know your councillors in mppp by tan seng hai

Move to appraise councillors lauded

By LOOI SUE-CHERN, GEORGE TOWN
penang@nst.com.my | 0 comments

THE state government welcomes the move by a group of local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to evaluate via questionnaires the performance of Penang Island municipal councillors.

Chow Kon Yeow (centre in white), Penang Island Municipal Council president Patahiyah Ismail (second left) and Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Lau Keng Ee (left) standing on an upgraded section of the Chew Jetty. Pic by Ramdzan Masiam

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State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said councillors should respond to the questionnaires to show their commitment as well as achievements.

He said the state was adopting an open attitude to the NGOs' campaign entitled "Know Your Councillor" and their various efforts for the betterment of the state.

"We are open to various suggestions by the NGOs here and we also appreciate their efforts to push for local elections, to monitor councillors and  evaluate their performance.

"The NGOs here are representing a part of our society, that wants to see an improved local council.

"Such an effort will help  make the MPPP more accountable to the people," he said during a visit to the  Chew Jetty here recently.

It was reported that the group of NGOs had emailed questionnaires to the 23 MPPP councillors, asking them to write down three major achievements this year and to state why they deserve to be reappointed for another term.

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) Penang, Sembang-Sembang Forum and Coalition for Good Governance Penang committee member Tan Seng Hai had said  the "Know Your Councillor" campaign was meant to promote local democracy and local elections, apart from helping the public get to know the councillors and their roles better.

The councillors here are appointed from political parties -- 10 from DAP, eight from Parti Keadilan Rakyat and two from Pas -- while the rest are representatives from NGOs and chambers of commerce.

Meanwhile, Chow also announced the Spring Cleaning @ George Town World Heritage Site 2012 (Clan Jetty Zone) event  that would see the clan jetties undergo a spruce-up on Jan 15.

He said the "gotong-royong" programme would see the MPPP work together with some 500 volunteers to clean up the clan jetties at Pengkalan Kota, which is now a must-see heritage destination for tourists.

"The jetties will be equipped with rubbish bins provided by the MPPP," he said.

Chow also said  the state had provided funds for sprucing up the clan jetties, upgrading and repairing of the Lim and Tan jetties.

Other jetties to be upgraded early next year  would be the Chew, Yeoh and Mixed Clan Jetties, he said.

Fwd: Tanjong Tokong

Begin forwarded message:

From: Jimmy C S Lim <cslcyy@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: December 29, 2011 17:34:14 GMT+08:00
To: cslcyy@yahoo.co.uk, sophinetann@yahoo.com, rebecca duckett <rebeccaduckett@mac.com>, yan lee <leeyan.c@gmail.com>
Subject: Tanjong Tokong

Tanjong Tokong

1.  Open spaces.  As infills in village, spots where houses were demolished.  Part of revitalization of transforming them into picnic grounds or little clearings in an old orchard.
2.  Old fruit trees.  Cashews and mangos.  Highlight their presence and existence.  A historical marker.
3.  Dilapidated houses to be re furnished.  Made into Tourists' centres or overnight accommodations.  Own and run by TT/Chant Trust.
4.  Relocate market or upgrade existing market space to reflect it's long history.
5.  Central open space to be centre of traditional herbal allotments.  To promote local medicinal herbs and salads.
6.  Showcase cultural use of plants not only for food but also for medicinal use in Traditional Malay village in Penang.
7.   Living Museum of traditional cultural integration between Malay and Chinese that existed in villages prior to Arabisation of Islam into Malaysian culture.
8.    A village which typifies the peaceful religious co-existence.
9.    Re- identifying and highlighting traditional village and architecture.
10.  Revitalizing traditional lifestyle, values and dignities.
11.     Reintroducing traditional craft form.
12.   Revisiting fishermen's craft eg net making, boat building, carpentry, weaving of traditional fishing traps, fishing paraphernalia, fishermen's boxes....
13.  Artistes colonies and residents hub.
14.  Portrayal of an authentic village quality of life.
15.  An attractive alternative for the up marker residents and visitors from Sri Tanjong.
16.  A self- made and proud village of descendants of fishermen in this Millennium.
17.   A 300 yr old historic village regenerated.
18.  A Folk Museum out of all abandon vernacular houses to showcase the villages' history.


