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DemographyThe state has the highest population density in Malaysia with 2,031.74 people per square kilometre on the island and 865.99 people per square kilometre on the mainland. Penang is the only state in Malaysia where ethnic Chinese are the largest ethnic group. The ethnic composition in 2006 was:
* Malay: 612,300 (41.0%) * Ethnic Indian: 148,000 (9.9%) * Others: ** Bumiputra: 5,600 (0.38%) ** Non-bumiputra: 91,200 (6.1%) There were Jewish and Armenian communities in Penang before World War II, but dissipated as a result of the Japanese occupation and the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. A small but commercially significant community of German merchants also existed in Penang. Today, Penang has a sizeable expatriate population especially from Japan and Britain. The greater metropolitan area of Penang Island, Seberang Prai and neighbouring towns such as Sungai Petani and Kulim has a population of over 2 million [6], around the same as metropolitan Johor Bahru and second only to the Klang Valley. Peranakan
LanguageThe common languages of Penang, depending on social classes, social circles, and ethnic backgrounds are English, Penang Hokkien, and Malay. Mandarin, which is taught in Chinese-medium schools in the state, is also increasingly spoken.Penang Hokkien is a variant of Minnan and is widely spoken by a substantial proportion of the Penang populace who are descendants of early Chinese settlers. It bears strong resemblance to the language spoken by Chinese living in the Indonesian city of Medan and is based on the Minnan dialect of Zhangzhou prefecture in Fujian province, China, but incorporates a large number of loanwords from Malay and English. Many Penangites who are not ethnically Chinese are also able to speak in Hokkien. Most Penang Hokkien speakers are not literate in Hokkien but instead read and write in standard (Mandarin) Chinese, English and/or Malay. Malay is spoken locally with north-western dialect features, such as hang for "you" and depa for "they/them". English is a working language widely used in business and commerce, and is also the language of instruction of Science and Mathematics in schools. English used in an official or formal context is predominantly British English with some American influences. Spoken English, as in the rest of Malaysia, is often in the form of Manglish (Malaysian colloquial English). Other languages, including Cantonese and Tamil, are also spoken in the state. Teochew is heard more in Province Wellesley than on Penang Island. ReligionThe official religion of Penang is Islam and the head of Islam is the Yang Dipertuan Agong, but other religions are freely practised. These are Buddhism, in the Theravada, Mahayana and increasingly also Vajrayana traditions, Taoism, Chinese folk religion, Hinduism, Catholicism, Protestantism (the largest denominations of which are the Methodists, Seventh-day Adventists, Anglican, Presbyterian and Baptists) and Sikhism- reflecting Penang's diverse ethnic and socio-cultural amalgamation.Character of PenangBeing one of the earliest, most established urban centres of Malaysia, Penang has often prided herself with progress while at the same time relishing her traditional and enduring values, way of life and mannerism. The mention of Penang of yesteryear evoked images of the slow-paced lifestyle of merchants and planters in the mysterious and exotic Far East. Penang in her heyday was known as a dreamy, romantic little 'island in the sun'- a place where European culture intermingled with Eastern customs- notwithstanding the contrasts, where colonial buildings stood next to attap houses and rickshaw pullers, where electric trams met bullock carts, where European gentlemen, Chinese coolies, Indian labourers and Malay farmers coexisted peacefully, and where peoples from diverse backgrounds found home. Hers was a refuge, a safe harbour where ships and people alike took shelter and found opportunity. Since her founding days, Chinese influence has always been more evident especially in the urban areas due to their superior numbers while the Malays, until recent times, have largely resided in the rural areas.Fast forward to the twenty-first century, Penang is a beaming, energetic place with a confident, forward-looking people. Eager to embrace the modern but reluctant to relinquish her past, Penang is a place of beautiful contrast. Penang thrives on her strengths- diversity, resilience and her innate ability to renew herself. Penangites are always proud of their roots no matter how far or how long they have left home for greener pastures. However, modern Penang has her equal share of ugliness; rampant development, environmental damage, worsening traffic, urban decay, rising crime are among the many problems that Penang needs to address. To be fair, these are not unique to Penang alone. Nonetheless, the standard of living has improved tremendously and poverty, though still prevalent in some pockets, has been reduced. That said, Penang remains one of the most livable places in Asia. The challenge facing Penangites is finding a way to maintain sustainable progress while preserving what they cherish most and holding on to things dear and close to their hearts. HistoryEarly daysSixteenth century Portuguese traders from Goa, India sailing to the Far East in search of spices found a small island where they replenished their water supplies. They named it Pulo Pinaom. In the 17th century, Penang's strategic location at the northern entry to the Straits of Malacca provided a sheltered harbour during the monsoon months for Chinese, Indian, Arabian and European ships, which ineluctably also became a fertile hunting ground for pirates.One of the very first Englishmen to reach Penang was the English merchant-privateer Sir James Lancaster who in 1588 served under Sir Francis Drake as commander of the Edward Bonadventure against the nemesis of the Spanish Armada. On April 10, 1591, commanding the same ship, he set sail from Plymouth for the East Indies, reaching Penang in June 1592, remaining on the island until September of the same year and pillaging every vessel he encountered. He returned to England in May 1594. Originally part of the Malay sultanate of Kedah, Penang was ceded to the British East India Company in 1786 by the Sultan of Kedah, in exchange for military protection from Siamese and Burmese armies who were threatening Kedah. On 11 August 1786, Captain Francis Light, known as the founder of Penang, hoisted the Union Jack thereby taking formal possession of Penang and renamed it Prince of Wales Island (name used until after 1867) in honour of the heir to the British throne. Penang was the first British possession in the Malay States and Southeast Asia.
