Buletin Mutiara #2 Jan 2015

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January 16 - 31, 2015http:www.facebook.com/buletinmutiahttp:www.facebook.com/cmlimguane

pg 6 & 7

TERIMA KASIH

FOR

HELPING US

Truly Penang FoodsStory byChan LilianPix by MPPP photographer

and Chan Lilian

WHAT makes a dish stand outand deserving of the state it

originates from?How does one claim that a

particular dish is Penangsoriginal, authentic, one-of-a-kind food?

Ever wonder how our fore-fathers came up with recipes

like asam laksa, Hokkien mee,curry mee, pasembor andmore?

Well, for one, Penang being

a melting pot of various racesand cultures certainly benefit-ed from having some of thebest foods in the world.

This is not some syok

sendiri claim by Penang butrecognised by various parties.Just to mention a few:

1. Best Street Food In Asia- by Time Magazine

2) CNNs World 50 MostDelicious Food placed Penang

asam laksa in 7th spot3) Penang is One Of AsiasGreatest Street Food Cities -

by CNNGo.com4) In 2009, NY Times men-

tioned Penang as SoutheastAsias liveliest street-foodscene.

The Penang Island Munici-pal Council (MPPP) has se-lected 13 types of hawkerfoods that are uniquely Pen-ang.

And to maintain that qual-

ity, these hawker foods mustbe prepared by Malaysians andnot foreigners.

To begin, MPPP will be giv-

ing out Penang Foods stick-ers to hawkers selling these 13types of food at MPPP hawkercomplexes throughout the is-land.

The 13 dishes that are truly

Penang are asam laksa, charkoay teow, lor bak, Hokkienmee, curry mee, wantan mee,

pasembur, chee cheong fun,mee sotong, char koay kark,

orh chien (oyster omelette),koay teow thng and nasilemak.

Chief Minister Lim GuanEng, exco members Chow Kon

Yeow, Danny Law Heng Ki-ang, Pulau Tikus assembly-member Yap Soo Huey joinedthe MPPP and councillors togive out stickers to 21 hawker

stalls at Anjung Gurney on Jan18.

Lim also allayed the doubtsof certain quarters with rela-

tion to their misconception onthe ban on foreign workers.From celebrity chefs to the

man-on-the-street, people hadbeen toying with foolish sug-gestions.

There is nothing discrimi-natory about barring foreignworkers from being cooksonly at hawker stalls becausehawker licences are granted

for lower-income Malaysiansand supposed to be owner-operated, whilst this ruling

does not bar foreigners fromowning restaurants nor pre-vent foreign workers fromcooking in restaurants, Limsaid.

How can this ruling be

undemocratic or discrimina-tory when it is intended toprotect the uniqueness of Pen-ang food, that hawker stallsmust be owner-operated and

that foreign workers can assistthe hawker in other duties?

Meanwhile, Chow, who is

the exco member for LocalGovernment, Traffic Manage-ment and Flood Mitigation,assured everyone that MPPPwill give a one-year grace

period from this month.The ruling of local Malay-

sian cooks only applies toMPPP-owned hawker com-plexes throughout the island

only.We are doing this step-by-

step. Right now, MPPP is giv-ing the stickers to indicate that

the foods are prepared bcals. This decision to shothe 13 types of foods made by a panel. This is

the result of a survey madMPPP where 14,810 peparticipated. Around agreed that local foods mbe prepared by Malaysians

not foreigners, Chow adSo, watch out for the

ang Foods sticker the time you are looking forthentic Penang food.

A collage of photos showing Sharif Pasembor giving the thumbs-up to the sticker while LimChow hand out stickers at Anjung Gurney hawker complex which is always packed with hutourists and locals.


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2 January 16 - 31, 2015

CHIEF Minister Lim Guan Eng has made

an ofcial appeal to Prime Minister Datuk

Seri Najib Razak to postpone the imple-mentation of the Goods and Services Tax(GST) at least until Malaysia has reacheda high-income nation status.

In a motion passed by the Penang State

Assembly last Nov 14, the assemblymade the plea on the basis that the coun-

try is not yet ready for a regressive taxa-

tion system which could bring a negativeeconomic effect and further worsen the

countrys ination.The Penang State Assembly also nds

that GST will be a major burden to themedium and lower income group someof whom rely on daily wages to get by,

said Lim in a letter addressed to the Prime

Minister.Instead of burdening the citizens, thefederal government should focus on x-

ing its failures by curbing corruption and

plugging leakages and wastage. It mustfocus on a competent, accountable andtransparent governance to prevent theseproblems.

He also showed the toll GST has taken

on small businesses even before the im-

plementation citing cases of a Balik Pulau

sundry shop and a few traditional Chinesemedicine halls closing down as they are

unable to cope with the new taxationsystem.

It is because GST is still plagued with

confusion over what is exempted, whatis not and how small businesses can easeinto the system that GST should be post-

poned until all members of society areready for it, said Lim.

The state also hopes that the federal

government could consider raising thesales threshold of RM500,000 to RM2million citing that the depreciation of theringgit is making it easy even for smallbusinesses to reach the threshold.

Lastly, Lim also lamented the fact thatconsumers will not be exempted from

services the same way businesses are.For example, bank services can beclaimed by registered businesses while

consumers who are not registered willbear the full amount of various servicessuch as bank service charges.

Lim hopes that the plea of the peopledoes not fall on deaf ears as April is draw-

ing close with many businesses, smalland big, scrambling to comply with thestill unclear GST system.

State calls for GST postponemen

THE state government will offer female Penang residents a free mammogram screening after the Chinese New Year break.

Health, Rural Development and Agriculture & Agro-based Industry

exco Dr Afif Bahardin said Mammo Penang aims to reach women o35 years and above as early detection gives a better chance of survival

The screening programme is expected to cost RM3 million over threyears.

By providing transport, it is very convenient for them to go for

screening as well as attending health talk sessions, added Dr Afifafter a discussion with Selangor Health, Welfare, Women and FamilyAffairs exco Dr Daroyah Alwi and representatives of its local authorities on Jan 12.

Dr Daroyah was glad Penang is adopting the MammoSEL pro

gramme Selangor started in 2009.

As at October 2014, 18,745 women had undergone the screenings,said Dr Daroyah, stating their visit to Penang is to share experiencesas well as to learn from Penang its successful health awareness programmes.

Meanwhile, dengue cases were reported to be rising this month withtwo deaths compared to none last year.

Thus, the state will execute Gotong royong Penang Sihat agendasimultaneously on Jan 25 targeting 40 localities, 20 on the island andanother 20 on the mainland.

To ensure the success of the plan, community involvement is vitaand collaborative effort from all parties needed to fight the disease.

Free mammogram screening

SECONDARY school teacher Lim ChyeLuan, 49, wished to celebrate the 15thbirthday of her daughter Goh Yi Xuen onJan 25, but it will not happen now as she

was killed in a car crash on Jan 7.Chye Luan s husband, Goh Soo

Kwang, 50, who is an administrative staffmember in a tyre shop in Johor Baru, saidthe last he saw his wife was on Dec 29

when he returned to Penang for the holi-

days.I cannot believe my wife is no longer

with us, Goh said when met at the wakeof Chye Luan and her brother-in-law, Lee

A Yong @ Lee Sing Yong, who also diedin the crash, at Bandar Sri Pinang, Jelu-

tong.Meanwhile, Yi Xuen, a student ofSMJK Heng Ee, said she did not realise

that when she bade farewell to her moth-

er the morning of Jan 7, it would be hernal goodbye.

Yi Xuen said her mother appeared herusual self when she left their home in Ta-

man Seri Nibong that morning.Her mother had gone out with her un-

cle, A Yong, 72, who lived next door to xthe cars air-conditioning system.

A teary-eyed Yi Xuen, who had lookedforward to celebrating her birthday with

her parents, will be sitting for her PT3examination this year.

During the funeral wake, Yi Xuen re-

mained calm as she greeted friends andrelatives who came to pay their last re-

spects.SMJK Heng Ee senior assistant of ad-

ministration Loh Soo Ping, where Chye

Luan taught, said Chye Luan was a greatcolleague and friend.

She started teaching Chinese languageand Mathematics at the school in 1994 andwas a favourite among her students, Loh

said.Loh added that Chye Luan was also the

adviser of the school choir and had led the

group to accomplish several achievementsin the local and international arena.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, whovisited the family, said Chye Luan waswell loved by her students and had taughtboth his sons who studied in SMKJ HengEe.

I called up the Penang police chiefSenior DCP Datuk Abdul Rahim Hana,and he assured me that the tipper truckdriver will be arrested after he is dis-

charged from the hospital.

I hope the authorities such as the RoadTransport Department can pursue the mat-

ter, besides the police.This tragic accident could have hap-

pened to anyone and they (Chye Luan andLee) happened to be at the wrong place at

the wrong time, Guan Eng said.He added that Sungai Pinang assem-

blymember Lim Siew Kim would followup on the case to ensure justice for thefamily.

Guan Eng was accompanied by SiewKim and Penang Island Municipal Coun-

cil councillors Harvindar Singh HarvSingh and Joseph Ng Soon Siang.

Chye Luan and A Yong died durinnoon incident just off the Sungai Pi

exit of the Lebuhraya Tun Dr Lim CEu.

Both died on the spot after the titruck crashed into their car whichstopped at the trafc lights junctio

Jalan Sungai Pinang and LebuhrayaDr Lim Chong Eu on Jan 7.

Tragic crash destroys birthday dream

Guan Eng (second from left) consoling Goh (third from left) and Yi Xuen atwake. Looking on is Siew Kim (left).


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3January 16 - 31, 2015

Story by Chan Lilian

BREAKING barriers of officehours, travelling hassles and tedi-ous manual submission of buildingplans, the Penang Island Municipal

Council (MPPP) has launched theSPPB or Sistem Pengurusan PelanBangunan MPPP.

The SPPB went online on Jan 5but manual plan submissions can

still be made until July.

After the six-month period, allsubmissions must be made onlineonly.

A briefing and walkthrough of

the new system was conducted byMPPP Building Director Yew Tung

Seang.This system was developed by

MPPP since February 2014. It is auser-friendly system and users canaccess it online from any location.Straightforward, simple and they

can monitor the status of theirsubmission 24/7, make paymentand all the users need is to sign upfor an account, Yew said.

The system is tailor-made and

MPPP called an open tender for the

system provider to develop theSPPB. Architects including thosefrom Persatuan Akitek Malaysia(PAM) are excited about this as it

saves a lot of their time and simpli-fies their work, he added.

MPPP sets the

bar higher

Yew briefing the architects and other users on the new system.

THE newly sworn in councillors of the PenangIsland Municipal Council (MPPP) recently re-ceived some sound advice from exco member forLocal Government, Traffic Management and Flood

Mitigation, Chow Kon Yeow.A few days before the announcement of the

councillors, Chow was at the launching of therecreation park in Island Glades.

It is not a walk in the park for those serving the

people. The new tagline is to serve the rakyat bet-ter. Engage the community in the decision-makingprocess. Listen to the aspirations of the people,he said.

The recreation park in Island Glades was up-graded with a RM50,000 allocation from MPPPcouncillor S. Sukumar, with RM12,000 going forexercise equipment and RM44,000 spent on thewalking path.

MPPP will also spend about RM100,000further enhance the park by repairing the wire mefence, build an integrated childrens playgroulandscaping, installing lighting to enable reside

to use the park for exercise at night and other ftures.

Seri Delima assemblymember RSN Rayer aBukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh were apresent.

Sound advice for councillors

Chow (left), Ramkarpal and Rayer taking a stroll in the park.Children having a good time on the exercise equipment.


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4 January 16 - 31, 2015

STOP SMOKING CLASS

PENANG Adventist Hospital is organising a seven-day BreathFree class in English at its premises in Jalan Burmah. T

classes will be on Jan 22 from 7.45pm to 9pm. Details, call 02227344.

CONCERT

THE Penang Philharmonic Jazz Band, Orchestra and Percussi

Ensemble will hold a concert on lm soundtracks at 8.30pm Jan 25 at Dewan Sri Pinang. Details, call Ramesh at 012-485473

COUNSELLING

HELP4U, an initiative of the Penang Education Council, provid

condential, anonymous and free email counselling for youpeople aged between 13 and 25 who need help on issues relatto their studies, family, relationship and others. For more informtion, visit www.help4u.org.my or call 04-2273384 (weekda1.30pm to 5.30pm).

HERITAGE NOMINATIONS

THE Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) is inviting the public to submnominations for the Penang Heritage Trust LivingHeritage Treaures of Penang 2014-2015. The nominees can be experts in varioelds such as applied skills, performing arts, literary arts or p

formers of cultural rites, who must be from Penang. The succesful awardee will receive public acknowledgement, a plaque, ceticate and RM2,000 a year. The awards will be sponsored Seven Terraces Penang. Nomination forms may be collected frothe PHT ofce at 26, Church Street, or by e-mail: [email protected]

my. Closing date for nominations is Jan 31. Details, call 02642631.

LEVEL UP HANGOUT

REDBOX Studio organises Level Up on a monthly basis. LevUp is a free, casual networking and learning session held on t

third Thursday of each month from 7pm to 9pm. Limited to t

rst 20 people who register. No walk-ins please. For venue detaigo to http://redboxstudio.com/level-up/.COMMUNITY SERVICE

COMMUNITY AIDS Service Penang is providing free Hcondential counselling and testing at its ofce in Bukit MertajaTesting is available during ofce hours from Monday to FridaCall 04-5399510/5398510 for an appointment.

YOGA CLASSES

HINDU Mahajana Sangam is organising yoga classes eveWednesday from 7pm to 9pm at the Hindu Mahajana SangamGandhiji Ashram, at 674, Jalan Kebun Bungah. Call Raju at 014351211 for details.

WCC SERVICES

THE Womens Centre for Change located at 241, Jalan Burm(next tp PTPL College) provides free and condential servicthrough its hotline, e-mail, face-to-face counselling and shelter fwomen in crisis. Details, e-mail [email protected] or call 0

2280342.

EXERCISE SESSION

BAYAN Baru Rukun Tetangga will hold free aerobics sessiofrom 6pm to 7pm on Mondays and free line dancing sessions fro

6pm to 7pm on Tuesdays at the Medan Bayan Pasir childrenplayground in Bayan Baru. Call Jeorge Subramaniam (014112205) for details about the aerobics session and Joselyn Ch(019-5257254) for line dancing.

THE Hong Teik Lion and Dragon Dance Or-ganisation from Kedah was the judges

favourite at the recent Kompleks Bukit Jam-bul Lion Dance On Stilts championship 2015.

The team put up a fabulous performance andtook home RM5,888, medals and a trophy.

A total of 13 top teams from all over the

country battled each other for the top prize.The rst runner-up was Kwong Ngai Lion

Dance from Kuala Lumpur which walked awaywith RM3,888, medals and trophy, while TaiTong White Crane

Lion Dance came in third, winning RM1,888,medals and trophy.

The two consolation prize winners wereCheung Keung Lion Dance and Xuan GangSports Entertainment. They each took home

RM888, medals and a trophy.The main sponsors for the event were Cosmic

Sports & Entertainment, Alora Hotel Penang,Red Bull and Yves Enterprise and supported bythe Penang State

Tourism Development and Culture Depart-ment.

Team leader of the champion team, CheahKwong Leong, 44, when met after receivingtheir prizes, said the main satisfaction of com-

peting in the championship is not about win-

ning, but improving the teams performance.The team was set up some 10 years ago and

we have won several championships along theway, he said, adding that the eight team mem-bers train an average of four hours daily.

We hope to keep on improving our danceperformance, Cheah added.

The crowd that came to watch the champion-ship held at the KBJs main concourse area wastreated to an exclusive performance by Hong

Teik team at the end of the event.

Kedah team wins lion dance event

The Hong Teik team putting up an exclusive dis-

play for the crowd at the end of the event. - Pixcourtesy of Komplexs Bukit Jambul.

Story by Danny Ooi

Pix by Shum Jian Wei

A MAMMOTH crowd thronged the

streets of George Town to enjoy theannual Penang Chingay, Lion andDragon Dance parade recently.

Thousands of locals and touristsalike did not miss the chance to snap

photos and record videos of the ch-ingay acts and amazing oats duringthe 3.5km parade from PadangBrown to the Esplanade.

Among those taking part were

Persatuan Chingay Pulau Pinang,

Majlis Kebudayaan Negeri PulauPinang, Xuan Gang Sports Enter-tainment, Persatuan Chingay Seberang Prai PulauPinang, Yueh Fei Martial Art Club and SMJK

Heng Ee symphony band.Self-employed foot therapist Toh Hon Kwong,

63, was among those in the crowd watching thechingay acts and amazing oats.

This is the rst year I have come to watch the

event. It is very interesting and full of fun. Theevent is great. I am happy, said Toh who camefrom Mak Mandin in Prai.

Through this event, we are able to understandthe different cultures of communities in thiscountry,he added.

I hope it will be a regular annual event, Tohcommented.

The troupe from the Ching Xing Sports andCultural Centre was the attraction of the crowdwith one of its members dressed as the MonkeyKing (SunWuKong), a character in the popularChinese classic Journey To The West.

Some oats with a Christmas theme were alsothe draw for those present and a traditional Indiandance added merriment to the function.

The finale was the lion dance on stilts per-formed by the Penang Meihu Culture and

Sports Association.

