Re: Penang Shortcomings?

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Still need to make a trip up thataway, papaya! The aroma of Penang laksa can sometimes be smelt even over that of the fresh seafood in these parts! And the rusa (deer) you get here is particularly toothsome. I imagine it's too crowded for such delicacies up north. 

Kaz @ Johor

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Ya but Kaz you need to update the Let's Talk Johor thread and keep the interest going for JB, and stop all us Penang-bores batting on about Penang 

I thought this was a Penang forum

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I thought this was a Penang forum

I guess you would know better than me 

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Ahmmm! what is or who is Mat Rempit?? 

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The Mat Rempit (not to be confused with the Mat Salleh) are boys on motor bikes. The newspapers here in Malaysia write a lot about them to distract everybody from the real problems they should write about.

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Got you!

Back to Penang's shortcomings, I was told that Penang has been badly neglected by the Federal Govt......that the focus is on Pulau Langkawi to make it a rival to Penang for the tourist $$, hence the broken pavements, the neglected buildings and the polluted beach.

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When the DAP (opposition, social democrats) won the elections 2 years ago Penang got "punished" by the Fed. Govt. resulting in a adrupt stop in cashflow.

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Wow! That is your unfair! 

Poor Penang. May I ask how the ex pats stayed out of local politics? I hesitated to bring this up before because of the sensitivity of the subject. Happy to drop it if it is too hot a topic to explore in a public forum. 

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hi,

Back to Penang's shortcomings, I was told that Penang has been badly neglected by the Federal Govt......that the focus is on Pulau Langkawi to make it a rival to Penang for the tourist $$, hence the broken pavements, the neglected buildings and the polluted beach.

A somewhat out-of-date comment. Langkawi was Mahathir's pet project. Over the past few months, now and again, Mahathir has commented in the news media that Langkawi is now neglected.

In Malaysia, broken pavements, polluted rivers & beaches, and neglected buildings aren't the result of a deliberate
political lack of attention for opposition held states. It's just normal everywhere. 

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May I ask how the ex pats stayed out of local politics

Now there is a fine question

Should ex-pats get or try to get involved with local politics.  Is not the danger of being told 'well if you don't like it bugger of home' as some do to expats in our own country

Funny we call ourselves expats but certainly in the UK 'ex-pats' are call immigrants

Do we have any moral right in saying how the country/place we live in is run?

Cheers

JJ

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Just like the roads in Sydney especially in the suburbs, potholes- here, there and everywhere, cracked pavements, etc 

And, as for the litter and graffiti 

Sometimes it makes me think that I am living in a developing country than a developed country. 

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Do we have any moral right in saying how the country/place we live in is run?

I sense a debate coming on the above question but since it is almost 3am - Sydney time, my poor brain is a bit fuzzy and so will leave it to another appropritate time to debate on the above. 

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hi,

I don't consider myself to be an expat. I'm a tourist.

I enjoy Malaysia because it's cheap and cheerful. Arrived back last night from Singapore. In Singapore S$700,000 will not buy you a 1,000 sq. ft. 2 bedroom apartment. And a COE costs S$26,000 - that's a certificate of entitlement to purchase a car.

Here in Malaysia I can relax and enjoy myself and get on with my life.

I've found that putting folks straight - such as politicians - is time consuming, and a waste of space, and no one cares. There's a few smart folks, a few dumb ones and the rest of us are middle-range trying not to mess it up that much. 

As Dirty Harry said, "opinions are like axxholes, everyone's got one." But I've got nothing against folks doing what they want. Misery is always optional.

I prefer to have a cold one on a warm beach, watch the kids going bananas with fun and games, and getting up every now and again to adjust the umbrella. Wonderful. And if Najib and Anwar and the guys at MCA need sorting out, hey someone else can do it, or not.

No taxation, no representation, no problemo.

scott.

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Hi Scott

Love your attitude towards life. A permanent tourist. Yes, I can live with that.

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Just found this website called Penang Transport Council.

http://ptc.penang.gov.my/

The points 1 -4 & 7 highlighted in that website really give me a brief insight of how the federal system of government in Malaysia works.  Now, I start sympathising the plight of Penang rather than blaming this and that because the state government has limited power and most importantly, money to solve the problems Penang is facing such as traffic woes, broken pavement, rubbish, pollution etc.

It would be wonderful if each state in Malaysia like many other countries, has its own autonomy and what each state earns goes to the pocket of the state governemnt itself rather than to federal government for re-distribution (which might result in unfairness).