Pulau Pinang Pearl of the Orient: June 2011

Monday, 13 June 2011

Penang Governance and Law

Executive

The present Governor is Tun Dato' Seri Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas. His consent is required to dissolve the Legislative Assembly. In practice the Governor is a figurehead whose functions are chiefly symbolic and ceremonial. Actual executive powers lie with the Chief Minister and the State Executive Council whose members he appoint from the Legislative Assembly. The Chief Minister is in theory appointed by the Governor from am

Penang, being a former British settlement, is one of only four states in Malaysia not to have a hereditary Malay Ruler or Sultan. The other three are Malacca, also a British settlement whose sultanate was ended by the Portuguese conquest in 1511, and the Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak.

The head of the state executive is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia). ong the elected assemblymen whom in his opinion commands the confidence of the majority of the members of the Legislative Assembly, but in practice is invariably the leader of the party that wins the most seats in the state elections. The State Secretariat heads and coordinates the various departments and agencies of Penang's civil service.

Main article: Chief Minister of Penang

The Chief Minister of Penang is Lim Guan Eng from the Democratic Action Party (DAP). Following the 12th general elections of 8 March 2008, the coalition of DAP and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) formed the state government with the chief ministership going to the former for being the single largest party in the state legislature. Penang holds the distinction of being the sole state in Malaysia whose chief ministership has been continuously held by an ethnic Chinese since independence.

Local Authorities

The City Hall housing the Municipal Council of Penang Island

The State Assembly Building

A Committee of Assessors was formed in 1801 as the first town-planning agency.^[86]^[87] The Enactment of Act XXVII “An Act For Appointing Municipal Commissioners And For Levying Rates And Taxes In The Several Stations Of The Settlement Of Prince Of Wales Island, Singapore And Malacca” was considered to be the establishment of the first local government in Penang.^[88]^[89] The first Municipal Council in Malaya, the Municipal Council of George Town was established in 1857^[90], later becoming the the City Council of George Town in 1957. In 1974, the City Council of George Town and the Rural District Council of Penang Island were merged into one local authority.^[91]
Though Penang in 1951 was the first state in the then Malaya to hold local elections, local councillors have been appointed by the state government ever since local elections were abolished in Malaysia in 1965 as a result of the Indonesian Confrontation.^[92] There are two local authorities in Penang, the Municipal Council of Penang Island (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang) [4] and the Municipal Council of Province Wellesley (Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai)[5]. Both municipal councils are made up of a president, a municipal secretary and 24 councillors. The president is appointed by the State Government for a two-year term of office while the councillors are appointed for one-year terms of office.^[93] The state is divided into 5 administrative regions, each headed by a district officer:

Penang Island:
- North-East Penang Island District (Daerah Timur Laut)
- South-West Penang Island District (Daerah Barat Daya)

Province Wellesley (Malay: Seberang Perai):
- Northern Seberang Perai District (Daerah Seberang Perai Utara)
- Central Seberang Perai District (Daerah Seberang Perai Tengah)
- Southern Seberang Perai District (Daerah Seberang Perai Selatan)

Prehistory of Penang,,

Archaeological evidence shows that Penang (island and its mainland territory) was inhabited by the Semang-Pangan of the Juru and Yen lineage, both now considered extinct cultures. They were hunter-gatherers of the Negrito stock having short stature and dark complexion, and were dispersed by the Malays as far back as 900 years ago. The last recorded aboriginal settlement in Penang was in the 1920s in Kubang Semang.^[15] The first evidence of prehistoric human settlement in what is now Penang were found in Guar Kepah, a cave in Province Wellesley in 1860. Based on mounds of sea shells with human skeletons, stone implements, broken ceramics, and food leftovers inside, the settlement was estimated to be between 3000 to 4000 years old. Other stone tools found in various places on the island of Penang pointed to the existence of Neolithic settlements dating to 5000 years ago.^[16]

Bridges, Roads and Highways

Penang Island is connected to the mainland by the 13.5-kilometre, three-lane, dual carriageway Penang Bridge (completed in 1985), one of the longest bridges in Asia. On 31 March 2006, the Malaysian government announced a second bridge project, tentatively named the Penang Second Bridge. The bridge is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by the end of 2013.[164]

Penang on the side of Province Wellesley is connected to the North-South Expressway (Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan), the 966-km long expressway which traverses the western part of Peninsular Malaysia linking major cities and towns. The expressway also comprises the Penang Bridge.

