Letter on the Penang LRT

-

One of the things I look forward to since returning to Penang is seeing the Penang LRT take off. Gerakan was still governing Penang when we first heard of the LRT plans. I’ve gone to the States and stayed for over 20 years. I’m now back and still, the LRT has not been built. And, we are choked in traffic jams even on the mainland now.

I’ve been following news on the LRT from the recent state assembly. I decided to write a letter to newspapers on the topic. I was thrilled that Malaysiakini published my letter. Here’s the link: https://www.malaysiakini.com/letters/707665 and a snapshot of the article.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unexpected encounter

-
I’ve lost touch with my schoolmates, having been away for so long. I’m also bad at keeping in touch. So, eventually, all connections are lost. I ran into a former secondary school classmate recently outside a bank. By some miracle, I remembered his name as Amir so I called out to him. It was so awkward I almost regretted it. My name drew a blank stare and an awkward smile. I mentioned our school, class, and the name of a fierce teacher who terrorized us, and finally, he showed some recognition. I think he recognized our common past, not me. I don’t think he remembered me. Regardless, we shared brief updates about where life had taken us, and I found myself admiring him. He started working after Form 6 to help his single father support his two younger brothers’ education. He married his childhood sweetheart in his early 20s. Their son is finishing secondary school this year. He now works as a clerk. He also delivers food to supplement his income. His wife sells something online fr...
Read more

Emulate Hong Kong's MTR in Penang

-
Image
I first visited Hong Kong in 2008 as a budget traveller. My ex-college mate and I only used the MTR to get from our hotel in Jordon to all the must-see tourist sites on Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. It was only to Stanley – the Hong Kong version of Balik Pulau - that we needed to take the bus. I can’t remember how much we spent but we had credits left in our Octopus cards on our last day and could get refunds. I returned to Hong Kong again a few years later for a family trip, and everyone was happy taking the MTR to enjoy Hong Kong’s sights, including my parents who had very little experience using trains. Almost every place we wanted to see was within walking distance from a station. The routes were easy to understand, and the trains and stations were clean (to Mom's delight). The Octopus card was particularly handy because we used it for the MTR fare and to buy necessities at convenience stores. I'm a fan of the Hong Kong MTR. Anyone who has been to Hong Kong will praise th...
Read more