free blue sky inside Penang airport.)
Then, while cruising in the elevated LRT heading to Komtar, (assuming the LRT can still move in the floods), passengers can enjoy a bird’s eye view of the panoramic Pearl of the Orient Venice of the East without getting their feet wet.
Just think how many more tourists will flock to Penang.
The latest statement from Penang Forum:
Penang Forum deeply regrets the tragic loss of lives in the Bukit Kukus landslide tragedy on 19 October 2018, which claimed nine or more lives, just one year after the Granito landslide tragedy, which claimed 11 or more lives.
A vigil in solidarity with the landslide victims was held at the Penang Town Hall this morning (see above) while inside the building the Penang Island City Council was holding its full council meeting. Later, three representatives from the vigil were allowed in to submit a memorandumto the major who said the council would also be probing the incident.
Disturbed by official comments in recent days, soil scientist Dr Kam Suan Pheng has sent in this commentary: