PENANG will usher in the Chinese lunar Year of the Ox with much fanfare. Many activities have been lined up to receive the “Wang Niu” (prosperous bull). See here for what this Chinese zodiac year denotes and below for a list of main events planned.

1. Little Penang Street Market Chinese New Year Celebration (more here)
2. Penang Chinese Town Hall’s (PCTH) Annual Chinese New Year Open House (more here)
3. Chinese New Year Open House at Campbell Street (more here)
4. Chinese New Year Cultural and Heritage Celebration 2009 (more here)

Meanwhile, as the prospects for the export manufacturing sector continue to dim, tourism is now regarded as Penang’s “new growth engine”. Read here. Three other developments that would make an impact on tourism occurred last week:

1. AirAsia’s bid to open a low-cost carrier terminal or LCCT in Penang (read here) has received positive response from industrialists and tourism players alike in the state. They believe an LCCT will help to "insulate" Penang from the uncertain economic outlook. Read here.
2. An ongoing New York Times readership poll has placed Penang second (as at Jan 16) among “44 places to go to in 2009”. See here.
3. Malaysia’s first Hard Rock Hotel will open in Penang this year. The island will be the third in Asia and tenth in the world to house this chain. Read here.

We highlight below some of the ongoing debates and issues in Penang:

DEVELOPMENT VERSUS CONSERVATION

Maintain inner city communities: Dr Choong Sim Poey, president of the Penang Heritage Trust, stated that the Penang Development Corporation should maintain inner city communities instead of opting to displace them. PDC should initiate the move as part of the UNESCO management plan to maintain communities in the inner city. Read here.

MULTILINGUAL ROAD SIGNS

The legal battle begins:  The Penang government and Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) have engaged 10 lawyers to defend the suit brought by Pahang accountant Nik Rizman Sapian over multilingual road signs. It is claimed Nik Razman has no locus standi to institute the suit as he is not a rate payer here. Read here and here.

STATE ADMINISTRATION

Civil servants asked to buck up and not to harbour ulterior motives: Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng made two strong statements regarding civil servants in mid January. To the Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) employees he said it was pointless for them to work in such a grandiose environment while they failed miserably in other aspects like providing quality services. Read here. Lim also cautioned “subversive” civil servants saying that his office had received feedback that certain quarters had been deliberately mismanaging government work and even stoking racial issues. Read here.

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