Penang South Islands create jobs in Penang

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Job opportunities don't drop from the sky. They are created through development, driven by progressive policy, financed by the supply and demand forces in the market.

Recently, the Penang South Islands (PSI) project was reported to generate 15,000 new jobs from the construction work of the first island. [1]

Although the reclamation hasn't started, I was told that more than 100 Penangites are now hired for the preparation work for PSI. Wanted to find out more, I met up with Abang Sam.

Abang Sam was a full-time fisherman before his present employment for the PSI project.

He shared with me his hard life as a fisherman – with little to no savings, no employees provident fund (KWSP), unstable income. Life was without financial security.

"Pendapatan hanya lepas makan, hanya boleh hidup," he said.

But that's not the worst for him. His most horrific experience as a fisherman was fishing in the open sea during thunderstorm. "Semasa hujan ribut, macam gadai nyawa."

Abang Sam became a fisherman when he was 15 years old. He and his family lived in those conditions, unbearable to many of us, for more than 25 years.

So, when the PSI was launched, Abang Sam applied for a job and got it.

Now he has a stable income every month and doesn't need to re-live the nightmare of fishing in the storm.

The job also provides him with KWSP. He can now plan the finances for his family and his retirement. He even showed me the new motorcycle he just bought six months ago.

"Sekarang ada kemajuan, kewangan boleh bajet."

Abang Sam has four children. The eldest, 18, is currently pursuing a vocational diploma while his youngest is 3 years old.

I asked him, what's his hope for his children? "Anak-anak kena berjaya, sambung belajar, lebih maju untuk masa depan mereka," he said.

Then I asked him what will he do if the PSI project is cancelled?

He said that he wished the project will continue, if not he will have to return to be a fisherman – gadai nyawa dalam hujan ribut.

Penang Forum members and PAS politicians are lobbying to cancel the PSI project. Penang Forum's economist Lim Mah Hui has recently argued that the PSI is a "lose-lose for Penang". [2]

Who is Lim Mah Hui? He is the economist who wears tie and blazer to cycle under Penang's humid weather.

He is the economist who doesn't know about international procurement method of using request-for-proposal as open tender [3], even though it is practiced by global institutions like the United Nations, World Bank, and World Health Organization.

Does he know that the reclamation of the first island under the PSI project will bring in billions of domestic investment into Penang, generate jobs, and stimulate the local economy?

Does he know that Penangites like Abang Sam will become jobless if PSI is cancelled?

Does he know that many other fishermen like Abang Sam can have gainful employment from the PSI?

Job opportunities don't drop from the sky.

Has Penang Forum become an irrelevant group filled with people stuck in the ivory tower, wearing tie and blazer cycling under the hot sun around Penang?

References

[1]https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2021/05/17/project-to-create-15k-jobs

[2]https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2021/05/21/its-lose-lose-for-penang-in-psr-privatisation-plan-says-economist/

[3]https://www.malaymail.com/news/what-you-think/2018/07/29/request-for-proposal-rfp-is-not-open-tender-ahmad-hilmy-and-lim-mah-hui/1657137

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