Pulau Tikus dialogue 12.09.2013

Updated with pictures from the state Buletin Mutiara facebook
Click on this link below . Warning : heavily lopsided propoganda content 

Pictures of participants


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Participants of this event were informed that $200,000 has been spent to implement this one way trial system . And that all the roadsigns have been bought. In which case points to the change being a permanent thorn in our behind. Not only that , this dialogue was actually held to inform us on MORE future proposals ( oooo....ada udang di sebalik batu ? ) whereby they are proposing to change even more roads after this, some according to the time of day ( omg, here's another loony professional idea ) , revert back to a roundabout near Island Hospital, rip up more sidewalks to widen more lanes , put in more speed tables as well as road signs elsewhere.

Although just 400 people turned up, the event had it's moments. 

1. The beleagured "botak pun sudah tumbuh balik" punya YB started the session by saying

 " No bad words" . Serious. I'm not kidding. 

2. In total defiance, a signature campaign run by volunteers, opened up just next to the tent , right till the very end. 

3. You might not see this in the mainstream media, but those on stage were heckled and booed by a handful of men AND women. Some were holding UBAH BALIK banners. Guess the VIPs must have felt threatened since they had to be personally escorted back to their cars by a group of volunteers dressed in purple. My goodness, did they genuinely fear for their safety from a group of very vocal residents and hawkers ? 

4.  When a lady hawker whose face was flushed with anger went up to the platform where the YB's were sitting, to show them some photos, their jittery mottley crew of at least 6 men dressed in purple sprung into action ready to acost her in case she decided to attack them .Bwahahaha....oh come on...what did they think she was ?Riddick's revenge ? Ridiculous. Unbelievably ridiculous . 

5. One guy had the entire crowd in stitches, pealing over doubled in laughter when he insisted that business at foot reflexology centres had shot up , because drivers now, had to visit those centres for pain relief. He even offered to sponsor Chow Kon Yeow a $53 session the next day at 8pm. " please stop smiling " he said " I'm serious " omg seriously funny guy this fella! Laughed till the tears rolled down my cheeks.

6. At one point, some lady hawkers started giggling at Yap for looking so irritated and frustrated as she pounded her phone with two arms squeezed tightly together .kah kah kah

7. Of course the highlight of the night has got to be the duel between Koay Teng Hai and the professional engineer. Omg, that was  EPIC ! you should have been there to see it for yourself !  Koay is sooooo quick witted and so articulate he almost caused that all knowing engineer to have a nervous breakdown right there.  I'm gonna condense the blistering fiery supersonic exchange ( look I can't remember everything but it was damn good to hear and watch ) went something like this :

Koay : bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla ( wasn't really paying attention at first as some loon who works in SP but stays in Penang , had earlier taken up so much time everybody , and I mean eeeeeverybody became so blur and cheesed off till sooooo many people started leaving )

Engineer : eh look, you ask me a question, but you don't give me chance to answer and now you ask me another question. ( Huh ? Hostile agressive tone makes me sit up )

Koay : last time I presented plan A and plan B, asked for people's opinion in a shopping complex and they preferred Plan B. 60 percent of the respondents are from Pulau Tikus, 40 percent are from outside . Mr.Engineer, you said Plan B cannot use because it is not professional. Now all of a sudden you have implemented Plan C. 

Engineer : (getting worked up) YOU weren't there when they were discussing Plan C. Plan C is profesionally done. Can I ask you which professional, conceptualised your Plan A ?

Koay : You lah ! 

Crowd : ( jeering , booing, heckling like nobody's business )

Engineer : (about to kaboom with anger... bwahwahwahwa ! ) 

Koay : (grinning, even socked a few more verbal punches about the engineer blaming YB Yap for the fiasco to whether signboards been bought already to which he answered in affirmitive, leaving the engineer dazed ) 

On a more serious tone....

8. A male resident sadly related on how his favourite wantan mee seller and newspaper stall in Pulau Tikus had folded up because of the new traffic system and how he missed them. 

9. One lady hawker was close to tears as she related how her sales had plumetted from $4,000 a month to $ 700 after the change. Not only that, she also accused them of destroying Penang. Another lady hawker from Gurney Drive was furious over the constant towing action by MPPP and said her business suffered as a result.

10. This other guy mentioned that although he lived in the Pulau Tikus Midlands area , everyday for the past fifty years , up till now he still was as confused as ever over the road system as when it was first implemented. A lady echoed his sentiment by saying that they had turned the whole area into a Maze . Another retiree joked about how one could go out of your home but not be able to find your way back.

11. Salesman from Bukit Dumbar mentioned that he used to ply the area often until parking became so difficult that he decided not to stop for food or to do banking in the area anymore as so many loops had to be made just to find a clamp free spot.

12. In a total departure from the topic at hand, a sickly indian man took to the mike and asked about his home had been evicted from. Mentioned that he had been to Komtar a few times and even talked to the YB regarding his situation. Chow stopped him and said he would speak to him later.

13. Out of the blue, Rowena Yam made an appearance. Can only remember her talking about kids from St.Xaviers having difficulty in lugging their 5 kilo schoolbags across busy roads now that Rapid did not ply the regular route anymore.

14. At least 3 residents association representatives from around Mount Erskine voiced their frustrations over the change. One of them related that the "Beri Laluan " caused countless accidents because nobody understood it's function.

15. One lady raised the issue of St.Nicholas traffic light for the blind being removed while making reference to "that godamned mall " While the last participant, in a soft voice told them, that they left out the social factor despite all the professional planning

16. Another confronts Chow who said that Penang has too many cars with, tell the CM, "then why build a tunnel to bring more in ? "

17. Last but not least,  were voices at the back that were boldly screaming " makan " "duit " etc etc....you know what the people are suspecting is going on already . Unless those in power choose to ignore it. 

If I have left out anyone, it's because my brain really can't cram in that much data.