Sent from my iPad

yeah KPI for our councillors

Thursday December 29, 2011

Assessing councillors

By CHRISTINA CHIN 
sgchris@thestar.com.my

A GROUP of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) has sent an e-mail questionnaires to 23 Penang municipal councillors, asking them to list down three major achievements this year.

The questionnaires were sent last week under the 'Know Your Councillor' campaign for Penang ratepayers to get to know their councillors.

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) Penang, Sembang Forum and Coalition for Good Governance Penang committee member Tan Seng Hai said the objective of the campaign was to promote local democracy and local election.

"The replies would be made public next month.

"Penang has the oldest municipal council in the country.

"Municipal councillors were once elected by ratepayers but this practice has been abolished since the 1960's.

"Councillors are now selected and appointed by the state government based on allocations to political parties, giving rise to situations where politically appointed councillors have to toe their party's line (but) the public expects councillors to serve the interests of ratepayers," he said yesterday.

Besides listing down three major accomplishments this year, the councillors were also asked to reveal three main goals if reappointed next year and why they deserve to be reappointed.

Tan said the campaign was in line with the state government's CAT (competency, accountability and transparency) principles and would help ratepayers understand the roles and functions of the councillors.

The 10 councillors from DAP, eight from PKR, two from PAS, two from chambers of commerce and two from NGOs, were sworn in 11 months ago.

"We hope that the councillors will respond by Jan 5 before the new councillor list is announced. So far, I haven't received a single reply," Tan said.

He said the e-mail had also been forwarded to State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow and MPPP president Patahiyah Ismail.

"We are concentrating on the MPPP this year.

"Next year, we may include the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP), MPs and assemblymen in a similar campaign," he said.

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Panoramic park plan for Pearl Hill in Pg, YB Teh good work

Wednesday December 28, 2011

Panoramic park plan for Pearl Hill

By WINNIE YEOH 
winnie@thestar.com.my 
Photos by CHAN BOON KAI

A PIECE of land covering the peak of Pearl Hill in Tanjung Bungah and its surrounding area in Penang will be transformed into a park with a viewing point for tourists.

Tanjung Bungah assemblyman Teh Yee Cheu said a 6.07ha piece of land where a Tua Pek Kong Temple is located near the peak of the hill had been identified for the project.

He said the park would be loca-ted some 152.4m above sea level.

It would provide tourists with a panoramic view of the sea, Tanjung Bungah, Tanjung Tokong and Batu Ferringhi, he said.

Historic site: The park project will include an existing Tua Pek Kong Temple.

He also said a working committee comprising temple committee members, residents, Tanjung Bungah Resident Association members, Tanjung Bungah Community Development and Security Committee (JKKK), Taman Seri Setia JKKK, would be formed in two weeks' time.

"The committee will look into cleaning and beautifying the surrounding area.

"We hope to allocate a small plot for a Chinese medicine practitioner to plant some herbs," he said, adding that the Penang Municipal Council would also be working together with the committee on the project.

Teh said development in the area would be kept minimal.

"We do not know how much will be needed for the project until the committee is formed.

"The state has agreed in principle to the project and I hope the paperwork will be completed soon to get the project started," he said after holding a discussion session on the project with residents and members of the concerned groups yesterday.

Teh said the private sector was also welcome to sponsor some tables and chairs for the pro- ject.

He said that besides the Chinese temple, there were also seven army bases and an observatory built by the British in the area.