Huge crowd at Chingay,lion dance parade

Performers treating visitors during the Penang Chingay, Lion

and Dragon Dance parade at the Esplanade.


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5January 16 - 31, 2015

Story byDanny Ooi

THE spirit to completethe Seberang PeraiPenang Run is indeedthe spirit of Penang.

Chief Minister LimGuan Eng, speaking atthe prize-giving cere-mony of Penang Run2014/2015 SPT series

on Jan 11, said thissame human spirit hastransformed Penang,once called a GarbageState by former Prime

Minister Tun Dr Ma-

hathir Mohamad, intothe beacon of Malay-sia, becoming the mostlivable city in our

country and one of thecleanest to boot.

Today, we possessthe conditions to beamong some of the creative

clusters in Malaysia, with 3Ts Talent, Technology and Toler-ance of new ideas. Bear inmind, we are not talking aboutPenang island alone when we

say the state of Penang.Today, with two bridges and

a future third link to connect the

island and mainland, no longer

is Seberang Perai the less de-veloped backyard of the moredeveloped George Town, Limsaid.

Also present were MPSP

president Datuk MaimunahShariff and Padang Lallang as-semblymember Chong Eng.

Lim added that those whotook the post-run opportunityto explore Seberang Perai willrealise that bustling satellitetownships are taking shape like

Bagan in Seberang Perai Utara,Bukit Mertajam and SeberangJaya in Seberang Perai

Tengah and also, soon to bethe hottest location in the north-

ern region of Peninsula Malay-sia, Batu Kawan, Nibong Tebaland Jawi in Seberang PeraiSelatan.

Businesses are ourishing

in these areas, as the young andenergetic begin to choose thesesatellite towns as their places ofresidence.

They will bring with themtalents, spending power and aunique energy which will incul-cate various recreational andcultural activities like todays

event, he added.Today, we have some 1680

runners, with overseas runnersfrom 13 countries. This is the

highest number of runnerfar for our Penang Run seTwo of our young represetives, Machang Bubok as

blymenber Lee Khai LoonBukit Mertajam MP St

Sim, are taking part this ti They represent the

breed of Penangites who

full of energy, enthusiasmsion and the accompanytalents to build a more brilSeberang Perai and the staPenang, Lim said.

Human spirit transforms Penang

COME Jan 31, the Penang YouthDevelopment Corporations (PYDC)football tournament will kick off at

the Sungai Ara Football Club.Some 32 football teams from the

southwest district are expected tobattle it out at the tournament whichends on April 19.

PYDC chief executive Soon LipChee said the main objective is to

allow participating teams to be in-volved in a big scale football tourna-ment, and a chance to cultivateteamwork and building friendship

links with players from other par-ticipating teams.

Apart from the Sungai Ara foot-ball elds, other matches will be

held at the Kompleks MPPP Balik

Pulau and Kongsi Balik Pulauelds, Soon, who is also Jawi as-semblymember, said at a pressconference recently.

Also present were special ofcer

(youth development) to Chief Min-ister of Penang, Teng Kok Liang,

tournament working committee incharge of safety, Goh Sim Keongand southwest district village head(penghulu), Mohd Farouk VarusaiMohd.

The champion team will walkaway with RM5,000, followed bythe rst runner-up with RM3,000

and third placing with RM1,000.Registration of teams is open tillJan 16, with a fee of RM500 per

team.Registration can be done by con-

tacting the following:Mohd Farouk Varusai Mohd

(southwest district village headman)

at 012-5704300.Muhammad Firdaus Mohamad

Ramlan (State Sports Council) at013-2025032.

Aziz Din (Sungai Ara Football

Club) at 012-4690644.

PYDC football event

Soon (third from left), Goh (second from left), Teng (left), Mohd Farouk (fifth from left) aother committee members displaying the banner announcing the football tournamen

MPPP councillor Joseph Ng participatingin the fun run with his wife and son.

Chong Eng flagging off the run with the wave of Penang flag.


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6January 16 - 31, 2015

TERIMA kasih semua!

Those were the words of gratitude

expressed by the people in various

locations in Kelantan when they

picked up what they needed from the

back of the 4-wheel drive.

Some asked for washing detergent,

towels, stoves, pails and other basic

necessities which had been com-

pletely destroyed by the rec ent flood

in Kelantan.

Our reply to them was: Pleasedont thank us, we are merely doing

our small part by transporting these

necessities. The people in Penang are

concerned about your predicament

and they share your suffering. They

want you to know that they care.

Old makciks, small children with-

out shoes and covered in mud, tired-

looking men and women all made the

scene even more heartbreaking.

With no home, no electricity and

no water in some places, all they

could do was to huddle in groups at

the spot where their houses formerly

stood while waiting for some relief.

Convoys bearing flags from various

states and agencies did what they can,bringing goods and some extra pair

of hands to help clean up.

The tenacity and faith of the people

of Kelantan was an uplift for our

helpless souls.

One cannot describe the shock of

landing in a place covered in inches

of slimy and smelly mud. Houses,

schools, clinics, hospitals, green

parks, wet markets, post offices, rows

of shophouses and supermarkets were

completely destroyed.

A ghost town does not quite come

close in terms of dreariness.

However, the people could still

muster a grateful smile and thoughsometimes disappointed that they

couldnt get the most needed items

like washing detergent from our con-

voy, they quipped: Maybe in the

next convoy...

The Penang convoy comprising 11

4-WDs, a 40-foot container, one

lorry and 48 members left Seberang

Jaya at midnight on Jan 8.

The team was split into two des-

tinations, Kuala Krai and Gua Mu-

sang.

Once in the convoy, all the YBs

shed their titles and got down to

drive, unloading goods, clean up and

put their heart into the humanitarian

mission.Some of the YBs were exco mem-

bers Datuk Abdul Malik Kassim,

Danny Law Heng Kiang, Bukit Gelu-

gor MP Ramkarpal Singh, Tanjong

Picture of devastation greet

MP Ng Wei Aik, assemblymembers Wong Hon

(Air Itam), Teh Lai Heng (Komtar), A. Tanasekh

(Bagan Dalam) and councillors from Penang Is

Municipal Council (MPPP) and Seberang Perai

nicipal Council (MPSP).

We reached Kuala Krai at the break of daw

Jan 9 and immediate ly got down to work.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng arrived to join

team and was met by Kuala Krai MP Dr. Mo

Hatta Ramli, Salor assemblymember Datuk HuMusa and other Kelantan leaders.

Lim went on a whirlwind trip, stopping at var

places to hand out the Penang state governme

contributions to various non-governmental organ

tions and two Chinese schools.

Meanwhile, the other convoy that headed to

Musang and Dabong wanted to help c lean up sch

by bringing water jets but were unable as there

no electricity supply.

This yellow flood is very strange. It was su

and there was no rain at all. But the water kept ri

and rising. Although we had put up all our elect

gadgets on elevated platforms, we never expected

The recent devastating floods in Kelantan saw a team of state leaders

and Penang folk making their way there to help in the recovery pro-cess. CHAN LILIAN, who joined the convoy, writes a personal reflec-

tion of the trials and tribulations of the victims.

Dr. Hatta (centre) and Lim (left) helping to unload rice from the 40-foot contain

Wong (left) showing Zapri and his family how to use the portable stove donated by generous Penangites.


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7January 16 - 31, 2015

aid convoy

water to go up to the roof. I cannot describe how I felt when we re-turned after four days. Our kedai bundle (shop selling old clothes)was completely destroyed. However, we thank God that we are safe,

said shop owner Zapri Derani, a father of five children aged 17, 15,12, 10 and 2.

Wong handed out a gas stove and some food items to his family.Help came from various quarters.One of the most significant was from the Buddhist Tzu-Chi.

Its president Koay Ji Yuan told Buletin Mutiara: We have 800volunteers here. We engaged 1,500 locals and paid them RM100 per

day to help us to clean up the place. This is not only to help in theclean-up process but also give dignity to the people to make an in-come.

Penang PBA (Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang Berhad) ren-

dered help by providing two truck loads of water to Buddhist TzuChi to clean up some schools.

One can see the volunteers working hard with the people to helpunclog drains choked with mud, dispose off building materials fromhomes destroyed by the floods and clean up schools.

There is still much to be done in Kelantan.People still need all the help they can get.In this tragedy, people have stripped off their differences and got

down to help in the recovery process.You see only one race the human race at ground zero.

Folks in Kelantan feeling grateful that Penangites care about them and held the Penang

flag for Buletin Mutiara to take a photo.

MPPP councillor Joseph Ng handing out necessities brought by his 4-wheel drive to thewomen.

Koay (left) receiving the twtruck loads of water delivereby PBA.

Cleaning up task being done by the local residents.


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8 January 16 - 31, 2015

Story byVictor Seow

Pix by Law Suun Ting

A DONATION drive to help the east

coast ood victims was held during thePenang Property Summit 2015 held at

the Subterranean Penang InternationalConvention and Exhibition Centre(SPICE) on Jan 9 and 10.

