HERITAGE activist Khoo Salma Nasution has had her fair share of disagreements with the DAP - led state government, especially over the Mutiara Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the now ongoing reclamation of the Silicon Island.
But there is something in common both sides share - it is that the future of the state lies on the mainland - Province Wellesley or Prai, as the locals regard the stretch of land which neighbours Kedah and Perak.
Khoo Salma has urged historians and cultural besides heritage activists to focus on what Prai entails, especially in the ancestry and legacy sides.
She has also compiled a guidebook which content is driven by history, cultural, and places of interest on the “other side” of Penang.
“Seberang Perai accounts for over 70% of Penang’s land area and more than half of its population, yet is often overshadowed by the island side,” Khoo said at the launch of her book, “Exploring Seberang Perai” at the Design Village outlet mall.
She recalled that the stretch, previously known as Province Wellesley, was first a part of Kedah, then annexed to Penang Island when it was a British Straits settlement.
Province Wellesley remains the mainland’s gazetted English name in legal documents and government publications, while Seberang Perai is used in official Malay documents.
While working on her book, Khoo Salma discovered that many Penangites did not know much about Seberang Perai and said it would serve to bridge that gap.
“What surprised me was that even Seberang Perai residents may not really know other parts of Seberang Perai that well,” she said.
Many of its residents prefer to visit the island instead of exploring places nearer to them.
She said Seberang Perai, being one of the biggest city councils in Malaysia, is now enjoying a fast pace of growth.
“We can say the future of Penang is going to be in Seberang Perai,” she said, noting the placement of most homegrown manufacturing plants in Seberang Perai, as well as the expansion of new housing and commercial development projects.
Seberang Prai City Council Lord Mayor Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid launched the book. - July 21, 2025.
