Sustainable Development and Worldviews

Our youth unemployment rate has been rising every year in the past 5 years, from 11% in 2016 to 11.72% last year. Are jobs being produced as fast as our youths grow up? Without jobs, what's our youths' future? Without jobs, how to start a family? Without jobs, how to care for aging parents? These are the questions that Hafiz discussed with me. Hafiz is a graduate with a degree in finance. Most of his cohorts have left Penang to work in KL. "Kawan-kawan struggle cari kerja di Penang, dan memang banyak yang pi KL," he said. Although Hafiz wanted to join them, he as the eldest among his siblings had stay back to care for the family. Unable to get a suitable permanent job, Hafiz ended up as a contract worker for several years. When the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) had job openings, Hafiz applied and got his first stable permanent job. After working for 10 months, Hafiz has saved enough to get married. He and his wife are expecting their first child now. Just before Raya

AnakPinang Statement (5 June 2021) We at AnakPinang are concerned over the statements made by Sahabat Alam Malaysia, Tanjong Bunga Residents Association, Penang Forum, Consumer's Association of Penang, Agora Society Malaysia, and Pen Mutiara that are putting the livelihood of Penangites at risk. [1] Their demand for the cancellation of the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project is regrettable since that would in effect lead to the dismissal of existing jobs, affecting businesses, and eliminating thousands of potential employments for the people in Penang. As previously reported, the construction work of the PSR will generate 5,000 jobs in the immediate three years period. [2] This will provide significant monetary inflow into Penang’s economy. PSR sustains employment in Penang AnakPinang welcomes this timely stimulus provided by the PSR especially when many Penangites are either retrenched, taking pay cut, or required to take no-pay-leaves during the present Covid-19 crisis. In t

Armchair academicians , Penang Forum , Consumers’ Association of Penang, Sahabat Alam Malaysia , and big-name politicians are calling for the cancellation of the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project. What they are really doing is destroying jobs in Penang. They are eliminating the possibility for young Penangites to have a future here. Academicians, activists, and politicians are supposed to help people, but these anti-PSR groups prefer to starve families. Sad. That was what came to mind when I spoke to Jan. When Jan graduated from USM, her seniors told her that the job market in Penang was not good. Some of her coursemates had to do food delivery. So, Jan – the only child – had to leave her widowed mother in Penang to go to KL to look for work. Her mother wasn’t working, Jan had to support her. Indeed, Jan found a job in KL. Although she was employed there, she was often worried about her mother who was alone in Penang. That’s why Jan is grateful for her current work in PSR. “Real

I will continue to write about real Penangites whose life has been changed for the better because of Penang South Reclamation (PSR). These Penangites are not big-name politicians, their story seldom gets highlighted. Nonetheless, they are Penangites who can now earn a decent living for their family due to the project. Therefore, I think their story deserved to be told. Pak Idris and his grandson, Adam are such Penangites. Idris, 66 years old, has worked as a fisherman for over five decades. Adam, now 23, had been helping his grandpa since his teens. Adam shared about an incident when he was 18 years old working in the sea with his grandpa. That day they met with a thunderstorm. Huge waves were hitting their boat. Idris used all his strength to steer the boat to safety, against the strong currents until the vessel almost broke into two. “Tok perlu lawan sampai bot terangkat tinggi, hampir patah dua." Adam said. “Masa tu, kalau hanyut di laut, pun hanyut lah,” Idris added. Fortunate