The idea was mooted by JagdeepSingh Deo who is exco for Housing and

Town & Country Planning and concur-

rently chairman of the Penang PropertySummit 2015.As a result of the generosity of Pen-

angites and the corporate social respon-

sibility thoroughly demonstrated by themajor developers in the property industry,a total sum of RM65,175 was collected.

The money collected will be chan-

nelled to the State Treasury which willin turn, allocate the money to the states

in the east coast devastated by the recentoods so as to assist the people in theirrebuilding efforts.

A cheque presentation ceremony washeld on Jan 13 at Jagdeeps ofce at

Komtar where representatives from themajor developers, namely BSG Prop-

erty, Ideal Property Group, SP Setia andPalmex Industries Sdn Bhd, presentedtheir financial contributions to exco

member Phee Boon Poh who was tasked

by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng tohandle the distribution of aid meant forthe east coast.

In addition to the sum collected fromthe public and exhibitors, the state gov-

ernment also allocated a total of RM1.5

million as emergency aid to the detated east coast areas. Furthermoreexperienced welfare ofcers and sovolunteers were also dispatcheKelantan to assist in whatever pos

way.

Property men help flood

victims

Phee (third from left) receiving the total amount collected from representatives of the various developers as Jagdeep from left) looks on.

THE state government has strongly urged Putra-

jaya to take concrete steps in implementing theaffordable housing projects in Penang throughthe latters PR1MA initiatives.

Speaking recently to members of the press athis office at Komtar, Jagdeep Singh Deo, who isexco member for Housing and Town & CountryPlanning, slammed the federal government forits lack of action and time-line to implement the

affordable housing scheme in Penang despite allthe announcements made by several ministers

including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razakhimself.In this regard, all announcements by the

various ministers and the Prime Minister himself,that PR1MA will arrive here since the promulga-

tion of the PR1MA Act 2012, all their said prom-

ises have proven to be merely empty promises,as, to date, we have yet to see any formal appli -

cations by them being submitted to the state

government for the consideration of the same,said Jagdeep.

To add insult to injury, Jagdeeps repeated at-

tempts to obtain a formal response over thismatter from his counterpart at federal level,

Urban Well-being, Housing and Local Govern-

ment Minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan wentunheeded.

Credit, however, has to be given to PR1MApresident Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis andPR1MA chief executive officer Datuk AbdulMutalib Alias who verbally responded to Jagdeepwhen he pursued the matter with them.

The best response so far came in the form ofa written reply in favourable terms from Ministerin the Prime Ministers Department Datuk Seri

Shahidan Kassim and this, it must be noted , cameonly after a two-year hiatus.In his reply, Shahidan reaffirmed the Federal

Governments commitment in the provision of20,000 units of affordable housing as announcedby Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razakon Dec 8, 2012.

Three areas have been identified by PR1MA

as most suited for the construction of affordablehousing and they are Bandar Gelugor, Balik Pu-

lau and Teluk Kumbar. These areas involve atotal of 497.21 acres of land with the first phaseplanned out to involve around 2,000 units under

the said scheme, wrote Shahidan in his official

reply to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.Jagdeep who was also chairman of the re

cently concluded Penang Property Summit 2015noted that the matter closest to the hearts of alPenangites was the provision of affordable housing.

The strategies and policies which the stategovernment adopted and together with the clos

cooperation fostered with the private sector resulted in the construction of around 22,545 unitof affordable housing in 12 projects throughou

the five districts in Penang.Unlike the federal government whose perfor

mance in the provision of affordable housing inthe state left a lot to be desired, the private sectoin Penang had enthusiastically stepped forwardwith 100% participation in answering the call othe state government in its quest to build afford

able homes.Jagdeep also advised Real Estate and Housin

Developers Association (Rehda) Penang chairman Datuk Jerry Chan to call upon Rehda Malaysia to submit a memorandum to the Prime

Minister, requesting the federal government toseriously address this issue.

Putrajaya urged to take firm steps on PR1MA


9/48

9January 16 - 31, 2015

Story and pix byChan Lilian

THE Royal Institution of Surveyors Ma-

laysia Northern Branch held a one-dayseminar in early December where excomember for Housing and Town & Coun-try Planning was invited to deliver aspeech.

The seminar, titled The Applicationof New Laws to Stratied DevelopmentAreas, drew out how high-rise homeowners will get a better deal with the newlaws.

For readers benet, below are the de-tails of Jagdeeps speech at the seminar.

It is unprecedented in this country thatfor the rst time three laws and two regula-tions shall come into operation simultane-

ously in 2015 upon notification in the

Gazette by the Housing and Local Govern-ment Minister:- Strata Management Act 2013 (Act 757) Strata Titles (Amendment) Act 2013 (Act

A1450) Housing Development (Control and Li-censing) (Amendment) Act 2012 (ActA1415) Strata Management Regulations, 2014

Housing Development (Control and Li-censing) (Amendment) Regulations 2014It is also unprecedented that the StrataManagement Act 2013 (Act 757) and theStrata Management Regulations, 2014

were drafted with detailed inputs by sen-ior professionals of the related disciplinesin the industry, namely the property man-

agers, lawyers and land surveyors.As a result, many milestones for the

protection of public interest will beachieved through these laws and regula-tions, inter alia:-

Before any sale of a parcel in a stratieddevelopment area, a Schedule of Parcelsshowing the share units of each parcel, the

provisional share units of each provi-sional block and the aggregate share unitsof the development area must be led withthe Commissioner of Buildings. The im-portant benets to the public are:-

The parcels, accessory parcels, provi-sional blocks and common property areclearly dened to prevent any form of

abuse by an unscrupulous developer;The proposed building shall be capable

of being built and capable of being sub-divided for the issuance of strata titlesupon the delivery of vacant possession;and

Intending purchasers will be well in-

formed of the development area beforethey make decision to purchase.

Strata titles will be ready for registra-tion to the purchasers names upon thedelivery of vacant possession of parcels

in a stratied development area. The pre-requisites of Sijil Formula Unit Syer

(SiFUS) will ensure that the whole pro-cess for the subdivision of building andland in a stratied development area can

be carried out smoothly without encum-berances to achieve simultaneous vacant

possession with strata titles.In conjunction with the above, Penin-

sular Malaysia will has for the rst timea standardised formulation of share unitsfor parcels in a stratied development

area.The new legislations for the creation

of Limited Common Property and Sub-sidiary Management Corporation will bea boon for the proprietors of a mixed-use

development area.Many existing stratied development

areas are currently caught in the twilightzone without share units assigned to each

parcel by the developers licensed landsurveyors.The First Schedule of the Strata Man-

agement Act 2013 will enable allocatedshare units to be calculated for each par-cel. These allocated share units are then

used to apportion maintenance charges foreach parcel and to ascertain the numberof votes by poll.

Sinking fund, by nature of its name,has always been found to sink, sank, sunkand disappear in many stratied develop-

ment areas. This fund for capital ex-penditure will be now be controlled andmonitored through a separation of ac-counts, coupled with heavy penalty in-cluding jail sentence for any mismanage-

ment of the accounts.Maintenance Account for mainte-

nance charges and expenses; and a sepa-rate Sinking Fund Account for sinkingfund contributions and capital expendi-

ture.The many weaknesses and lacunae in

existing legislations for the maintenanceand management of the common prop-erty in a stratied development area have

been addressed and resolved through thecomprehensive legal provisions in theStrata Management Act 2013.

The perennial problems of inter-oorwater leakages between parcels and/or

common property are also appropriately

addressed.The Commissioner of Buildings willhave enhanced powers and greater author-ity to act in the implementation of the

Strata Management Act 2013.Claims (not exceeding RM250,000

per claim) and disputes in the maintenanceand management of the common prop-erty in a stratied development area will

be efciently and effectively resolved bythe Strata Management Tribunal.

It includes the recovery of debts fromdefaulting parcel owners or proprietors ina stratied development area.

New laws boon for high-rise home owners

Jagdeep delivering his speech to the participants at the seminar.


10/48

10 January 16 - 31, 2015

STATE exco for Town & Country Planning and Housin

Jagdeep Singh Deo and exco for Tourism Danny LaHeng Kiang on Dec 31 jointly launched the doublcover book titled Kaleidoscope of Penang Tourismand Karpal Singh Drive: Homage To a Hero.

The event was held in conjunction with New Ye

2015 celebrations at Karpal Singh Drive.Author William Koay said the book, on one sid

promoted Penang tourist attractions, and on the othnarrated how the street name came about as well as paing tribute to to the late Karpal.

Double-cover book launch

Law (left) and Jagdeep during the book launch.