The settlement was first built around the harbour with Fort Cornwallis forming the island's defence. Light became the first Superintendent of the Prince of Wales Island. To expedite jungle clearing by labourers, Light fired silver coins from his ship cannons into the dense vegetation, and the land was cleared in no time. The original four streets of George Town were Beach Street, Light Street, Pitt Street (now Masjid Kapitan Keling Street) and Chulia Street, all of which still form the main thoroughfares of the modern city. Other early roads include Church Street, Bishop Street, China Street and Market Street, and by the early 1800s also Armenian Street and Acheen Street. Light declared Prince of Wales Island a free port to attract trade away from the Dutch who were then the colonial ruler of the Dutch East Indies. This strategy drew many immigrant traders to Penang. Settlers were allowed to claim whatever land they could clear. By 1789, Penang had 5,000 residents and this doubled by the end of the following decade. The first Chinese settlers in Penang came from an existing community in Kedah, with their leader, called a Kapitan Cina, being Koh Lay Huan, a Baba.[8] Light died of malaria on October 21, 1794 and was buried at the Protestant cemetery at the end of Northam Road (now Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah). His son, William Light went on to found the city of Adelaide in Australia. Lieutenant-Colonel Arthur Wellesley (the future Duke of Wellington) arrived in Penang to coordinate the island's defences. In 1800, Lieutenant-Governor Sir George Leith secured a strip of land across the channel from the island and named it Province Wellesley, after Richard Colley Wellesley, 1st Marquess Wellesley, Governor-General of India[9].
In 1805, Penang's colonial status was elevated to that of a Residency. Stamford Raffles arrived in Penang to work as the Deputy Secretary to the Governor of Penang, Philip Dundas from 1805 to 1810 [10] and subsequently founded Singapore in 1819. Straits Settlements
See also List of Governors of the Straits Settlements
Cosmopolitan Penang was already a thriving colony of the British Empire in the first decades of the 20th century, counting among its eminent visitors Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad, Rudyard Kipling, Noel Coward, Herman Hesse, Karl May, Count Friedrich M. von Hochberg and Hans Sturzenegger. The Battle of Penang that took place on October 28, 1914 during World War I saw the surprise naval assault in which the German cruiser SMS Emden attacked and sank Allied warships off the harbour of Penang including Russian cruiser Zhemchug. Otherwise, Penang was relatively unaffected by the Great War. A war memorial commemorating fallen World War I soldiers can be found in Esplanade. Second World WarWorld War II, on the other hand, unleashed unparalleled social upheaval on Penang. With news of the imminent attack of the Japanese, the European population was evacuated beforehand, leaving the rest of Penang's population to suffer under a brutal Japanese occupation, causing much disillusionment and injury to the British prestige and image of invincibility. The British withdrawal left the defenceless island in the hands of a State Committee which had to subdue a three-day civil unrest. Penang was captured by Japanese forces invading from the north through Thailand on 19 December 1941, one of the key stages of the Battle of Malaya, days after having neutralised American sea power at Pearl Harbor. Three and a half years of rule of terror ensued. Many of the local populace fled to the interior and plantations to escape from Japanese atrocities, of which many were reported and documented. During this occupation, Penang was governed by four successive Japanese governors, starting with Shotaro Katayama.It is a little known fact that Penang served as a secret German U-boat base in the Far East. U-511, under the command of Kptlt. Fritz Schneewind, arrived in Penang, then under Japanese occupation in July 1943, followed by U-178 in August 1943[11]. This essentially started the U-boat campaign in the Indian Ocean and also provided the Germans with penetration into the Pacific for the first time, alongside their ally, Japan. KK Wilhelm Dommes became the first commander of the U-boat base in Asia. [12] PostwarJapanese forces in Penang finally surrendered to British forces on 6 September 1945. George Town's historic buildings remarkably survived virtually unscathed despite Allied bombings. Before civilian rule returned to Penang, the state was administered by two successive British military governors from 1945-1946.The political landscape had changed irreversibly in the aftermath of the war. The end of British imperialism seemed impendent, even inevitable. In 1946, the Straits Settlements were dissolved, with Sir Shenton Thomas being the last governor, and Penang became part of the