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By Himanshu Bhatt. A FEW days after the Penang Malay Chamber of Commerce held a rancorous protest against the state government in early February, its president had called for an urgent press conference at the chamber’s office. Rizal Faris Mohideen had apparently wanted to counter statistics revealed by the chief minister that showed Malays were not as unduly marginalised in Penang as alleged. Pacing his way into the lobby where reporters had gathered, Rizal could be heard saying: “So Lim Guan Eng is giving me a run for my money?” He placed on a table a set of pie charts prepared to hit back at the state’s data, and with an emphatic smile said: “Okay, let’s play.”
The play, it seems, may be coming to an end. Or at least it seems to have, for now, taken a much softer tone. The chamber announced earlier this week that it was willing to have a “fresh start” in its relations with the state government, to resolve issues through goodwill and discussion. The surprising about-turn came after Rizal and his committee had a lengthy meeting with the deputy chief minister (I), Mansor Othman, on Monday. The change in stance was especially surprising as the nature of the protest and the tirade spewed at Lim had been furious and intense. The protest is still best known for the spectacle of Lim’s effigy set ablaze under the shadows of the towering Komtar building where the state government has its offices. The incident had stirred attention across the region, with investors and political analysts rushing to enquire what was happening in the state, famous for its high concentration of multi-national industries. Apparently, several contentious issues that the chamber asserted had been bothering it were discussed during the meeting. These included those concerning Malay traders’ involvement at the Ramadan bazaars at Penang Road and Komtar Walk, and at night markets. During Ramadhan last year a stand-off between the Penang Island Municipal Council’s (MPPP) enforcement officers, who had asked the traders not to operate along a side-walk and the traders led by Rizal saw scenes of fraying tempers, with someone throwing a shoe at the officers. To be fair, much credit should be given to Mansor, who is also the PKR’s chairman in Penang. A veteran politician and an accomplished academician who has been with PKR since its Keadilan days in the late 90s, Mansor is a master negotiator and an important pacifying element in the framework of the intense political and racial heat being shot at the Pakatan Rakyat state administration. Many have speculated that the original aggression by the chamber towards the DAP-led government was political in nature, and backed by an unseen third force. This was more so as the protest on Feb 5 was also participated by the likes of Malay pressure group Perkasa and the Federation of Peninsular Malay Students Associations (GPMS). The chamber has, however, denied any political element in its actions; saying it was a genuine expression of frustration after Malay traders felt they were being victimised by the state’s agencies. The state government, however, has refuted allegations it has been unfair to Malays. It pointed out for example that 88% of the state’s contracts through open tender in 2008 and 2009 were awarded to bumiputra companies, while 76% were given to bumiputras through call for quotations.
And of the unlicensed hawkers the MPPP had taken action against in the same period, only 1,600 were Malays compared to 2,809 Chinese and 443 Indians. The state has also said that, from 2008 to 2010, it had only demolished 30 illegal structures on the island, of which only nine were built by Malays, and 39 in Seberang Perai, of which only seven were of Malays. Rizal has since bandied his own statistical findings, pointing to occupancy of lots in MPPP markets, which showed that Malays occupied only 423 stalls, while Chinese had 1,726 stalls and Indians only 128, as of Sept 30, 2009. He added that in the MPPP’s hawker centres, Malays occupied 419 stalls, Chinese 1,792 and Indians only 97 during the same period. As this play of statistics lingers, an illegal tree-house built on a public beach by a Malay café operator, which was used by the chamber as an iconic symbol of Malay entrepreneurial rights, has now had its fate put on hold, as the state has agreed to defer its demolition, although it was built without any permit. If the issue is resolved – we wait and see how Mansor negotiates through this one – a big thorn on the state government’s side may be removed; just as the intense gripe felt by Malay traders genuinely disgruntled by some state actions would be eased. More importantly, with investors watching with eagle eyes, the political and economic fate of Penang will hinge on just how far this new-found peace now holds. ** Reproduced with permission. This article first appeared in the May 27, 2010 issue of theSun. Himanshu is the newspaper's Penang bureau chief.
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