EVERY departed soul deserves an eternal

resting place.More so for those amongst the well-

heeled society of the British colonial erawhose Protestant Cemetery located alongJalan Sultan Ahmad Shah, Georgetown,

was recently given a facelift.The cemetery was established three

years after the arrival of the British EastIndia Company (EIC) in Penang back in1786 and the invaluable role it played eversince as the nal sepulcher for the many

men and women of signicance resting in

peace there, has always captured the inter-est of the state government.

Also known as the Northam RoadProtestant Cemetery, the restoration work,which took ve weeks to complete at a

cost of RM230,000, was jointly funded byPenang Island Municipal Council (MPPP),Think City Sdn Bhd and George TownWorld Heritage Inc (GTWHI).

Since the 1990s, maintenance work forthe 226-year-old burial site has been doneby MPPP and Penang Heritage Trust(PHT) and its dire conditions had longbeen a subject of grave concern to ChiefMinister Lim Guan Eng who expressed

his intention to upgrade the cemetery soas to conserve its historic and heritage

value.Lim paid a visit to the restored site,which belongs to the state government, on

Jan 15 and remarked on its multiracialismand ethnicity as part and parcel of Pen-angs history.

From the tombstones, we can see atleast 10 ethnic groups Americans, Ar-

menians, Australians, Chinese, Dutch,British, French, Germans, Irish and Scot-tish buried at the cemetery. There are459 graves here, some holding the remainsof more than one person, Lim said in his

speech.

Efforts were undertaken since 2012 toprepare a detailed heritage managementplan, site survey by PHT, dilapidationreport and restoration of broken tombs.

GTWHI also roped in the services of

renowned archaeologist Dr. Stephen ChiaMing Soon from The Centre for GlobalArchaelogical Research of USM to assist

in the site survey and compile the dilapida-tion report.

GTWHI general manager Lim ChooiPing in her speech recorded her appreciationtowards the non-governmental organisa-tions which cooperated with GTWHI tofund the successful restoration efforts of the

site and the new features added on to attractvisitors to the burial site.

Among the upgrading works wererepairs to the cemeterys main gate andpedestrian walkway, ground levelling,

supplying benches and bicycle bays, in-stallation of lighting and a new signboard

and constructing a shed and a drain asas bollards at the entrance, she said

Famous personalities buried acemetery include Captain Francis L

(1740-1794) who founded the Brcolony in Penang, merchant and lowner James Scott (1746-1808) whtablished the business Scott & Co., P

Dundas (1763-1807) the rst East Company governor of Penang, lawyecivil rights champion James RicharLogan (1819-1869) and the foundPenang Free School Rev. Robert SpHutchings (1782-1827). And not to fo

Thomas Leonowens (1828-1859)husband of Anna Leonowens nee Edwwhose character has been played nuous times on the big screen by, amothers US actresses Deborah Kerr (

King and I) and Jodie Foster oppChow Yun Fat in the 1999 movie Aand the King.

New look for 226-year-old Protestant cemetery

Story byDanny Ooi

MORE than 5,000 people celebrated their entryinto 2015 at Kompleks Bukit Jambul on Dec 31.

This is the second time the complex is holdingsuch an event, giving it a very festive atmospherefor all present.

The celebration kicked off with a performanceby Hearts Desire Band; a six-piece local bandwith a wide repertoire of English oldies to-gether with pop, Hindi, Mandarin and Spanishsongs.

The Opening Drum performance furtherheated up the atmosphere with the multi-racial

drum beats.The party mood was further heightened by the

performance of the New Year dance where the

performers rocked the stage and set the mood

for a great show into the night.A dinner was hosted by the Joint Management

Body (JMB) of the complex in which its chair-man K.H Chan and his staff dined with DatukSuppiah Manikam, Honorary consul- general ofThe Republic of Poland, Datuk Abdul Raque

Abdul Karim, Honorary consul-general of Paki-stan and other dignitaries.

During the dinner, the Neon Dance performerslit up the party mood with their energetic per-formance and illuminated costumes, dancing to

a fast-paced tempo.Nearing midnight, Chan, JMB members and

guests together with the artistes were on stagefor the countdown and as the clock struck 12,cheers of Happy New Year lled the air.

New year countdown at Bukit Jambul

KBJ staff, artistes and the crowd present rejoicing at the new year countdown. - Pix courtesy ofKompleks Bukit Jambul.


11/48

1January 16 - 31, 2015

Story and pix by Mark James

THE Seberang Perai Municipal Council(MPSP) is targeting 50 secondary schools,100 primary schools and 70 pre-schools inthe three Seberang Perai districts for thisyears Green School Award.

MPSP president Datuk MaimunahMohd Sharif said all 36 schools that rst

took part in the Green School Award 2014received an additional 15 potted plants,sponsored by Guppy Plastic Industries Sdn.

Bhd. (Guppy).

Also, the jury of the competition willprovide another 10 potted plants to theschools that successfully carry out cleanli-ness and green projects efciently.

The total number we target this year is220. We have about 180 schools alreadywith the rest confirming participationsoon, she said at the MPSP Bukit Merta-

jam branch ofce.

Two MPSP councillors, Mohd. Sharmi-zan Mohamad Nor and Nur ShazreenMohd. Jilani, Guppy general manager TanTeik Huat, and MPSP Landscape Depart-ment head Shaqhroni Jamaluddin were also

present during the potted plants hand-over

to the Seberang Perai school representa-tives.

The Green School Award was intro-duced in 2010 with the objective of instill-ing a sense of green responsibility in the

schools and students at an early age.In 2010, 30 schools participated, fol-

lowed by 36 in 2011, 53 in 2012, 84 in 2013and 106 schools last year.

We are very thankful to Guppy for

having supported this effort since the be-ginning. They have sponsored all 540 pots

this year while MPSP provides the soil andowers, she said.

Also at the event, Maimunah announced

that the Makan Sampai Habis or FinishYour Plate coloring competition has beenextended to Jan 29 with prize money ofRM2,000 for the participating school andRM500 for the winning student.

She said posters will be displayed attheir ofces where the public will be able

to vote for their favourite from Feb 1 toFeb 28,

The 10 best posters will be judged at

state level.

MPSP targets 220 schools

for green awards

Maimunah (fifth from left) hands over potted plants to the screpresentatives during the Green School Award ceremony.

SOME 100 squatters in a villagenear Jalan Pantai have agreed to

a compensation of betweenRM8,000 to RM40,000 offered bythe developer while 40 parties arestill in negotiations.

This is not inclusive of the

RM75,000 compensation paid tothe owners of the famous BanLong San restaurant, said DatukHong Yeam Wah, managing direc-tor of Tah Wah Group.

Exco for State Welfare, CaringSociety and Environment Phee

Boon Poh said the state govern-ment acted as a facilitator betweenthe developer and the squatters as

it takes these matters seriously.The state government does

not take sides when it comes tosettlement but we want to makesure it is fair to all parties and

reach an agreeable position, saidPhee, who is also the Sungai Puyuassemblymember, on Jan 15.

Hong added that his ofce is in

the midst of settling the appealsof the remaining 40 squatters.

We are aware of the state

governments position where nobuilding approvals can be givenwithout settling these 40 cases. Ithas been roughly two years andweve been negotiating with the

state government as facilitator,he said.

At the same time, Hong saidthat in the same two years, hiscompany has been developing a

five-storey, low-cost housingproject of RM42,500 a unit atLorong 3, Kepala Batas, where

these squatters could be givenpriority with the nod from the

state housing board.The compensation would be

in monetary form but as long asthe state government is agreeable,we can prioritise them with over

100 low-cost housing units there,he said.

It is understood that Tah WahGroup and another developerMagnum Development Sdn. Bhd.

were involved in developing thearea.

State facilitates squatter compensation

Phee (fourth from left) facil itated the squatters compensation negotiations. With hiare Hong (third from left) and residents of the Jalan Pantai village.


12/48

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38/48


39/48

1January 16 - 31, 2015

BULETIN MUTIARA

Tingkat 47, Komtar,10503 Penang

Phone : 04-650 5468 I Fax : 04-261 5923Email: [email protected]

Keep yourself updated through SMS blast,Type ADD MEand send to 010 333 1758

EDITORIAL

EditorChan Lilian (English)

Tam Poh Guek (Chinese)G.Revatic (Tamil)

WriterDanny Ooi (English)

Nazleen Najeeb (English)Victor Seow (English)

Shum Jian Wei (Chinese)Chris Koay (Chinese)J. Patmavathy(Tamil)

Photographers :Chan Lilian, Law Suun Ting,

Alissala Thian, Ahmad Adil Muhamad andMark James

Graphic Designers :Idzham Ahmad and Loo Mei Fern

Nama Telefon

MPSP 04 - 549 7555

David Marshel a/l

Pakianathan

019 - 412 3397

Hng Mooi Lye 012 - 425 2602

Loh Joo Huat 012 - 422 1133

Mohamad Shaipol

Ismail

019 -414 6079

Satees A/l Muniandy 016 - 438 4767

Siti Nur Shazreen

Mohd. Jilani

019 - 411 8343

Tan CheeTeong 012 - 401 7718

Tan Cheong Heng 012 - 487 3101

Tan Chong Hee 019 - 411 5598

Tiagarajen A/L

Annamalai

010 - 387 9305

Ong Eu Leong 010 - 7700508

Ho Leng Hong 017 - 487 2767

Shafqah Shobha

Abdullah

016 - 496 1659

Mohd. Rizal Abd.

