MELAYU PULAU PINANG ..ANTARA REALITI DAN FANTASI

TANDA AYAT BIBLE DI PENANG!

The people in Tanjong Tokong blame the BN Government for selling the land to private developers. They are angry with the BN. But I feel that the BN has a long track record of resettling urban ’kampong’ people in flats and apartments. They may be slow but resettlement has never been a major problem. There is a very long history of urbanisation and resetlement in this country.

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Unfortunately the BN lost Penang in 2008. Now with the DAP in power they are more efficient at issuing Development Orders, Building & Planning Approvals and such. So the pace of development is picking up. And in Tanjong Tokong at least, the DAP faces less political fallout because it was the BN Governmenmt which got the kampong land sold to the private developers.

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Here is something else I want to explain - since the DAP won in 2008, land and property prices in Penang have shot up to the sky. In just three years, a 20 year old double storey terrace sells for RM750,000 in Georgetown. Semi-Ds go for RM1.2 million. Old apartments of 850 sf have a market value of RM250,000.

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And here is the new reality : new apartments are being launched at nothing less than RM500,000. They are larger (1200 - 1500 sf) but the price is astronomical.

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In the late 70s and early 80s we lived in Minden Heights in Gelugor - which is considered a prime area in Penang. My father had bought our house in the mid 70s. Yesterday’s Star Classifieds lists a 4000 sf house in Changkat Minden at “RM2.0 million above”. This is an unbelievable price, even for Minden Heights.

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In Bayan Lepas, a 9740 sf piece of land is listed at RM1.1 million. That works out to RM112 psf. In the 90s, land in the area was a few Ringgit a square foot.

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Even as far as Gertak Sanggul (in Balik Pulau) terrace houses are being launched at RM400,000 to RM600,000. Bungalows are being offered at RM1.5 million and above - in Balik Pulau ! Across in Seberang Perai, new Semi-Ds are being offered at RM500,000. Double storey terrace houses in the interior are starting at RM300,000.

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This is the new reality in Penang since 2008. So the question is where are the Penang Malays headed? They certainly cannot afford any of these new homes - these homes are way beyond their reach.

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At the wedding in Tanjong Tokong, I met many Malay professionals who were from Tanjong Tokong but they live and work in Kuala Lumpur now. This is the Malay diaspora in Kuala Lumpur. Many have settled down in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and will not be ‘buying homes’ in Penang. But even for them, these new prices are prohibitive. And we can forget about their Penang cousins being able to afford the new house prices in Penang.

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