GEORGE TOWN – Some voters in the affluent Tg Bungah constituency in Penang want a total overhaul of how their elected representatives serve them, citing that previous delivery standards were not up to their expectations.
In a town hall attended by a mix of voters and their expatriate neighbours, the majority of them singled out that they are fed up with the empty promises made and the lackadaisical attitude towards their pleas to better protect the environment and scale down housing schemes in the area, as the locality simply cannot support high density.
They highlighted that elected representatives and Penang Island City Council had declining standards of service and protecting the environment, especially as the traffic congestion here worsened over time, especially after the pandemic.
Among those who spoke their mind were former Tg Bungah Residents’ Association chairman George Aeria, his successor, Zulfikar Abdul Aziz, and David Giam.
They aimed their frustration at two of the three candidates vying for the Tg Bungah state seat in Saturday’s polls.
Perikatan Nasional’s H’ng Chee Wey, a state Gerakan secretary, and Parti Rakyat Malaysia’s Lee Chui Wah answered most of the queries and frustrations aimed at them.
Pakatan Harapan’s Zairil Khir Johari, the state DAP vice-chairman, who is defending the seat, could not attend the event due to a tight campaigning schedule.
Today was the early polling date for uniformed personnel and those who had signed up for postal balloting, including those living overseas or out-station.
Among the recommendations was that all future development plans must have public engagement, especially housing schemes, while they sought for the state to scrap the proposed LRT alignment to Tg Bungah.
They also wanted the locality, which is home to the highest concentration of expatriates in the country, to offer more recreational parks to preserve its tranquillity.
H’ng pleaded with the residents, saying that there is nothing much minorities, including Gerakan, can do if they are not elected to provide checks and balances in the 40-member state assembly.
But he swore to continue the struggle of trying to serve the constituents in his own way, saying that Gerakan still envisions that it can make a comeback in the future, as in politics, there is nothing permanent.
Lee wants Penang to adopt a moratorium on all forms of development, citing that the pace of constructing new homes and commercial projects, while allowing expansion in the manufacturing sector, has created huge traffic congestion.
“It is obvious that the state’s infrastructure cannot cope with the rapid development rate, which has also come at the expense of the environment.”
Zulfikar was critical of Zairil’s absence, saying that the least the DAP leader could have done was to dispatch a representative to hear the residents’ grouses, who are also voters here.
Association secretary Agnes James pointed out that those invited were also representatives of the respective management corporations of condominiums and apartments.
The session ended with residents stressing that it is about time all forms of development in the area take into account the views of its inhabitants.
Lee quipped that she had once taken former chief minister Lim Guan Eng to task when the latter muttered that residents cannot control what their neighbours plan as it is their right.
“But I told Lim off that if his neighbour were to build a crematorium next door to his home. Would he agree?” Lee asked. – The Vibes, August 8, 2023
