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When I was studying in CLHS, Penang; we (the students) were so proud of Koh because his "so many As" and MIT acceptance!

Now look at what he has done to lovely Penang! Get a life Koh, you are the WORST town planner and CM in history!

Tonight when you go to bed, dream about what Penang was like 20 years ago! You call that PROGRESS?????

My friend, how are you gonna undo what Koh has done? And for Penangnites to come back, you are talking about CHOICE; if you have a choice, would you?

I was in Penang recently, the driving was absolutely a nightmare! Penang drivers have absolutely NO COURTESY at all!

I was horrified what KOMTAR has become!
:( :( :(

Hi Jeff, While Penang remains the state where many Chinese enjoy much opportunity, the same cannot be said for our Penang Malay brothers and sisters. The state has often been hi-lited as THE only state in West Malaysia where the majority is under-developed and lack opportunities which gives rise to ill thoughts and feelings. Please also have a plan to placate and ease their hearts.

JEFF OOI says: I walked Rifle Range flats, Jelutung Timur, Sungai Pinang and Caunter Hall areas, yes and confirmed, our national wealth did not benefit our Malay brothers and sisters the same way it enriches the Umnoputras..

Penang, so may wonderful memories, my second home. It is sad to see Penang state today, it is half dead. Penang soon will become another JB, victim of greedy politicians. The one who will ultimately destroyed the Island is Penangites themselves, they have made the wrong choice all these years. Hopefully everyone will wake up and start using their brain.

Jeff, can you wake them up if all they want to do is continue sleeping and dreaming?

Dear cyleow,
You have sense of humour on the A's part ;)

I just recall many great people in the world are trouble maker in school and "not bright" according to their principal.

B:'Sad that A is leaving.'

Neil:'Glad that he's happy with his new missus and their lovely girl. The young wife has rejuvenated our old friend. The baby is cute beyond compare and finally giving him some meaning and repose.'

B:'Which is more than can be said of us. Especially those who live in Penang.'

Neil:'everywhere else too, B.'

B:'But the condition of Penang is a microcosm of the rest of the states, don't you think so too?'

Neil:'Besides my eyesight, my memory is failing me badly, B, but i faintly recall hearing over the radio back then about Kennedy being shot and also remembering that that was the year the election flags and banners were unfurled all over the place on that island, especially from counting how many rockets and bull horns and dacings. What a riotously vigorous time it was then, wasn't it?'

B:'that was a long time ago, Neil, and i do remember the governor giving you some prize for being so bright then. Now that you've mentioned it, one of the biggest challenges of all nation-building is to maintain an air of excitement and constant development. New things, new faces, new ideas, expanding business, frenetic pace, international profile. What has happened to us in every state, Neil?'

Neil:'You don't see those anymore. I suspect if there's such a thing as a general level of intelligence, we have sunk like the titanic but off the coast of madagascar. When was the last time anyone got excited about anything? I still recall seeing how a group of oldsters back in '71 walking in the evening debating politics; everything is so, oh, deadpan nowadays. Sleepy, one may just add.'

B:'Like the island. When was the last time anyone got a sense of excitement seeing the island from the mainland? And what has happened to Komtar? Or Gurney Drive, or even Air Itam, Minden, etc? Ask people who live there, been there, return there and all will tell you there are only minor cosmetic changes - a mall here, a road there. Basically the business part, tourism and manufacturing and metropolis stuff, and the thinking part about culture, ideas, future, and roles, have all stood still, some say regressed like the other states. In fact you can measure Penang's ability to change by the quality of its hawker food. That has gone downhill so it reflects the state of that island too. Like Ipoh, it has become a has-been. Hot? they chopped down century-old trees but without improving the public transportation or traffic flow. Quiet? they shot themselves in the foot by removing the duty-free status on some flimsy slipshot argument without seeing the big picture of who would be the island's competitors around the corner. Smart? how smart are USM and the schools these days? how sophisticated are the manufacturing activities? Good living? A few hotels by the beach here, a few condos on the hills there and Penang is probably just a centimetre above the water that drowned Port Dickson. Everything the coalition touched turns to dust. Where's the pulse and psychedelic colour of tomorrow arrived today? Why do those brainy chinese schools have to thank hisham profusely for a measly pre-election once-a-lifetime million when mara casually gets a billion a year? Tokenism galore; hypocrisy incarnate; stupidity untethered. Even the great Britain is making chinese studies an examinable subject and increasing enrolment of mandarin classes across their country. They see the future, we see only the oil lamps of yesteryear.

You know, Neil, when i think of Penang, i conjure Monaco, Hong Kong, Singapore, PhiPhi, even Shenzhen or the Bund. Not this sleepy hollow.'

Neil:'Depressing, isn't it? Yet, knowing full well all these things, the dukus of putrajaya continue to spin their spider's web on the rakyat. They haven't even stepped out of their ululand, those jokers. Progressive, competitive, changing. K-N-N.'

B:'Now, now, Neil. What will the girls of Penang think of their old heartthrob?'

Neil:'Probably satay this old rogue if ever i step foot on that island again.'

B:'Change is the only constant, Neil.'

