Wednesday, February 08 2012
Penang government still in a swiftlet conundrum
Wednesday, 25 August 2010 14:14

THE Penang state government is still in a conundrum on the ways to implement the newly-released and long-awaited Swiftlet Industry Guidelines, drawn up by the federal government. A balancing act is required to regulate the multi-million ringgit industry, while ensuring George Town’s world heritage listing is not jeopardised.

State local government committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the state’s stand on the matter will be presented at the upcoming National Council for Local Government which will be chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at end-August. Among other things, the guidelines cover the location of bird houses, licensing, bird handling requirements and specifications for playing bird sounds. Among the issues still unclear under the new guidelines is that swiftlet houses are not allowed in urban areas, except that existing outlets in such areas are allowed to continue operations. Read here

Penang Heritage Trust (PHT) member Rebecca Ducket recently issued a stern warning that if the issue is not resolved soonest, George Town may lose its heritage listing. The urban swiflet farms, which are currently housed in abandoned shop houses in the heritage zone, have actually changed the facade of the buildings and many have become irreparably damaged. Read here and here

Carole Loh, the president of the Association of the Swiftlet Nests Industry (ASNI), dismissed the claims made by heritage enthusiasts. “Their argument is that we would lose the heritage status but when Penang was awarded the status, the birds were already there...The swiftlets have been around for more than 100 years and there is one house where the swiftlets have been bred for over 40 years.”  She added that the breeders have adhered to the 2005 guidelines that encourage swiftlet farming in commercial areas with buildings not higher than five storeys. “We are only making a living and we are willing to discuss and cooperate on any issue.” Read here

Small Medium Industries Association of Penang secretary-general Dr Kenneth Khoo, who was also present, said the Penang Government needed to be clear with any new guidelines. “If the state decides not to allow new birdhouses to be set up, then there needs to be a clear cut-off date as the law cannot be retrospective.” He added that the state government cannot punish current birdhouse owners as most of them were in the industry after the encouragement from the then state government in 2005. Read here

The Malaysian Swiftlet Farmers Association said in 2005 that 10 per cent of George Town's 4,000 houses had been converted to swiftlet farms, but informal counts suggest the number may be much higher today. Read here for other reactions on the swiftlet quandary.  Read here

Mosque prayer incident

Police have set up a special task force to investigate reports that the name of Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was cited instead of that of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong during Friday prayers at two mosques in Penang. Read here. Meanwhile, Penang Pakatan Rakyat leaders have affirmed their loyalty to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Yang di-Pertua Negri during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng. PKR chairman Datuk Mansor Othman brushed aside the allegations, saying the text of the sermon was prepared by the State Islamic Religious Department. He said the neither the department nor Lim had never instructed anyone to use the name of the Chief Minister. Read here

Read below for more reactions on the issue:

Other news

  • Penang gearing up to be education hub: Penang is a choice destination for many big companies due to its accessibility, infrastructure and logistics, and this creates a demand for skilled labour. Read here
  • Omission riles up toy museum owner: The owner of the Penang Toy Museum, which purportedly has the largest collection of toys in the world, is seeing red over its omission from official state tourism websites, maps, brochures and pamphlets. Read here
  • New hill railway coaches ready for the ride: The new Swiss-made coaches for the Penang Hill funicular train service have arrived. Read here
  • Best time to invest in Penang real estate: The Penang property market has recovered from last year’s global financial crisis and is set for another boom, said Hunza Properties Berhad (HPB) Group executive chairman Datuk Khor Teng Tong. Read here
  • Xiamen to make film on Penang: The local authorities in Xiamen have agreed to help promote Penang by sending a film crew to the state next year. Read here

For more news on Penang August 16 to 22, 2010 , please click here

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