Malayan Union, before becoming in 1948 a state of the Federation of Malaya, which gained independence in 1957. In 1963 it became one of the 13 states of Malaysia. George Town was accorded city status by Queen Elizabeth II on January 1, 1957, thereby becoming the first town in the then Federation of Malaya after Singapore to become a city. The royal charter granting George Town its city status and the petition from the Penang residents to Queen Elizabeth II in this regard are still prominently displayed in the Penang State Museum. However, as a result of local government reorganisations in 1976, the City Council of George Town was merged with the neighbouring Penang Rural District Council to form the Municipal Council of Penang Island. [13] Although the city status was never officially revoked, the state and federal governments are of the view that it has ceased to exist. Post-Independence
The island's free port status was revoked in 1969 which dealt a considerable blow to Penang's trading industry which was followed by massive unemployment as high as 14.5% [14]. Despite this, from the 1970s to the late 1990s the state built up one of the largest electronics manufacturing bases in Asia, in the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone (FIZ) around the airport in the south of the island. This move is now seen as monumental to the economic growth of Penang, today an economic powerhouse of Malaysia. The Penang Bridge was also built during Dr Lim's tenure. Subsequent to Dr Lim's shock defeat in his Padang Kota constituency to DAP's Lim Kit Siang in the 1990 General Elections, he retired from politics but his party managed to hold on to power. He was succeeded by the incumbent Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon. In 2004, widespread dissatisfaction with the decline of Penang has led to a media campaign to return Penang to its former glory. [15] Challenges faced by the government include the urban renewal of Inner George Town which has seen population and commercial activities dwindling since the repeal of the Rent Control Act in 2000, as well as job creation. Penang suffered some damage from the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, though nothing in the scale of neighbouring Acheh- incurring most of the 68 lives lost in Malaysia, mostly picnickers and fishermen. Some 1,600 people were evacuated. Economically, the fisheries and aquaculture were the worst-hit sectors, with losses in the order of tens of millions of ringgit [16].See also History of modern Penang. Colonial Legacy
Indeed many public institutions and customs in Penang and Malaysia in general today are inherited and modified from the British such as formal education, use of English language, English loanwords, transportation systems- harbour, roads, railroads; form of government (Westminster system), English Common Law, and leisure- turf club, recreation clubs. Interestingly, Penang still retains many colonial street names. These include King Street, Queen Street, Beach Street, Union Street, Light Street, Downing Street, Anson Road, Macalister Road, Magazine Road, Love Lane, Rope Walk, Gurney Drive, Weld Quay and Western Avenue.See also Eponyms of the Place and Street Names of Penang State government
Executive
The head of the state executive is a Yang di-Pertua Negeri (Governor) appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King of Malaysia). The present Governor is Tun Dato' Seri Haji Abdul Rahman bin Haji Abbas. In practice the Governor is a figurehead, and he acts upon the advice of the state Executive Council, which is appointed from the majority party in the Legislative Assembly. The current Chief Minister of Penang, Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon is from the Gerakan party whose representatives have held the chief-ministership since 1969. It is the only state chief-ministership in Malaysia which is held by a ethnic Chinese, reflecting the state's ethnic majority. The Chief Minister heads the State Executive Council, the highest administrative body in the state, which answers to the Legislative Assembly. The state Secretariat and other state or federal government departments assist the Executive Council in the state administration. Most of the government offices are housed in the 69?