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Comment Concerns News People Heritage Concordance Books Page 11 |
SPONSORED by The Penang Heritage Trust and Jawatan Kuasa Pembangunan
Wanita Pulau Pinang (HAWA) a meeting called Women in Urban Governance
threw up some interesting papers
In their paper, illustrated by slides, of "Woman and Housing After the Repeal of Rent Control" the Women and Wakaf Group described the deplorable housing conditions of the urban poor in the inner city area around the Mesjid Kapitan Kling and the Mesjid Melayu. The paper reveals the difficulties of obtaining social housing (PPRT) which provides a three room flat for RM100 a month with the condition that applicants must not own a house nor a car. Examples were given of a widow who was turned down because she was not a permanent resident, of another rejected because she was only a permanent resident, and of another unfortunate whose husband already owned a house on the mainland, though it was occupied by his ex-wife. And of one who was lucky but had to turn down the offer because it was located too far from her area of livelihood The group complained of lack of consistency in evaluation, lack of fairness in allocation, rudeness of officials, corruption - application forms are sold for RM150 to RM200 The slides were impressive, showing leaking roofs, murderous stairs and the generally dilapidated and almost collapsed houses in the wakaf land, which made us wonder why the landlords, the wakaf trustees, were allowing their houses to collapse. The Group however refrained from criticising the landlords
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SUSTAINABLE INDEPENDENT LIVING AND ACCESS (SILA) called for opportunities
for disabled persons, not charity, for dignity not sympathy. It recommended
that the Municipality set up a unit to look after the needs of the
elderly, women, children and disabled.
The Uniform Building By-laws must be enforced to ensure that selected buildings, bus terminals, selected offices, libraries and community halls are renovated to be fully accessible to disabled persons. So also public transport. Low and medium cost housing should be provided close to their places of work. No mention was made of the very modern Land Office building in Balik Pulau which seemed to have been designed to cater for the needs of the handicapped; this leaves us uncertain whether that building meets the requirements of SILA's paper
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| CONSUMER ASSOCIATION PENANG (CAP) presented a paper on the importance
of women's participation in policy and decision making They thought it
was wrong to speak of tourists as the reason for the city to survive.
Heritage was meaningless without the people, their languages, identities
and trades. The decision to convert the Campbell Street market into
a tourist complex was criticised. No one consulted the womenfolk
who obtain their daily needs from the market. Other threatened markets
that serve the people are the Chowrasta, Praingin, and Cecil Street markets.
Support trades like hawkers, clothes, grocers and even nurseries
would be destroyed. Women demand that markets must be close by; most have
no cars and carry their purchases in hand drawn baskets
Open spaces must be preserved. The group condemns the Millennium Plaza to be built on the Esplanade. On the quality of life the CAP complains that many nightspots opened without licences and when permitted the residents of the area are not consulted. Women spend a lot of time in the home and they need privacy, adequate space and security with good sanitation and waste management. CAP welcomes recent changes in local govt. to involve public participation in certain aspects of decision making but more women must be involved
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| WOMEN AND PUBLIC SAFETY by the Women's Crisis Centre: This centre
formed in 1985 seeks to enhance women's status in society, help women and
children facing crisis through legal and emotional support, create awareness
of violence against women and to promote social and legal changes for protection
and betterment of women.
This short meeting ended with a feeling that something must be done. But we must confess that the end we were left as ignorant of the meaning of governance as when we went in. # **********
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SHOCKING is the word to describe it. Those who renovated the E &
O, uncaring about its history, have eliminated the entrance, for years
the unforgettable and welcoming part of the hotel. The destruction of the
well known face of the E & O is unexplained; the owners may have
thought that they would survive merely by using the name and hoisting prices
in the belief that the E & O's reputation is on the same level as the
Raffles Hotel; if that is so, that is their business. But to destroy a
memorable part of a Penang's heritage is unforgivable.
Which brings us to the subject of the Albert-Nancy team, for decades the musical heart of a devoted group of habitués. Thousands have fond memories of the E & O because of the pair. To jettison them is to crush the soul of the E & O. #
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WHEN THE BRIDGE was first opened there was a boycott - RM7 for a crossing was too expensive, they complained. Now, we are told, 94,336 vehicles use the Penang Bridge daily, exceeding the planned capacity. So the state thinks a "second link" is needed: consultants have been called in and it seems they are studying three routes:- one from Bagan Ajam to Bagan Jermal, 7.6 km long; one from Taman Seberang Prai to Jelutong, 3 km, and the third from Batu Kawan to Bayan Lepas, 17 km. There is no news that the public is to be asked what they think. # |
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THE CHIEF SECRETARY to the government has called on civil servants
not to deny service to those who are perceived not to obey the dress code
put up at government offices. This was in response to the copy Taliban
who refused two leaner drivers written tests because their clothes offended
him: the officer accused them of being dressed for disco parties: one was
in blue jeans and white T shirt and other in black slacks and pink T shirt.
Which raises the question: what disco parties do these copy Talibans dance
at? #
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| The Penang File Issue 14 | Home Books Comment Concerns Concordance Heritage News People Page 11 |
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