Tanjong Tokong
13 June 2003

This article was published as 'Time for Tanjong Tokong to join the march of development' in Malaysiakini.com (Monday, June 16, 2003) and as 'Move on, don't live in the past' ' in The Star (Saturday, June 21, 2003). It prompted a response entitled 'Include us in govt plans' in The Star (July 18, 20030 from a fellow resident of that area.

Tanjong Tokong will always bring back nostalgic childhood memories to me. I was born there and spent my entire schooling years living right in the heart of that area. It used to be just a small village where city dwellers and outstation tourists passed by as they drove towards the beaches of Tanjung Bungah, Batu Feringghi and Teluk Bahang. Occasionally they would stop by the shop located at the junction of Jalan Fettes, to buy provisions for their picnic baskets or to get some inflatable floats for their children who are still too young to swim without aid. Sometimes, the owner of the shop displayed packets of worms, which was sold as baits to avid anglers on their way to the northern beaches.

Further up the road, nearing the cape, rows and rows of attap houses line the road. Around that area, the road makes a 90 degrees turn towards the west. This is the point, which is considered to be the northeastern shoulder of the island of Penang. There used to be a sand bank protruding into the channel, with some casuarinas trees at the far end. The atmosphere in this village has always been pleasant and laid back, unlike the beaches on the tourist stretch, which is usually packed with noisy weekend visitors.

Throughout the years, development has changed the façade of this little village. Tall buildings and shopping complexes have been erected. Stilt houses have to make way for road widening projects. The shop selling picnic paraphernalia is gone now, and the sand bank has been covered up by massive land reclamation. Multi storey residential flats have also been built to accommodate the villagers that were affected by this tide of development.

So, why is it that yesterday, about 100 residents of Tanjong Tokong took to the streets to protest and to vent their frustrations about being neglected by the government? From what I hear, these are the people who refuse to move into Government provided housing areas. That area was to be developed a long time ago, but because of the difficulty of relocating these persistent villagers, the project was delayed many times.

At this point, we should ask ourselves why these villagers do not want to move out and get on with a better life. Is it because the Government did not take into account their lifestyle and livelihood when they decided to develop the village? Are they afraid of loosing their source of income if they were to abandon their houses? If so, both sides should start a dialogue to find out what the real needs of the people are.

As much as I want to re-enact my childhood memories of a slow and idyllic lifestyle of Tanjong Tokong, we have to be pragmatic about the whole situation. We cannot always live in the past. I believe that Tanjong Tokong should jump onto the bandwagon of development and join the nation's march to progress as we enter a new millennium.

The residents of Tanjong Tokong should be brave enough to face a new future. There is no point in holding up the State Government's effort to help them develop. The Government on the other hand, should start listening to what these villagers really want as compensation and come to an agreeable compromise.

The whole nation is marching forward in its quest to achieve prosperity. If the villagers insist on marching out of line, and slowing down the progress of development of Penang, then the authorities should seriously take action against them. For two decades, the government, and the whole of Penang, have waited patiently for them to change their minds. I think it is high time these villagers join the rest of the nation, working hard to achieve a better livelihood.

PELITA NEGARA

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Tanjong Tokong, Penang, Malaysia, development, social, economy, Malay, kampung, village, occupation

Tanjong Tokong, Penang, Malaysia, development, social, economy, Malay, kampung, village, occupation

Tanjong Tokong, Penang, Malaysia, development, social, economy, Malay, kampung, village, occupation

Tanjong Tokong, Penang, Malaysia, development, social, economy, Malay, kampung, village, occupation

Tanjong Tokong, Penang, Malaysia, development, social, economy, Malay, kampung, village, occupation
Tanjong Tokong, Penang, Malaysia, development, social, economy, Malay, kampung, village, occupation