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Slant on the value of Heritage

Home > News & Events

News Events & Activities 2010 Events & Activities 2009 Events & Activities 2008             News A New Slant on the Value of Heritage The recent article published in The Edge Financial Daily dated October 11, 2010 entitled "Holistic development needed for Penang" by Regina William most certainly painted one man's view and perception of the value of heritage conservation in our fair city of George Town, Penang. But while we as Penangites may have cause to rejoice and celebrate "winning the battle" by people like architect and heritage conservation advocate, Ar. Laurence Loh, the effects of the UNESCO World Heritage Listing are only beginning to be felt on the ground by the good people of Penang. Ar. Loh's assertion that stakeholders were initially unhappy with the City's World Heritage Listing cannot be further from the truth. What landowners and developers were and are still unhappy with are (a) the confusion and uncertainties surrounding the listing, (b) the lack of transparency and public accountability, (c) the high-handed way in which the involved people at the time had bulldozed through the application for listing while ignoring due processes of law for the gazetting of affected properties that lie both within and outside of the heritage zones, and (d) the way in which the then State Government had handed over almost the entire inner city of George Town to a small group of people to shape and mould according to their personal views with scant regard for the legal rights of stakeholders. It is hard to fathom how heritage has become the selling point for properties in Penang. Think about it. The entire inner city heritage and buffer zones are near enough off limits as far as development is concerned; a veritable development dead zone. As far as property developers are concerned development activities on the island of Penang are now confined to areas outside of the core and buffer heritage zones. In essence it is not development that you are seeing in the inner city of George Town today but rather personal labours of love by the well-heeled who can afford to indulge their passions in the restoration of their properties in the core and buffer heritage zones. It is a complete fallacy to suggest that the rising property prices in Penang are due almost exclusively to the listing of George Town as a World Heritage Site. Property prices in KL and other parts of the country had also risen sharply over the same period without similar benefits. The reasons for the cosmic jump in Malaysian property prices in recent times are many, e.g. soft loans, low interest rates, rising costs (material, energy, labour), changing social norms, and present Federal policy in allowing the liberal sale of properties to foreign buyers. While it is indeed heartening to see and hear of pre-war houses in the inner city heritage areas being off-loaded at between RM400 - RM800 psf, questions should be asked of the valuers and estate agents as to where they had promoted and to whom they had sold these properties. Chances are that many less than pristine pre-war properties are sold to foreign buyers who romanticize about dream dwellings in a time-warped, low-cost, exotic location. We hope these dreams will not turn into nightmares when they discover that their heritage homes and business establishments are unsupported by the 1st world infrastructure of their home countries to which they are more accustomed; some of which are, a reliable public transport, uncluttered streets and lanes, clean flowing drains, connected sewer systems, an adequate and uninterrupted electricity supply. After investing millions of ringgit into their heritage properties our foreign investors will also discover that the rental values of their properties generally are not commensurate with the level of investment. They will find that businesses established in these heritage premises cannot be supported by the small low-income local population. As such most of these heritage premises will tend to be owner occupied and "boutique business establishments" will tend to mushroom within the heritage zones of George Town in order to differentiate the level quality and service and thereby charge higher prices for the same to sustain these businesses. The cost of living and doing business will be high in the heritage districts. It should be noted that the core and buffer zones of the George Town World Heritage Site had long been classified as commercial zones under the Town and Country Planning Act. Yet Ar. Loh has hypothesized that investors are prepared to pay more for heritage buildings in their original (and presumably well-maintained) state as opposed to ones which are dilapidated or have been extensively renovated. It would be interesting to see how well his hypothesis holds up when these same investors start renovating premises to adapt them to modern living and business environment. Wouldn't a shrewd investor prefer to buy a less than pristine property at a much lower price knowing that he / she would want to renovate the premise for adaptive reuse? Regina William's report seems to suggest that owners of properties within the core and buffer heritage zones are in for a windfall. Even poorly maintained and dilapidated houses within these zones are likely to fetch prices as high as if not higher than that of new developments in the outskirts of the city. Riding on this euphoria as vindication of his hypothesis, Loh went on to suggest that conservation ought to be