Hamid

012 - 424 3878

Rajasegar a/l

Govindasamy

019 - 411 7051

Zulkii Ibrahim 018 - 576 1622

ZainiAwang 019 - 546 3115

019 - 4936161

Amir Md. Ghazali 013 - 584 8386

Mohd. Sharmizan

Mohamad Nor

011 - 1110 6456

Omar Hassan 019 - 571 8031

Dahalan Fazil 019 - 727 4388

Dr. Tiun Ling Ta 04 - 508 0039 (Tel)

04 -657 0918 (Fax)

Ahmad Tarmizi

Abdullah

013 - 414 4822

Wong CheeKeet 012 - 451 1312

SENARAI NAMA AHLI MAJLISMPSP 2015

Nama Telefon

MPPP 04 - 259 2020

Goh Choon Keong 019 - 471 7931

Gooi Seong Kin 016 - 457 1271

Harvindar a/l Darshan

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Sukumar a/l Subramaniam 019 - 442 2113

Lee Chun Kit 012 - 519 2152

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Syerleena Abdul Rashid 019- 225 6502

Tan Hooi Peng 012 - 498 6212

Tan Kim Hooi 016 - 438 7855

Francis a/l Joseph 012 - 474 3321

Nur Zarina Zakaria 011 - 1578 5098

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Kumaresan a/l Arumugam 014 - 945 9621

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Chik

019 - 470 8811

Felix Ooi Keat Hin 016-417 1331

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Yacoob Omar 013 - 420 3611

Mhd. Nasir Yahya 012 - 402 6739

Dr. Lim Mah Hui 012 - 422 1880

Eric Lim Seng Keat 016 - 414 3428

Shaari Md. Salleh 013 - 788 7786

Mohamed Yusoff

Mohamed Noor

012 - 472 8114

SENARAI NAMA AHLI MAJLISMPPP 2015 Kalendar Pelancongan

Pulau Pinang 2015


40/48

14 January 16 - 31, 2015

VISIT Penang Year 2015 is the Year of Festivals. So,VPY2015 will start off in a big way with Fabulous Febru-

ary Fiesta thats jam-packed with exciting events and

theyre free. On 1 Feb itself theres Tropfest South EastAsia which is the worlds largest short lm festival and

its their second year in Penang. Winner of this short lm

competition will go home with USD12,000 at the end of

the night.Next, on 3 Feb, thousands of Hindu devotees will pay

homage to deity Lord Murugan during Thaipusam. Adynamic display of faith can be witnessed with unbeliev-able body and facial piercings that balance a heavy ka-

vadi while walking many endurance-testing kilometresand a 500-step up hill climb towards the Hilltop temple.

A couple of weeks later, on 19 and 20 Feb, comes theloud, happy dong-dong-cheng of the colourful and acro-batic lion dances on various streets of George Town to

mark the Chinese New Year. Followed by the grand cel-ebrations of the Hokkien New Year at the clan jetties on

Pengkalan Weld on 26 Feb. Hundreds of lanterns light upthe jetties, giving them a festive glow while a parade andear-bursting concerts go on.

In between the two Chinese new years is Penang HotAir Balloon Fiesta on 21 and 22 Feb. The rst time ever

in Penang, this event not only promises one of lifes mostunique experiences but also the wonder of witnessing 15hot air balloons right at your doorstep, or at least on Padang

Polo, Penang.As you can see, Penang is really Where the festivities

never end, and Fabulous February Fiesta makes itmemorable.You can get more details from mypenang.gov.my/vpy on festival facts and dates, or #mypenangvpy for

photos and live reports.

FabulousFebruaryFiesta inPenang


41/48

1January 16 - 31, 2015

ByHenry Loh GRPB Project

Manager, PWDC

PWDCs Gender Responsive &Participatory Budgeting (GRPB)pilot project, a collaboration withPenang Island Municipal Council(MPPP) and Seberang Perai Mu-

nicipal Council (MPSP), is turn-ing four this year.

Last year saw GRPB settingnumerous milestones and a fewrsts along the way. Among the

key highlights of last year for the

GRPB team at PWDC are:Feb: Organised the Asian Re-gional Conference titled GRBNarrative: Transforming Institu-

tions, Empowering Communi-

ties. This conference was a suc-cess due to the support, collabora-

tion and the involvement of theentire staff force of PWDC/MPPP/MPSP.

June: Special Mention Award

conferred to PWDC, MPPP,

MPSP and the two PPR commu-nities for the GRPB project. Theaward was given by the Interna-tional Observatory on Participa-tory Democracy (IOPD) in recog-

nition of the conscious effort ofthe team to combine gender and

participatory perspectives in theagship pilot project. Our CEOwas own to Rio de Janeiro in

Brazil to receive the award.July: For a rst in Penang and

Malaysia the Chief Minister of

Penang officially launched aCommunity Cleaning Contract

between MPPP and the ResidentsAssociation of PPR Jalan Sungai.

Another proud moments for

the team was the internationalinvitations to present papers onthe GRPB work done and projectscarried out. We presented ourpapers on GRPB in South Korea,

Indonesia, Thailand, China andthe USA. Most signicantly, both

MPPP and MPSP are committed

to integrate gender into theirbudgeting process as expressed intheir 2015 budget speeches.

Having developed the PenangModel of GRPB and setting somemilestones, we are enthusiasti-cally charging into 2015 as theteam has been invited by the two

local councils to apply this modelfor several planned and on-goingprojects.

Through MPPP, there are twospecic development projects the

GRPB team is involved in, name-ly the upgrading and redevelop-ment of the Campbell StreetMarket and the development of a

neighbourhood park in SungaiAra. For the market project, the

aim is to design a market which

is inclusive, gender sensitive,environmentally sustainable andreective of Penangs Heritage.

On Mainland Penang, theGRPB team has been invited by

MPSP to work on two proposedmarket projects in Bukit Merta-jam and Seberang Jaya. The de-sired outcomes for these markets

will be similar to that set for theCampbell Street market.Meanwhile work with the PPR

Jalan Sungai and PPR Ampangan

is still on going. At PPR Jalan

Sungai efforts are being made for

the residents association to takeover the security functions byemploying local community po-licing. We have also embarked onthe conversion of four groundoor units of the low cost apart-

ments into disabled-friendly unitsto cater specically for the differ-ently abled. Upon completion thiswill certainly be a major rst for

a local government to show lead-

ership by example in allocatingand designing special apartment

units to cater to the needs odisabled.

Meanwhile at PPR Ampan

we are looking forward toestablishment of a commu

cleaning contract between Mand the residents associathereby furthering the agenempowering the local commu

The GRPB team is in the

force of all the above projectour role is mainly to ensurapplication of the GRPB mThroughout the year we alsoto continue with our cap

building sessions to help incawareness on the importancunderstanding gender, good ernance and other imporgender-related perspectives.

With so much on the plateentire team can expect yeother year full of challenPWDCs GRPB team hoprise up to the occasion and

tinue purposefully on this jouof promoting greater ge

equality and social justice istate of Penang.

GRPB reaching for

new heights in 2015 EXCO for Youth and Sports; Women, Family and CommuDevelopment Chong Eng with the GRPB team meetingresidents of PPR Ampangan.

Presentation of the IOPD Special Mention Award to MPPP, MPSPand PWDC for the GRPB pilot project.

By Yasmin Bathamanathan

Communications & Exter-

nal Relations Officer, PWDC

2015 looks promising forPWDCs Womens Empower-ment and Leadership (WEL)programme. Going into the

third year of its Lean In @

Penang series, this year will seenew installments of the forum,reaching out to a new genera-tion of corporate and civil ser-

vice leaders.Having made impressive

strides in 2013 and 2014, LeanIn @ Penang, according toWEL Programme Manager,

Karen Lai, was recently giveninternational recognitionthrough being mentioned byLean In author and movementfounder, COO of Facebook

Sheryl Sandberg herself.

We are looking forward to

breaking new ground throughcollaborating with at least threenew partners this year, and withthe aim of spreading our mes-sage and widening as well asstrengthening our networks,

said Lai.

In the pipeline is also a cof-

fee table book chronicling the

experiences of the women lead-ers through and as a result ofparticipating in Lean In @Penang. We hope (this book)will inspire and encourage

many women not just in Pen-ang, but all over the world, tolean in and take up the chal-

lenges knowing that they are

not alone, said Lai.