-storey KOMTAR. In May 2005, there were calls by UMNO members from the ruling coalition, Barisan Nasional (BN), to rotate the Chief Minister post between BN component parties but the Prime Minister rejected the idea. Analysts have pointed out that if Penang does have a Malay chief minister, by logic the other 11 Malay majority states would also have to have a Chinese or Indian as Chief Minister. From a bigger perspective, this idea would not be feasible to the UMNO-ruled states. The current Malaysian Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, hails from the mainland town of Kepala Batas, whereas the former Deputy Prime Minister Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim is from the town of Bukit Mertajam, also in Province Wellesley. Local AuthoritiesThere are two local authorities in Penang, the Municipal Council of Penang Island (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang) [17] and the Municipal Council of Province Wellesley (Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai)[18]. Local councillors have been appointed by the state government since local elections were abolished in Malaysia in the 1960s. Both municipal councils are made up of a president, a municipal secretary and 24 councillors. The president is appointed by the State Government for two-year terms of office while the councillors are appointed for one-year terms of office. The state is divided into 5 administrative divisions:
** North-East District (Daerah Timur Laut) ** South-West District (Daerah Barat Daya) * Seberang Perai (Province Wellesley): ** Central Seberang Perai (Seberang Perai Tengah) ** Northern Seberang Perai (Seberang Perai Utara) ** Southern Seberang Perai (Seberang Perai Selatan) Each district is headed by a district officer. Legislative
In the Malaysian Parliament, Penang is represented by 13 elected Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat), serving a five-year term, and has two senators in the Senate (Dewan Negara), both appointed by the State Assembly to serve a three-year term. JudiciaryThe court system in the Federation had its origin in the 1807 charter known as the First Charter of Justice whereby the British East India Company obtained from the British Crown the right to establish a permanent Court of Judicature in the settlement of Penang, and to appoint the first magistrate and judge who was, incidentally, an uncle of the novelist Charles Dickens. Today, the judicial power is almost completely vested in the Federal court system. The right to a jury trial was available in all cases upon indictment until restricted for all capital cases only in 1978 before being abolished altogether in 1995.The Penang Prison is located at Jalan Penjara (formerly Gaol Road). Sister CitiesGeorge Town, the state capital, is a sister city of:
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A hawker stall selling rojak, a fruit dish in shrimp and chilli paste |
Hawker food centre at Gurney Drive, one of the best places to experience Penang's best foods. |
Main article: Penang cuisine
Penang island is a paradise for food lovers who come from all over Malaysia and even Singapore to sample the island's unique cuisine, earning Penang the nickname of the food capital of Malaysia. Penang was recognised as having the Best Street Food in Asia by TIME magazine in 2004, citing that nowhere else can such great tasting food be so cheap. Penang's cuisine reflects the Chinese, Nyonya, Malay and Indian ethnic mix of Malaysia, but is also strongly influenced by the cuisine of Thailand to the north. Its especially famous "hawker food" is sold and eaten by the street feature strongly in noodles and fresh seafood. Great places to savour Penang's food are Gurney Drive, Pulau Tikus, New Lane, Swatow Lane, Penang Road and Chulia Street. Local Chinese restaurants serve excellent fares too. American fast food outlets and coffee joints are readily found throughout the state. Japanese, Korean, Italian and Western food are also popular.The Penang Buddhist Association on Anson Road, built in 1925 |
Penang Road, downtown George Town with numerous pre-war houses |
Fort Cornwallis, with the Seri Rambai Cannon. The fort marks the spot of Francis Light's disembarkation on July 16, 1786. |
The Esplanade seafront promenade |
The Khoo Kongsi Chinese clanhouse |
The Jubilee Clock Tower in King Edward's Place was erected as a commemoration of Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee (1837-1897). It is 60 ft (18m) high, each foot for each year of the Queen's reign. |
The Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce building on Light Street and Penang Street. |
St George's Church (built in 1816) is the oldest Anglican church in South East Asia. |
The Penang Botanic Gardens, also popularly known as Waterfall Gardens, was established by the British in 1884. It is host to the annual Penang International Floral Fest. |
Kek Lok Si Buddhist Temple |
Door of the Teo Chew Temple, Penang |
The Sleeping Buddha Temple |
KOMTAR, Penang's tallest building at 760 ft (232 m) high is a prominent landmark in the cityscape. |
A scene at the pasar malam (night market) |
The HSBC building at 1 Downing Street |
The Standard Chartered Bank building at 2 Beach Street |
The 13.5 km long Penang Bridge |
Buses and taxis in George Town |
The early days of the Penang Port |
A Penang ferry docking at the Butterworth jetty |
The Guillemard Reservoir, Tanjung Bungah in 1929 |
Tanjung City Marina |
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