expanded beyond the heritage enclaves. Perhaps, but this should only be confined to buildings of proven historical and cultural significance and not merely at the whim and fancy of the select few who give no second thought to trampling the rights of the many, all in the name of heritage. On the ground, owners of many aged properties outside of the core and buffer zones are already busy challenging the State Government to have their properties de-listed or removed from the State List of Heritage Buildings to be conserved and preserved. They argue, and rightly so, that their buildings had been arbitrarily designated and listed at the behest of unknown individuals sanctioned by the previous State Government in a covert manner and without going through due process of law to gazette these properties. In some cases it is even determined that the basis on which some of these properties are designated and listed as heritage are flawed in that these buildings actually have NO HISTORICAL VALUE. Even till today, the State Government has not seen fit to divulge the contents of the State List of Heritage Buildings. The fact that Federal grants for conservation and restoration works are channeled to, managed by and given out by a private company (of which Ar. Loh is a director) is another sore point felt not only by the elected opposition State Government but the people of Penang. Federal grants should rightfully be channeled to State and Local Governments to manage and allocate not only for the purpose of heritage conservation and restoration but also for the improvement and upgrading of infrastructural facilities and social amenities within the inner city in support of heritage conservation. It is inconceivable that public funds can so easily be handed over to a private company or a group of individuals to manage and dispense with as they like. Where is the transparency and public accountability in that? The people of Penang are still at a loss as to the benefits to be derived from the much hyped heritage listing. Yes, it is indeed pleasing to see some stately old buildings being rehabilitated, but what of the displaced people and businesses which used to be the life and soul of these buildings? What will happen to our much touted living heritage and cultural diversity once traditional businesses and inner city communities are replaced almost overnight by foreigners and "boutique business establishments"? Ar. Loh's idea of heritage conservation may well sweep away the last remnants of the cultural heritage of old George Town for good, leaving the city of George Town devoid of a soul. Surely the objectives of heritage conservation cannot merely be confined to promoting tourism and the sale of inner city properties to foreign buyers. At least this was not the impression given to the Penang people when the Government dove headlong into the exercise of listing George Town as a heritage site. Whatever happened to the noble objectives of re-establishing a vibrant inner city community, rehabilitating premises and repopulating the city? To the dwindling inner city dwellers the issue is not about dispensing grants to individual homeowners to beautify their houses in the core & heritage zones. It is about upgrading a crumbling inner city infrastructure that had been neglected by successive State Governments since the independence of this country. It is about introducing modern amenities to bring about better living conditions in the inner city. It is about laying down a viable management blueprint which involves the people of Penang. It is about caring for the well being of our city dwellers and their livelihood. This is what holistic development is about. Until and unless these crucial points are met, should we even contemplate expanding our "no development zone" to the rest of Penang as advocated by this architect?  Datuk Jerry Chan: Many advanced   cities in the world are or are in the   midst of being equipped with WiFi service. THE Penang branch of the Real Estate and Housing Developers' Association Malaysia(Rehda) will continue to support the Penang Free WiFi project unless there is conclusive evidence that the wireless network poses a health hazard to the public. Its association chairman Datuk Jerry Chan said Penangites stood to benefit greatly from the wireless network which is made available to them at no cost. "Many advanced cities in the world are or are in the midst of being equipped with WiFi service. "Moreover, hotspots are already widely implemented in hotels, offices and other entertainment centres," he said in a press statement in George Town yesterday. Chan said the wireless network offers added convenience for business and the public at large. "Rehda is in agreement with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) that the facility will be the envy of other states and that Penang is progressive in this Information Age," he said. On Oct 8, it was reported that FMM said unproven concerns raised about health risks posed by the electromagnetic transmission of the WiFi and WiMAX services should not impede or delay Penang Government's plans to introduce such free services in the state. In early September, the state launched the free WiFi service under its  Wireless@PENANG initiative which would eventually cover 750 hotspots in the state over the next 15 months. Last month, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the WiMAX service would be made available in stages from December. His announcement had caused the Consumers Association of Penang to voice its concern on possible health hazards posed.

