Plight of the working class in Penang
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A young man returns home to his wife and young son in a low-cost flat in Teluk Bahang, Penang.
Wife: Bang, why so late today?
Husband: Very bad jam lah. Lucky I drove. If I took the bus, I would not be home yet. Where's Din?
Wife: Already asleep. I gave him dinner and put him to bed.
Husband: It's a shame I can't be home earlier. My son's growing up without seeing his father.
Wife: Bang, did you hear, my cousin Sham is moving to George Town. He can't bear the commute from Tasek Gelugor to George Town every day. Sold his land. Bought a small apartment in George Town. Whole family moving.
Husband: Good for Sham!
Wife: But wouldn't that make George Town even more congested?
Husband: Of course. As the roads get more and more congested every year, people who cannot bear the long commute are forced to live in George Town.
Wife: Isn't that exactly the opposite of what the NGOs intended, when they opposed the State Government from building the highways and undersea tunnel?
Husband: The problem is, the NGOs want to be right, but they don't always do the right thing. They don't understand our hardship. They only see things from their own angle. They say the highways and tunnel are not necessary - for them it's not necessary, but what about people like us?
Wife: If only they had allowed the State Government to built the highway, you could come home earlier every day now. Bang, why don't we move to George Town also?
Husband: We can't afford to. We're not like Sham, he has land to sell. Even if we sold our flat, we can't afford to buy another flat in George Town. It is so expensive there.
Wife: Then why don't you find work here in Teluk Bahang?
Husband: What work is there in Teluk Bahang for me? I don't want to be a fisherman like my father or grandfather, and I do not want to be a nature guide. For Din's future, I have to find work in George Town.
Wife: Why does the NGOs stop the State Government from building for us the highway? Why do they make our life so hard?
Husband: NGOs used to fight for the rights of the people. Now they only fight to be right.
Wife: Bang, why so late today?
Husband: Very bad jam lah. Lucky I drove. If I took the bus, I would not be home yet. Where's Din?
Wife: Already asleep. I gave him dinner and put him to bed.
Husband: It's a shame I can't be home earlier. My son's growing up without seeing his father.
Wife: Bang, did you hear, my cousin Sham is moving to George Town. He can't bear the commute from Tasek Gelugor to George Town every day. Sold his land. Bought a small apartment in George Town. Whole family moving.
Husband: Good for Sham!
Wife: But wouldn't that make George Town even more congested?
Husband: Of course. As the roads get more and more congested every year, people who cannot bear the long commute are forced to live in George Town.
Wife: Isn't that exactly the opposite of what the NGOs intended, when they opposed the State Government from building the highways and undersea tunnel?
Husband: The problem is, the NGOs want to be right, but they don't always do the right thing. They don't understand our hardship. They only see things from their own angle. They say the highways and tunnel are not necessary - for them it's not necessary, but what about people like us?
Wife: If only they had allowed the State Government to built the highway, you could come home earlier every day now. Bang, why don't we move to George Town also?
Husband: We can't afford to. We're not like Sham, he has land to sell. Even if we sold our flat, we can't afford to buy another flat in George Town. It is so expensive there.
Wife: Then why don't you find work here in Teluk Bahang?
Husband: What work is there in Teluk Bahang for me? I don't want to be a fisherman like my father or grandfather, and I do not want to be a nature guide. For Din's future, I have to find work in George Town.
Wife: Why does the NGOs stop the State Government from building for us the highway? Why do they make our life so hard?
Husband: NGOs used to fight for the rights of the people. Now they only fight to be right.
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