The proposed Penang Outer Ring Road (PORR) was mooted to cut travelling time on the eastern part of the island but was subsequently shelved. Concerned citizens voiced protests over the designated route which will cut across quiet residential areas and may also adversely affect the environments.[165]

The Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway formerly known as the Jelutong Expressway, a coastal highway on the eastern part of the island, links the Penang Bridge to George Town. The Butterworth Outer Ring Road (BORR) is a 14-km tolled expressway that serves primarily Butterworth and Bukit Mertajam to ameliorate the upsurge in vehicular traffic due to intense urban and industrial development.

Saturday, 11 June 2011

Penang Festivals - Magical Moments & List of Wonderful Events

7TH PENANG ISLAND FESTIVAL

The 7th Penang Island Festival Jazz Festival are held to gives some entertainment for the Penang society especially who are very interested with the Jazz..Since the inaugural event in 2004, the festival has grown from one stage over the course of two days to this year's four stages over a period of four days. This year's festival will see 13 local and 11 international acts performing on the main and fringe stages...

Some of the notable jazz musicians slated for the 6th Penang Island Jazz Festival include Australian Award winning jazz vocalist Michelle Nicolle, Norwegian experimental jazz band Jaga Jazzist's pianist Morten Qvenild (In the Country, Norway), German trumpet and piano player Sebastian Studnitzky who has performed with Mezzoforte as well as Nils Landgren, and, members of the Janek Gwizdala Project which comprise of some of the most modern voices in improvised music today – Bass player Janek Gwizdala, Piano player Oli Rockberger, World Renowned Drumming legend Jojo Mayer and Trumpet player Audun Waage.

Penang Food....very delicious and taste..try it...now...come to visit Penang..Delicious Malaysian Cuisine Penang Style!

Ayer HItam Mee Curry

Penang Food...............wow....so delicious...Ayer Hitam Mee Curry...yummy...

Char Kway Teow...is it a famous food that you should try when you at Penang...

Ice Kacang

Special Ice Kacang...this Ice Kacang having a some ingredients that you can feel want add another one...marvelous..

Laksa Penang

Laksa penang..are the most famous foods in Penang. This food already apply in everywhere but you can feel different tasted when you try it at Penang Laksa.

Penang Asam Pedas

Penang Asam Pedas very delicious when you try it some rice and added with Telur Dadar when you serving you lunch...yumm..yummmy,...


Penang Hokkien Mee

Penang Hokkien Mee famous foods especially to those who are very likes too eat mee and spicy. Hokkien Mee are very spicy and very delicious especially when you eat with some seafood....try it...yummmy..

Penang Bridge Penang Proudest Architecture .....

The Penang Bridge is no doubt one of the many architecture wonders of Penang. Ranks as the longest bridge in Asia and 5th largest in the world, the iconic bridge that took 5 years to complete was the beloved bridge for every Penangtes. It marks the new milestone that brings Penang closer to the world attention.

The dual-carriageway bridge connecting Gelugor on the island of
Penang and Seberang Prai on the mainland of Malaysia has become a
symbol of pride and national landmarks.

Its distinctive design and features saw the Penang Bridge won many awards.

1986 - Grand Award in the United States of America Engineering Excellence Competition sponsored by the Council of Consulting Engineers, Washington.
1993 - FIABCI Special Award (Development and Construction Phase Category) from the International Real Estate Federation of Malaysia.

The bridge also play host to an annual Penang Bridge run since its inception and has
become a very popular event ever since. Local & international participant took part
in a run that incorporates a marathon, a half-marathon and a quarter-marathon.

Perhaps, it was the broad & bold vision of the then prime minister of Malaysia, Dr
Mahathir that the mega scale construction could be realize.

Penang Hill Cable Car

Just like Frasers Hill, Bukit Larut and other hill stations in Malaysia, Penang Hill was a favoured destination by the British in the late 1800's, who seek reprieve from the humid tropical climes. One of the earliest hill stations in the country, it is believed that Francis Light himself first trekked up Penang Hill from the grounds of the current Penang Botanical Gardens way back in 1788. Later, some of the British colonials of the time made their way up, using single-passenger sedans carried by at least six coolies. In the mid 19th century, a few bungalows were built by the British for private use. These include the Bel Retiro, Convalescent, Grace Dieu and Fairmont.

The Penang Hill funicular railway (railway operated by cables which counterbalances the ascending and descending train coaches) was completed and began its operations in the mid 1920's. The simple carriages originally used by the railway were replaced with four modern coaches in 1979. One of the old carriages can still be seen today at the Penang Museum, used as the Penang Heritage Trust souvenir kiosk.

Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion

A boutique hotel that’s one of Penang’s best-known attractions, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion is an ornate edifice built in the traditional Hakka – Teochew style. Located at 14 Leith Street, the structure was erected in the 1880s when Hakka merchant, Cheong Fatt Tze commissioned its construction.