Besides Lean In @ Penang,WEL would be continuing thework on enhancing the under-

standing, practical skills, capac-ity and support networks ofdecision makers, women lead-ers and local communities ingender equality and womens

leadership.

In line with WELs focusdeveloping the capacitywomens political leadershithe local council, state assem

and parliamentary levels, programme is doubling its forts towards closing the exing political gender gathrough engaging with exist

and potential women leader

Continuing the work for Womens Empowerment and Leadership

Womens Leadership in Local Governance Training which washeld at KOMTAR on Nov 22.

Lean In @ Penang making important strides in Penang.


42/48

16January 16 - 31, 2015

Story by Chan Lilian

Pix by MPPP Photographer

ONCE upon a time, former PrimeMinister Tun Dr Mahathir Mo-

hamad labelled Penang as Pulau

Pinang Darul Sampah due to its

lthy state.Newspaper records also show

that as recently as 2006, just be-

fore the Pakatan Rakyat took overthe administration of the state, the

island still had its perennial dirty

image.However, as described by

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng at

the swearing-in ceremony of thenew batch of Penang Island Mu-

nicipal Council (MPPP) council-

lors, Penang had overcome thisimage.Penang is now truly the Pearl

of the Orient which shines.Heading to becoming the Pen-

ang City Council with a vision to

be an international city, Lim ex-

pounded to the newly-electedcouncillors their responsibilities

in achieving the vision.Lim also reminded them that it

is a full-time job and they are

expected to serve the people.The allowances for the coun-

cillors had been increased in re-cent years. Your job is to supportthe assemblymembers in theirtasks. Integrity is a priority. With

your allocations, spend wisely for

the rakyat. Dont spend for thesake of spending and anyone who

cannot account for the spendingwill be sacked, he warned.Meanwhile, exco member for

Local Government, Trafc Man-agement and Flood Mitigation

Chow Kon Yeow gave a g

reminder.Leadership and ownersh

very important. If you can enthe people, things will be dFocus also on the smaller i

as these can give big resKnow your people, workthem. Work together withpeople to transform the citysaid.

MPPP also extended thevice of retired secretary Ang Thye and soon to retire Mchief Datuk Patahiyah Ismaanother one year.

Both Ang and Patahiyahdone a great job for the couWith Penang soon to becom

city, we shall have to continrely on them during this transof MPPP to become MBPP

jlis Bandaraya Pulau PinanPenang City Council), he s

SEVERAL newand old faces

were spotted at

the councillorsswearing-in cere-

mony of PenangIsland Municipal

Council on Jan 8.

Buletin Muti-aras Chan Lilianzoomed in on

newly-appointedcouncillors Syer-

l e e n a A b d u lRashid, 34, and

Mohamed YusoffMohamed Noor,

50.Mohamad Yu-

soff was formerlya councillor but had taken a

break for a year.Now, back as a non-govern-

mental organisation representa-

tive, he shared with Buletin howhe looks forward to focus on the

welfare of the people.I hope to play the role of

check and balance in the council

as I am very vocal. My aim is toimprove the welfare of the peo-ple and ensure that problems of

the rakyat are brought to thecouncils attention and action.

Syerleena looks forward to

serve the community and hopeher presence will encourage

more women to take on leader-

ship roles.This is my rst term an

still have a lot of learning to My background in tourism

velopment and planning studwill denitely come in handshe said.

I want to make Penan

safer place to live in. Ensur

public safety, especially womand children, is also an imp

tant factor often highlighted

tourism.With Penang being a pop

lar tourist destination, we ne

to maintain that reputationcan only be benecial for eryone at the end of the day.

THE Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) held

its rst council meeting for 2015 on Jan 15 at the

Town Hall.A list of the new Standing Committee alternate

chairmen and members were also released to mem-

bers of the press.Buletin Mutiara spoke to two newly appointed

Standing Committee alternate chairmen, namely

Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, 49, and Felix OoiKeat Hin,40. Bakhtiar is the Standing Committeealternate chairman for Infrastructure and Transport

while Ooi helms the Planning and Development

committee.I am new to this Infrastructure and Transport

Committee but I will study the overall structure andthe area which the committee covers. From there, Iwill make an improvement on the overall perfor-

mance of the previous years.The most important thing is for the team to work

together and our ultimate objective is to ease trafcproblems faced by the people, Bakthiar said.

Bakhtiar, a former student of Penang Free School,

has extensive experience in the human resourceseld and worked in several multinational companies.

He was the Member of Parliament candidate forBalik Pulau in the last general election.We will be having a retreat soon where all the

councillors will work out the objectives that we canagree on and see what we can achieve in 2015.

One of the strategic planning is to see what the

state is doing and what the people want. Normally,ratepayers judge the performance of the council

based on two things - waste management and trafc.I understand the challenges ahead but ready to

handle them, he added.Meanwhile, Ooi was reappointed as a councillor

after taking a one and half year break.An architect by profession, Ooi is excited to helm

the Planning and Development Standing Committeas the alternate chairman.

This is a very important committee as we have

a role in shaping the city. Now that the MPPP isgoing to achieve city status as the Penang CityCouncil, we have to present Penang to the world,

not only in development but also in various eldsincluding arts and coordination of the city. We want

the world to see what Penang is all about, he said.It is great that I have taken a one and a half year

break as I was able to sit back and take a look at how

we can bring Penang forward in the next 50 years.I used the time to travel and am excited to be

part of this team. Some of the cities like Melbourneand Vancouver provide some good examples of aliveable and sustainable city which we hope to shapePenang into.

I have the experience and with this fresh newenergy, I am ready to help Penang with my exper-

tise! he added.

Garbage dump to shining city

The newly sworn-in councillors who are ready to serve the rakyat.

New heads ready to shape city

Ooi (left) and Bakhtiar provide fresh energy andprofessional expertise to move Penang forward.

New councillors out to make a mark


43/48

1January 16 - 31, 2015

Story by Danny Ooi

Pix byAhmad Adil Muhamed

THE Seberang Perai Municipal Coun-cil (MPSP) is set to realise its FocusMPSP 2015.

The nine-point focus outlines clean-liness, safety and trafc, law enforce-

ment, ood mitigation, public infra-structure, community involvement,capacity build-up, physical strengthen-ing and work process expertise.

Focus MPSP 2015 is the continua-

tion of Focus MPSP 2014. A total of 44programmes and 129 activities havebeen planned for execution this year,MPSP president Datuk MaimunahShariff said in her speech during the

oath-taking ceremony of councillors for

the 2015 term.Also present were Chief MinisterLim Guan Eng, Deputy Chief Minister1 Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, Deputy

Chief Minister 11 Prof. Dr P. Ra-masamy, Exco for Local Government,Trafc Management and Flood Mitiga-tion Chow Kon Yeow and Penang Is-land Municipal Council (MPPP) secre-

tary Ang Aing Thye.Maimunah said in 2014 MPSP was

recognised for its achievements.

Among those the council received atthe end of 2014 were notably the cer-

tication of ISO 5000:2011 (EnMS) inefforts to reduce electricity cost whichis getting higher.

Following the 5S audit exercises

carried out on Dec 3, 2014, MPSP wasaccorded the 5S /QEMS (Quality En-vironment Management System) cer-ticate, she added.

The practice of 5S will help to build

character and positive discipline ofworkers alongside an increase of pro-ductivity and work quality through an

effective and cost effective system.In line with this new certication,

MPSP will launch a new letterhead,she added.2015 is a challenging year for

MPSP. We will all work hand in handas a team to give excellent service tothe community.

Lim hoped the appointment ofMPSP councillors for the 2015 term

will facilitate the council to makedecision considering the views of thecommunity.

Meanwhile, six new faces were

among the 24 sworn in for the 2term in Bandar Perda, Bukit Merta

They are communication execu

Siti Nur Shazreen Mohd Jilani, 31Bagan Dalam village developmen

security committee (JKKK) chairA. Tiagarajen, (both DAP appointetrafc safety ofcer Zaini Awangbusinessman Amir Md Ghazali, 43clerk Mohd Sharmizan Mohamad

33 (PKR); and landscape and herinegotiator Dahalan Fazil, 57 (PAS

The six replaced Rezal HuzairiZaki, Ahmad Kaswan Kassim, SChandrasekaran, Abdul Jalil Che Chong Pei Pei and Zulkiey Saad

The 18 councillors retainedOmar Hassan, Ong Eu Leong, Ho LHong, Shaqah Shoba Abdullah, M

Rizal Abd Hamid, Rajasegar Godasamy, Zulkifli Ibrahim, P. D

Marshel, Hng Mooi Lye, LohHuat, Mohamad Shaipol IsmailSatees, Tan Chee Teong, Tan ChHeng, Tan Chong Hee, Tiun TingWong Chee Keet and Ahmad Tar

Abdullah.The 24-man team comprises 10

resenting DAP, nine PKR represetives, two from PAS and three resenting NGOs.

