Learn this term and remember it: George Town Centric Mentality. It is a negative, unhealthy form of thinking, although many of us often do it without realising.

Now, what's George Town Centric Mentality? It's the type of thinking that Penangites are not created equal, that George Town people matters more than the rest of the Penangites. This form of thinking stems from people who spend most of their time within George Town, they never crawl out of their urban zone. This same people may fret about America Centric Mentality (the type of thinking among Americans that the rest of the world doesn't exist), and yet they themselves harbour George Town Centic Mentality while claiming themselves to be Penangites.

I am raising this issue due to the article in today's (Thursday, 6 March 2014) The Star, where it says, "DAP rep: Prioritise public transport, not undersea tunnel"

I fully appreciate that it is the duty of YB Miss Yap to defend her constituency. I agree that the state should continue to improve on public transportation. However the choice of word, "prioritise" is an unfortunate display of George Town Centric Mentality. What it means, without explicitly stating, is that the interest of George Town people (read that as Pulau Tikus people) matters more than that of Kepala Batas or Penaga people. This type of thinking comes from people who do not stay in places like Kepala Batas, and cannot begin to appreciate the hardship of people staying there. To the George Town Centric, places like Kepala Batas do not exist in their radar, and even if it does, it is populated by country bumpkins who never leave their hamlet. That type of thinking makes me sad, and should be erased.

Remember this: a person living in Kepala Batas and working in Gurney Paragon has to travel a long distance everyday to get to work and back. He too is a Penangite, and his welfare matters. Who is thinking of his welfare? He would appreciate an undersea tunnel that could reduce his distance to Pulau Tikus, and he would also appreciate a bus service between Kepala Batas and Pulau Tikus.

What YB Miss Yap should have said is that improving public transport should be CONCURRENT to planning of the undersea tunnel. In other words, at times the state will pay attention to public transport, and at other times, on the planning for the undersea tunnel. There should not be a PRIORITISATION of one over the other.

Let's treat all Penangites as equal. Each time we find ourselves harbouring George Town Centric thinking, re-evaluate our thoughts and move in the direction that benefits all Penangites.


View Kepala Batas to Pulau Tikus in a larger map

I present here the calculations of distance between Pulau Tikus and Kepala Batas. On the existing route, it is 40.3 km. On the new route, via the undersea tunnel, it takes approximately 19.4 km. It is roughly half the distance.

Yes, improving public transport in Penang is important and should never be neglected. However, there should not be a prioritisation of public transport over infrastructure or vice versa. Both has to go concurrently.

There's a saying that when the tide rises, it lifts all boats. When we apply this to infrastructure, it means that if you improve infrastructure, you also improve public transport.

Assuming you take a Rapid Penang bus from Kepala Batas to Pulau Tikus, and the bus travels at 40 kph, you will take an hour to reach your destination on the existing route. However, on the new route, you will take only half an hour, as the distance is only half. The existing route cuts right through the congestion of George Town, whereas the new route passes through less congested places. Therefore, if a bus travels at 40 kph on the existing route, it should be able to travel at MORE than 40 kph on the new route. That said, you may take less than half an hour.

The Central and Southern portions of Seberang Perai are now linked to Penang Island. Efforts should now be paid to ensure the Northern part of Seberang Perai is not left out. With development there, traffic can move both ways, from Kepala Batas to Pulau Tikus and from Pulau Tikus to Kepala Batas. That means, people living in Pulau Tikus can commute smoothly to industrial parks in Kepala Batas. Everybody wins.

Again I stress: public transport in Penang is important, and it is right to urge the state never to let up on improving it. But focus should be holistic, not one over the other.

 Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang

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 New Properties in Penang

Looking to buy property in Penang? Get the e-brochures right here without having to visit or contact individual developers.

  1. Anggun Residences E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  2. Aston Acacia E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam
  3. Beacon Executive Suites E-Brochure, George Town
  4. Beverly Heights @ Bukit Gambir E-Brochure, Gelugor
  5. BM Highland E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam
  6. Cypress Villa E-Brochure, Sungai Ara
  7. D'Zone Condominium E-Brochure, Teluk Kumbar
  8. Elements Garden E-Brochure, Butterworth
  9. Ferringhi Residence 2 E-Brochure, Batu Ferringhi
  10. GEM Residences E-Brochure, Prai
  11. Golden Triangle 2 E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  12. Grace Residence E-Brochure, Jelutong
  13. Granito @ Permai E-Brochure, Tanjong Bungah
  14. Green City Residence E-Brochure, Jelutong
  15. Havana Beach Residences E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  16. Imperial Residences E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  17. Imperial Grande E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  18. Lucerne Residence E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  19. Mezzo @ The Light City E-Brochure, Gelugor
  20. Middleton E-Brochure, Gelugor
  21. Orchard Villa 3 E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat
  22. Primero Heights E-Brochure, Permatang Pauh
  23. Queens Waterfront Q2 E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  24. Royale Heights @ Tambun Royale City E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat
  25. Royale Infinity @ Tambun Royale City E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat
  26. Rubica @ Harbour Place E-Brochure, Butterworth
  27. Sensasi Commercial Suites E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  28. Setia Sky Ville E-Brochure, Jelutong
  29. Setia Sky Vista E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  30. Setia V Residence E-Brochure, Gurney Drive
  31. Sinaran Residence E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  32. Sky @ TriPark E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam
  33. Skyridge Garden E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong
  34. Starhill Luxury Residences E-Brochure, Gelugor
  35. Straits Residences E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong
  36. Taman Nuri Emas E-Brochure, Nibong Tebal
  37. The Light Collection IV E-Brochure, Gelugor
  38. The Loft @ Southbay E-Brochure, Batu Maung
  39. The Terraces Condominium E-Brochure, Bukit Jambul
  40. Trehaus Condo Villas E-Brochure, Bukit Jambul
  41. Triuni Residences E-Brochure, Batu Uban
  42. Urban Suites E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong
  43. Valencia Residence E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  44. Vertu Resort E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  45. Vivo Executive Apartment E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  46. Viluxe E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  47. Waterside Residence E-Brochure, Gelugor

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About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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