Neil:'There's a forgotten dimension about change. When Putrajaya talks about change, it thinks of someone doing something. There's another aspect they are completely blinkered about. The other dimension is this: is that "something" to be changed still relevant, or has it been replaced by something else that has catapulted in from over the horizon? While they have been twiddling their thumbs trying to extricate their fingers from those sticky pies of the rakyats' money, the world has moved on. That's why Penang has stood still. Because plastic lizards and propeller heads like the present administration continue to blur their way around wringing their hands that federal withholds funds, local remains clueless about how to crawl out of the morass, national going back three steps for every one spun forward by the spinmeisters in form, but not substance. You are right that Penang is a microcosm of the country. It was ahead of so many other places years ago. Now it's turning into some geriartic reserve. You know, even a small provincial city somewhere else can spot a S900 casually parked in a suburb. You get such a throbbing sensation that things move, important things get done fast, decisions are made sharply and from the viewpoint of the future of their citizens, and quality of stakeholder service is championed. Not generating one excuse after another to hide dropout inadequacies.'

B:'Penang should have stayed ahead of Singapore by cutting off the string that tie it down to the 'national' policies of Umno. It's only got porporlarnlarn to show for that loyalty now. Even that Koh sounded so sissified saying he would leave it to Badawi about his great escape from a future mauling on polling day, what with the two 'big' projects now in abeyance. At a certain age, one must exude intelligence and stature and not act like a schoolboy before an equally inept classmaster. But then again, if we have an emperor selassie before us, how can standards ever be really raised in a sophisticated manner if they're constantly locked in some schoolboy mentality of teacher say, teacher do? Not canggih at all. The real side is just durian-polishing. That's so ouchy to hear, don't you agree?'

Neil:'what do you think of the three candidates?'

B:'who?'

Neil:'that's the point. Who are they? What have they really done for the state that a professional town manager couldn't have done better? What's the real objective of power distribution in the 21st century - to maximize total benefit to the residents or to fulfill some backdoor horse trading amongst the lasso-cowboys of Brokeback Mountain?

Come to think of it, why am i still here?'

B:'Just make sure you don't get snipped, Neil. There are sharp scissors around.'

Neil:'yes, the string that ties the kite; it will float away into the blue yonder...'

B:'sometimes i wonder whether you're not half certifiable, Neil.'

Neil: 'B, one must be half mad in order to stay fully sane in this looney country.'

B:'yeah, i can understand why you're starting to talk even to yourself these days.

why, for instance, can't they host the papers properly here:

http://tinyurl.com/3yocap

As you can see for yourself, zero value.

And why, for instance, hasn't Rafidah the trade and investment minister said anything at a PDC function for the last umpteen years if the island is doing swimmingly well?

Yes, Neil, i see what you've seen and can understand why you're underwhelmed even when property developers appear bullish in the press. They're the only ones and they have an interest only to themselves.'

Neil:'i'm just happy to read cyleow again, B.'

If Penang does indeed discontinue the NEP, I for one will leave the UK and go to Penang.

senior CYLEOW, fyi senior Koh never go to MIT, I believe it is Princeton. Am I right?

And btw, Jeff Ooi is not a Penang 'lang' canonically, you grew up in Kedah and now stay with your family in USJ. Am I right?
However, I should have no reason not to welcome you as a 'naturalised' Penangite, if you love Penang that much.

don't lah criticis penang so much. penang is not that bad as you guys made it out to be.

nell, not true at all that the quality of hawkers food had gone down.

during festive occasion like the recent CNY, we still see thousands of visitors from other states visiting penang. if penang is that bad, we wouldn't see so many visitors.

it's not that i disagree with all the criticims (constructive though they may be) but some criticisms are not justified.

i notice most of these criticisms came from ex penangites (yeah, diaspora). i had been living in penang all my life and i still love my penang as much as 40 years ago as it is now.

If Penang is willing to go on meritocracy and say no to NEP, I would say most of the non Bumis in Klang Valley, corporations and other areas will move there and give Spore a fight . I am sure many who left will come back and build Penang into a world class city in a fair and equitable manner. However, under the current PM , I dont see much progress.

maggieq

So, are you saying that Penang will only progress and prosper if the non-bumis run the show there?

That's so bloody racialistic.

I am surprised that Jeff hasn't rebutted your views.

How about it, Jeff? Are you supporting maggieq's views or are you just championing her right to have and express such views?

JEFF OOI says: I will respect your views and if I disagree, I will agree to disagree. But I despise race-based politics and I only advocate non-communal politics. Umno, MCA and MIC are race-based politics. So, skilgannon1066, I challenge you to kill race-based politics using your votes this time. For the sake of you and I, for the sake of all Malaysians.

Jeff,
I support your decision to go into active politics. You've got that natural pre-disposition to help others. I'm particularly taken into your non-communal politics campaign which is so damn important in our racially divided nation. It will be interesting to see how you fare but i'm confident that you will gain the popular vote. Penang which has lost much of its luster over the years is still by far the best place in Malaysia which is saying little for the rest of this country. Your win will be as significant as Liverpool FC winning the English Premier League. God bless you,your family (and Liverpool too).