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PENANG last week exploded with Chinese New Year celebrations all over, even as political turmoil engulfed Perak. The festivities were ignited by the state government’s CNY open house at Lebuh Campbell on Saturday, Jan 31 (6th day CNY), which saw people from all walks of life enjoying a full evening of performances from Penang's multi-ethnic community (Read here for report and for photos, here, here and here)
The next day, Sunday, Feb 1 (7th day CNY) an unprecedented crowd of tens of thousands thronged the heritage core zone in the vicinity of Lebuh Armenian, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling, Lebuh Aceh and Lebuh Ah Quee for the Chinese New Year Cultural and Heritage Celebration. There was an “explosion of Chinese culture” during the 12-hour celebration, held to showcase the culture and living heritage of George Town. This year’s event was even more momentous in view of George Town’s listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Read here for The Star’s report, here, here, and here blogs, and here for photos.
On Monday evening through to Tuesday (9th day CNY), the Hokkiens in Penang had their thni kong seh (Jade Emporer God Birthday) celebrations. Read here and here. An unfortunate event, however, happened a day later at the Chew Jetty, the epicentre of the celebrations, when five houses were burned down. Read here. On heritage in general, these are some recent developments: - RM251.6 million request for rehabilitation work: The state government has requested for RM251.6 million from the federal government to carry out rehabilitation work in George Town. It will be in the form of a soft loan (RM200 million) for private owners to renovate their property along heritage guidelines while the remaining RM51.6 million is for George Town as a World Heritage Site (read here for report and here for the initial request).
- Inner city plan for George Town: The Penang Island Municipal Council has proposed a plan for the inner city of George Town in line with UNESCO’s guidelines (read here).
- Arch to mark WHS: An arch (like those in Quebec, Canada and Li Chiang, China) has also been proposed to mark the significance of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is likely to cost RM10 million (read here).
We highlight below some of the other ongoing debates and issues in Penang:
ECONOMY
Layoffs, pay cuts and extended leave: Employers have begun to lay off workers although the situation is not serious. Read here and here. There have also been pay cuts of 25% and extension of the Chinese New Year leave to cut costs. Read here.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Penang Bridge upgrade: By August, the Penang Bridge would be regraded to Class C or D when widening works are completed, “indicating that it is no longer prone to traffic congestion”. Read here. Meanwhile, the concessionaire has yet to apply for a rate increase. Read here.
POLITICS
No action against Ahmad Ismail yet: According to reports, the police have completed investigations into a sedition charge against veteran Umno member Datuk Ahmad Ismail but he is "not likely to see the inside of the courtroom anytime soon". Read here.
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