Smarter Penang?

Professor Tan Sri Dato' Dzulkifli Abdul Razak
My View - The Sun Daily
March 25, 2015

WHAT started as "cleaner, greener Penang" has recently taken added superlatives of "safer, healthier, cleaner, greener Penang" as seen under some of the flyovers.

The new slogan is said to bring out the best of the island resort although it seems to weigh more on the side of health. But it is understandable because health is one of the challenges that the island is facing. What with the increasing traffic flow given the second bridge connecting the island. And thanks to the Unesco World Heritage status, more discerning tourists flocked in amid the fragile natural beauty spots notably the seafront and the hillsides.

At about this time last year, for example, news reports alleged E-coli (escherichia coli, a faecal micro-organism) contamination off the coast of Batu Ferringhi. Hoteliers in the area issued advisory reminders "to exercise caution, not to swim in the sea or partake in other beach water related activities". Luckily it was over with no unwanted events, except that the whole episode could have been avoided.

Unlike the E-coli story, the hillside issues tend to linger. Apart from the many high rise "paradises" built on tricky hill slopes along the touristic part of the island, the most pressing concern today is dubbed as the "Botak Hill", some distance away in the vicinity of Bukit Relau. The clearing is more distinct from the air. It is an eye-sore as one drives from the iconic Penang Bridge marring the panoramic view of scenic lush green hills. To date, no fewer than 20 NGOs have made their unhappiness known and raised key questions on policies and guidelines that regulate development on hills and the "greener" superlatives of the current slogan.

One of the most vibrant NGOs, Sahabat Alam Malaysia more recently even called for tough punitive action to deter errant developers from violating development laws. "Any destruction of the ecosystem will have adverse effects on human lives and nature," its president asserted, adding that it is crucial to implement pro-environment policies to prevent the ecosystems from collapsing due to so-called development.

All these point to the need of another superlative – "smarter" Penang! Especially, when such issues tarnish further the renowned Pearl of the Orient due to some unwise decisions and actions. After all, Penang for a very long time has lived up to the "smart" label given its vibrancy in areas of education, research and activism. In fact, there are many schools that are well known as among the oldest in the country, be it primary or secondary; national or vernacular ones. Not to mention civil societies. It is also a creative hub of "fish and chips". The latter broadly refers to the Bayan Lepas enclave of electronic industries manufacturing among others electronic chips that go into many e-devices. The former is the World Fish Centre or WorldFish at Batu Maung which advances several innovative studies and practices in the area of marine sciences.

That said, there are yet still gaps in Penang's claim to the "smart" label fame. A simple case in point is the overdue issue of illegally parked vehicles on both sides of the road along the entrance of Taman Pekaka near Sungai Dua. It has long caused traffic congestion virtually reducing the flow to a single lane, instead of the dual carriage. Fortunately, it finally caught the eyes of the authorities. However, instead of getting rid of the long lines of the illegally parked vehicles, the road system was changed into a one-way system meandering through the roads of the crowded residential area. Expenses were incurred to erect structures and signages to divert traffic away from the illegally parked vehicles, when exiting the compound. Amazingly, the root source of the problem – the illegally parked vehicles – is left almost untouched. In other words, the "parking-violators" are tolerated. Whereas, the entire Taman Pekaka community is unfairly "compromised" by the not-so-smart solution. Worst still, given that the "violators" are allegedly not even residents of Taman Pekaka.

By all counts, it created an impression that "violators of the law" can be spared, encouraged by not-so-smart moves. No doubt, it provides more than a compelling reason as to why adding "smarter" to the slogan is necessary so that all issues as minor as that of the Taman Pekaka predicament to major ones like Botak Hill are more intelligently and smartly redressed. Hopefully, it will match the newer, longer slogan of "smarter, safer, healthier, cleaner, greener" Penang!

With some four decades of experience in education locally and internationally, the writer believes that "another world is possible". Comments: letters@thesundaily.com