CM Lim Guan Eng on youtube about the demolition of Pudu jail

From: "Lim Cheok Siang Jimmy" <notification+m5jvuid_@facebookmail.com>
Date: December 24, 2011 7:13:53 GMT+08:00
To: "Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) Discussions" <penangheritagetrust@groups.facebook.com>
Subject: Re: [Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) Discussions] New link
Reply-To: Reply to comment <g+42u0wgj000000bseogj002q5r886qr30022zn4z0e201yd46@groups.facebook.com>

Lim Cheok Siang Jimmy commented on Citizen Chant's post in Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) Discussions Lim Cheok Siang Jimmy 24 December 07:13 If he can say all that I cannot imagine that he would have allowed all the things happening in Penang. It may suggest that most of the things against heritage are done without his know ledge...what say you guys? Agree or not? Immediately I can think of so many Agencies in Penang who may not be doing their job or are misled into believing that their job scope is only very small and limited. This notion is then conveyed to the CM and he being a good and trusting leader acts on their recommendations. (Also first timer CM leh). Unlike Tsu Khoon who had govern Pennag for so long LGE is new and not conversant with how the Local Government is run. So he acts on poor advice and many things related to the heritage matters and environmental issues not properly handled.......like "stop work order" becomes commencement of work, telling a person who has done something wrong to quickly rectify the wrong by submitting plans and rushing them through on a VIP pass? Or a "rebuild Order" has become a wait and see game. How lah CM to run a City and State as beautifula s Penang? Despite most of the GTWH core site is zoned for "Residential, Commercial, Markets, Institutional, Religious" purposes under the Planning Guidelines, why is the Local Authorities allowing "Agriculture and Farming" of sorts to be allowed in the city that is not ZONED for that purpose? Why? IS there a hidden agenda? So that means KFC can tomorrow move their chicken farm to a KOMTAR WALK shoplot, to supply chicken to their outlet at KOMTAR WALK? YB CHow how do you think this would fit in with your scheme of things to improve patronage of Komtar (Everbright)? Our Government should now send a message out to the Government Agencies that they must do their job for the protection and enjoyment of the people living in the city. Reason the people are "hammering" this Government for all the mistakes the agencies created......and this will change once they get re-erected into office as the people are behind the Government but not behind poor workers in Govern Agencies and bad messengers. Comment history Lim Cheok Siang Jimmy 24 December 06:46 Can someone tell our CM that we all speak the same language as he did over the Pudu Jail issue. Somehow I think in the translation or transfer of information to the CM by his 'under-links' and abled assistants our intents and message got screwed up and he ends up thinking that we are "against" him big time and he angry with us 'environmentalists and heritage freaks'. BUT LGE SPEAKS SAME language..........so how can be enemy. Maybe many messengers speak different "lingos".....which explains why CM gets confuse information.......like we are told that the 'Cheng Hoo" of Ayer Itam is not LGE. Did his people tell him that? This is bad politics. People may end up erecting a wrong person to Govern the next time. Make hay whilst the sun shine. I extracted some quotes by LGE which could have 1. "Express my regrets at the demolition of the Pudu Jail wall" ….CM Penang 2. "…sad that historic building build in 1895 is torn down to make way for commercial development" ….CM Penang 3. "…remind the Fed Gov. that you cannot buy heritage. Once it is destroyed nothing can return it back" ….CM Penang 4. "…some countries like Singapore ….to make way for sky scrapers……now………..if given an opportunity to do it again, they would retain many of the heritage buildings" ….CM Penang 5. "……remember you can buy a lot of things cannot buy love or time." ….CM Penang 6. "You must have your cultural assets in place. Malaysia wants to become a civil society….to be a civil society you must first be a civilised Nation to be a civilised Nation you must first make sure you are able to take care and protect your cultural assets." ….CM Penang 7. "…..it is still part of our past and heritage" ….CM Penang 8. "…..money is not everything" ….CM Penang 9. "Do they tear down the great wall of Chinas to make way for development? " ….CM Penang 10. "If we as a Nation do not know how to preserve and protect our cultural heritage it does not reflect well on all of us" ….CM Penang 11. "…..Disappointment on the failure of the Gov. and the wrong sense of priority……..where they place the value of money and commercial interests than… protecting the heritage" ….CM Penang 12. "I mean for us if in Penang we can stop the development by not approving the plans unless you conform to heritage requirements…developments can complement each other….development also retain heritage aspect by complementing and supplementing each other. It is not mutually exclusive that you have to destroy one (heritage) to replace with a modern development. I think you can complement and supplement each other" ….CM Penang been us Chanting......." Yan Lee 23 December 18:12 we want this man, watch this video Original post Citizen Chant 23 December 16:38 DAP express regret over Pudu Jail www.youtube.com DAP MPs, led by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today expressed regret that there has been no eff... View Post on Facebook · Edit email settings · Reply to this email to add a comment.

