What's behind pretty postcards? Dirty beaches and filthy seawater drive away tourists

Some people appear to be misusing the term 'sustainable development'. The latest is Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon, who in a recent Sun advertorial said the key to realising Vision 2020 by the year 2010 was for Penang to successfully implement 'sustainable development'. The advertorial came together with ads heralding the Penang Development Corporation as the first government agency in Penang to attain ISO 9001 certification.

''Sustainable development is balanced development which will ultimately improve the quality of life for all in the long run, without destroying or jeopardising our natural environment and cultural heritage,'' said Koh. While Koh, as PDC chairman, must be feeling proud of PDC's ISO award, we feel that this is a typical case of cakap tak serupa bikin (not practising what you preach).

In the same edition of The Sun (21 Feb 2000), another article reported that 1,000 irate Penangites had gathered to lash out at their elected representatives following the repeal of rent control. Faced with much higher rentals, many affected tenants will eventually have to vacate their homes without adequate compensation or alternative low-cost housing, which is still in short supply throughout the state. Is this what Koh means by sustainable development?

The traffic situation in Penang is worsening. The Penang government's solution: keep widening the roads, with only lip service and tokenism for sustainable transport modes such as buses, pedestrian malls and bicycles. Penang is an island with limited space. Unless there is greater commitment to creating an integrated public transport system that will encourage people to leave their cars at home, we are only postponing the day of reckoning. If Koh needs some ideas on how an efficient public transport system could work on an island, he could just take a trip to Singapore.

Along comes the Works Minister with his 1.7 billion-ringgit 'second link' (it's actually going to be the third link) tunnel project, which he says is needed because the Penang Bridge has reached maximum capacity. Has he stopped to think why the bridge is congested? In the 1980s, about a dozen ferries - including double-decker vehicular ferries - used to ply the channel; that has been deliberately slashed to four or five ferries, with only single decks for vehicles. Instead of an expensive tunnel, couldn't we have more ferries and more ferry terminals at different points on the island?

The Penang government must also be blind to the environmental problems: the perennial landslides, floods and overflowing rubbish bins. Even tap water has turned brown in some parts of Penang. The neglect of the environment is also hurting the economy. Tourism is a major revenue earner for the state, but the waters around Penang are filthy. The beaches along the tourism belt are strewn with litter while dirty water discharges into the sea. It is only the foolish holidaymaker who will swim in the sea. Dirty seawater drives away tourists, who would rather spend their money in the cleaner islands of Thailand, where even the public toilets are much cleaner.

The emphasis on economic development has also led to social problems. State Health, Welfare, and Caring Society committee chairman Dr K Rajapathy revealed that Penang has the country's highest number of drug addicts with 14 per cent of the 35,359 addicts recorded last year. Penang even moved up (or should it be down?) from its third position in 1998. We know that the state government is proud of the motto 'Penang Leads', but is it possible to lead in a more meaningful way?

There is growing evidence to suggest that Penangites are also becoming mentally sick. When a disturbed man on a roof-top tried to commit suicide recently, the crowd that gathered actually goaded him into jumping to his death. In another incident, The Star reported the case of a ferry passenger who drowned after falling into the sea. According to an eye-witness, none of the ferry crew members dived into the sea to save him as he tried to swim to reach the floats that were thrown at him. The victim was only 60 metres from the ferry when he went under. The eye-witness also said that there were commuters who were actually laughing and saying that the man would soon die. This is outrageous behaviour. What kind of society are we turning into?

Sustainable development? Koh and the PDC need to seriously rethink their priorities, ISO award or no ISO award.