Lim (seated, centre) and Maimunah (seated, ninth from left) in a group photographwith the councillors for the 2015 term.

MPSP aims to achieve its Focus

THE Seberang Perai Munici-

pal Council (MPSP) hopesprivate organisations, throughtheir corporate social respon-sibilities (CSR) programmes,

will help upgrade public parkson the mainland.

Its president, Datuk Mai-munah Shariff, said from thetotal of 66 games courts in

Seberang Perai, 32 weremaintained by the council,including six badmintoncourts, 11 sepak takrawcourts, 13 basketball courts

and one tennis and volleyballcourt each.

The total cost to repairthese facilities amounted toRM126, 417.48.

To upgrade the basketballand sepak takraw courts atT a m a n B e r j a y a c o s tRM25,000. The council alsointends to hold an aerobic

session on the last Sunday ofevery month, she said duringthe ground-breaking cumcovered basketball and sepaktakraw court ofcial opening

at Taman Berjaya in Nibong

Tebal on Jan 3.Chief Minister Lim Guan

Eng ofciated the function.Also present were NibongTebal MP Datuk Mansor Oth-

man and MPSP secretaryRozali Mohamud.

A total of RM200,000 wasspent to construct the coveredbasketball and sepak takraw

court.Work started on Jan 15,

2014 and completed end ofMarch, 2014.

Jawi assemblymember

Soon Lip Chee has allocated

RM13,000 from his constitu-ency funds to upgrade the

ooring of the sepak takrawcourt, while MPSP has con-

tributed RM25,000 towardsthe upgrading of the basket-ball court.

Meanwhile, the upgradingworks for the Taman Berjaya

open field measuring 100metres by 90 metres whichstarted on Jan 3, this year isexpected to be completed byearly April.

The upgrading is expectedto cost RM200,000.

Private sector urged to help upgrade public parks

Basketball players testing out the covered basketball court atTaman Berjaya.

A HUGE crowd is expected at the

upcoming Penang InternationalHalal Expo & Conference (PIHEC)2015 at the SPICE Arena from Jan30 Feb 1.

From manufacturers to ordinaryusers, the expo aims to act as aone-stop centre for Asia and Eu-rope to introduce market trends anddevelop the halal supply chain

across the region.More than 300 booths have

been conrmed with Japan comingin for the rst time, said DatukAbdul Malik Abul Kassim, state

exco for Religious Affairs, Domes-tic Trade and Consumer Affairs in

a press conference on Jan 15.Organised by the state halalagency, Halal Penang, for the sixth

time, a variety of halal productsranging from food to pharmaceu-ticals, nancial services and ap-parel plus cultural performanceswill be on show.

This year, the World CurryFestival which originated in Brad-ford, United Kingdom, is set tosteal the limelight as celebritychefs show off their skills in the

World Curry Theatre and World

Street Food session.

Abdul Malik added that it isrst time the World Curry Feval is being held outside Bradfo

Meanwhile, the InternatioTrade and Industry Minis(MITI), Malaysia External TrDevelopment Corporation (Mrade), Northern Corridor Imp

mentation Authority (NCIPerak Muslim Halal Entrepreneand Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mwill also be involved in this ex

Themed Halal Investmen

Towards A Halal Economy, halal conference will take placEastin Hotel Penang on Jan

from 8am-5pm.It will focus on potential

opportunities in the halal fooddustry targeting the banking sectrade unions and business comunities.

Dont miss the chance to

cover various halal products escially from countries like JapPakistan, Algeria and UAE besithe fun-lled programmes.

For details, log on to www

lalpenang.com or email pihehalalpenang.com.

PIHEC returns with more feature


44/48

18January 16 - 31, 2015

Story and pix by

Mark James

THERE are a lot of people whoare in love with chocolate and itreally makes you wonder why ithas taken this long for a chocolate

caf to be opened in Penang.

Chocolate Passion is the rstof such cafes which boasts ofoffering delicious and qualityhand-made chocolates, a widevariety of chocolate desserts,

signature chocolate drinks andfreshly roasted coffee beans tokick-start and keep you buzzedthe entire day.

There are currently three out-

lets in Penang, one in BurmahRoad, Gurney Paragon and Au-tocity but to avoid the crowd andweekend jam, we paid a visit ona weekday to the Burmah Road

outlet, directly opposite the Ma-

laysian Buddhist Associationbuilding.Walking in to any of their

outlets you will notice a very

clean and fresh ambience accom-panied with simplistic yet mod-ern interior design and the nextthing you might notice is a glasscase with an array of over 40

hand-made chocolates of all col-ours and sizes - ranging fromwhite to dark chocolate, fromfruity to savory.

After a good 15 minutes trying

to decide on what felt like an in-numerable display of chocolatedishes, we decided to go with

their signature recommendation;a Passion Molten Cake, Coco-

Misu and one of their best sellers,the Chocolate Bomb.

Personally I do not take a lotof sugar or sweet delicacies butfor the Passion Molten Cake, I

just had to make that one excep-tion.

The molten cake is as it should be; a rm near crusty

exterior with a rich, warm and creamy centre.It comes paired with a scoop of chocolate ice cream

and assorted kiwi and strawberry slices.The perfect blend of cold and warm chocolate ap-

plication in this dish is somehow very comforting andwould make any chocolate enthusiast or casual caf

goer feel deeply satised.Next came the Coco-Misu. Tiramisu ladies ngers,

chocolate ice cream and a shot of espresso.Three simple ingredients created a very complex

dessert but I daresay Chocolate Passion managed to nd

the sweet spot of balancing the espressos bitterness,sweetness of the chocolate and robust avors of the

tiramisu.At this point, one will start to wonder how much

more chocolate can a person indulge in one go.That relief came in the form of the Chocolate Bomb.Despite its intimidating name, it is a rather fun

dessert.Comprising vanilla ice cream encased in a layer of

thin chocolate sphere, the bomb part happens whenyou pour a shot of melted chocolate on the ball reveal-ing its rich creamy vanilla content.

It is denitely a dessert to be shared with your sig -nicant other or a friend as it comes with a generous

helping of strawberries, kiwi and homemade crumblebiscuit.

The freshness and tanginess of the fruits really doestake the edge off the chocolate overindulgence.As an extra pointer, Chocolate Passion also offers a

wide range of chocolate gift boxes, wedding favoursand corporate gifts, all fully customisable for your re-quirements.

If gift giving is a headache for you, what is moreuniversally accepted and loved than some good oldfashioned chocolate?

Having only sampled three highly recommendeddessert dishes, we can safely say we skimmed the sur-

face of this chocolate enthusiasts paradise and it is forcertain we will be back for more.

For more information, call 04-2189215.

Love affairwith chocolate

Pour the hot melted chocolate on the chocolate ball to reveal a sweet surprise.

The Coco-Misu, a combination of tiramisu, ice cand a shot of espresso

A perfectly prepared molten cake with a side of chlate ice cream is our personal favourite.

Making a choice from 40 different handmade chocolate flavours is not going to be easy.


45/48

1January 16 - 31, 2015

Story and pix by Mark

James

THE KAKI LIMA short

lm competition is backthis year with an evenlarger participation pool of80 lms submitted, mak-ing it a lot harder for thepanel of judges to choosethis years winner.

Last year when welaunched the lm competi-tion for the rst time, wegot huge support from thepublic, especially theyouth. This year, the re-sponse is so overwhelming

and the quality of the lmssubmitted is pristine, saidLim Chooi Ping, generalmanager of George TownWorld Heritage Incorpo-rated (GTWHI).

It is the quality of the

films and enthusiasm ofthe people that drove us to

organise this years lmcompetition, she said.

Among the objectivesof the event is to createawareness among the pub-lic about the rich heritageand culture of GeorgeTown and to promote her-itage conservation whilstachieving an internationaland sustainable city.

This year, the KAKILIMA theme is KhazanahCitarasa or Treasures ofTaste which celebratesthe unique cuisine that

Penang offers to the world.It is also closely tiedwith festivities in whichboth elements are verydear to George Town andPenang

Penang cuisine can be

the crowning jewel ofPenangs heritage and each

culture has its unique fes-tivities closely tied to food.Food is not merely for thetongue but is also a way toenrich and bring commu-nities closer, Lim said.

The state governmentrecognises that culturalheritage is an importantelement in the social con-struction and economy ofPenang. It helps build ourident i t ies, fa i th anduniqueness that cannot befound elsewhere, saidChow Kon Yeow, state

exco for Local Govern-

ment, Trafc Managementand Flood Mitigation.

In George Town, thisculture is well displayedwith various races livingalongside each other with

Documents

Buletin Mutiara #2 Jan 2015