PGGOV gets brick bas n praises

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22 December 2011 | last updated at 11:22pm

Govt gets brickbats and praise

By LOOI SUE-CHERN
penang@nst.com.my | 0 comments

Penang Forum's symposium to discuss development and good governance end in a call for a better-planned, more systematic, holistic and sustainable growth process for the state

There are concerns that new developments on the island pay little regard to issues such as sustainability.

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GEORGE TOWN: Penang Forum, an informal network of 40 local non-governmental organisations (NGOs), residents' associations (RAs) and concerned individuals, is calling for the state government to adopt a more people-centred, sustainable and greener approach in the development of the state.

It said the emergence of new development projects on the island, had caused alarm.

At its recent symposium on development and good governance, Penang Forum 4, on Sunday, the participants demanded that developments be in concordance with genuine need, as  it was perceived that the new developments on the island had paid scant regard to sustainable development principles.

A statement issued the following day said a resolution was passed at the end of the symposium concluding that the government and local councils must implement a better planned, more systematic, a holistic and a sustainable development process.

To address rising concerns of over-development, Penang Forum 4 resolved that the state must institute a more participatory planning process, including the organisation of workshops to educate and engage the public on Local Plan drafts before approval.

The NGOs want the state to impose a moratorium on high-rise or high-density developments until the Local Plan was approved.

On land-reclamation projects, it said the state must also formulate land-use and land reclamation policies to ensure that it maintained control over matters such as planning.

Such policies would also help to protect the state's financial interests for the benefit of marginalised and vulnerable groups of Penangites, and allow provisions for sufficient affordable housing, public parks and social amenities on reclaimed land.

Penang Forum also urged the state government to formulate innovative and independent fiscal policies to generate and conserve financial resources for projects that would yield long-term benefits to the community.

"It must also address the poor integration of transport in town planning and land-use planning policies, and solve the RAs' various problems, especially by implementing independent social, environmental and traffic impact assessments for new projects.

"The local authorities must ensure that prompt enforcement exercises are taken for violations of laws or by-laws," Penang Forum demanded.

At earlier discussions at the symposium, the powers-that-be were criticised for the mess Penang island was perceived to be in. Traffic congestion, another nagging problem on the island, was raised, with Penang Traffic Council member Low Swee Heong saying that a major cause was the lack of enforcement to tackle illegal parking.

He also expressed concern at the state's independent announcement of plans for new expressways and roads when Penang's transport system and traffic situation were still under study by consultants.

It was not all brickbats, however. Penang Forum 4 noted improvements made by the state government and local councils that had increased efficiency and effectiveness in many areas.

The introduction of the open-tender system, no-plastic bag and no-Styrofoam policies, car-free days and Penang Speakers' Square; and initiatives that had allowed culture and the arts to flourish in Penang were recognised and praised.

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