CAN REACTIVATING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN ALOR SETAR, KEDAH CAUSE PULAU PINANG TO GO BUST?

…ISN’T IT TIME FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO REVISIT THEIR IDEA TO DO THAT?
By Mansor Puteh


The Chinese in Pulau Pinang when it was under Barisan Nasional, so they had cloud, protested vehemently when the government wanted to construct a new international airport in Alor Setar, Kedah.

The Chinese in Pulau Pinang feared if this happened, the economy of the state would go bust.

But what they did not realize was without the construction of the airport, the economy of Kedah would go bust.

They did not care about Kedah; they only cared about themselves.

And what this also meant was that they only cared for the well-being of the Chinese in Pulau Pinang who then formed the majority in the state.

They did not care about the well-being of the Melayu in Kedah who formed the majority in this state.

The Chinese in Pulau Pinang did not care what the government had done to the state to give it a higher economic profile all these years, that had allowed the state to develop.

They did it at the expense of Kedah and the Melayu.

But then, Pulau Pinang was a stronghold of the Malaysian-Chinese Association and Parti Gerakan Rakyat or Gerakan, so the government had to take heed of what they wanted, and got it.

So Kedah was left behind economically without the airport. It only has a small airport for domestic use.

But now Pulau Pinang had gone to the opposition.

Having done much to the state, by the government the majority of the Chinese in this state chose to vote opposition. It was a wise move.

But it can also be a stupid move. How?

If the government revisit the idea of developing a new international airport in Alor Setar and turn Kedah into a new economic powerhouse in the north of the Melayu Peninsula.

If this can be done, Pulau Pinang can go bust.

It must be allowed to go bust since the people there do not deserve to be given any preferential treatment over the others, who are the Melayu in Kedah who had to suffer just to accommodate the interests of the Chinese in Pulau Pinang who now have to depend on the Democratic Action Party or DAP for their own economic survival.

The Chinese there did not care who had caused the state to develop. They only care who should govern the state, now that it has developed. They chose an almost Chinese-majority party who do not care for the well-being of the Melayu.

There is no doubt that the Chinese in Pulau Pinang had made a grave mistake for voting opposition as it can backfire only if the government and especially Umno know how to go about solving the matter, i.e. by constructing a new and larger international airport in Alor Setar and turn Kedah into a new economic powerhouse.

After all the people of Kedah who had also tried their luck by voting for PAS, now realized their own folly by turning their backs against them in the last general elections.

So it is time for the Kedah to be given some preferential treatment and to allow the state to develop and directly compete with Pulau Pinang.

Have those in Umno and the Melayu in Kedah forgotten how the Chinese in Pulau Pinang threatened not to support Barisan if the airport was built?

Have the Melayu in Kedah also forgotten how the Chinese in Pulau Pinang did not care for their well-bring but only for the well-being of the Chinese in Pulau Pinang?

Those in Pulau Pinang only wanted Kedah and the Melayu majority there to suffer just to allow Pulau Pinang to continue to prosper.

Now that the threat of the Chinese in Pulau Pinang has been released, by them having voted DAP en masse, maybe it is the right time for the Kedah and government to construct the international airport in Alor Setar to spur its economic growth.

So it was good for the Chinese in Pulau Pinang to give the state to DAP so that Kedah can now go on their own way and develop itself, and by doing so can also cause Pulau Pinang to have a stiff competition that it did not want to see as the Melayu in Kedah were too innocent to believe that the Chinese in Pulau Pinang would continue to vote Barisan if Kedah chose to remain backward.

Even when Kedah was given to PAS, the PAS government did not do anything to the state, and allowed it to stagnant.

Now that the people of Kedah were smarter and returned the state to Barisan, so it is the right time for them to give Pulau Pinang a run for their money and see if DAP is good for Pulau Pinang, that the Chinese there thought they were, now that the DAP are in their second term as government of the state.

Pulau Pinang’s economic growth therefore can be said to be dependent on the state of the economy of Kedah, who chose to remain backward simply to look after the interests of the Chinese in Pulau Pinang.

Now that the tables have been changes, maybe the state of the economy of Pulau Pinang too must be changed.

Kedah cannot suffer because they want Pulau Pinang to prosper.

Pulau Pinang must be strong enough to face competition from Kedah so that the DAP can prove to its voters that they are deserving leaders, and their choice to vote them in, was not wrong.

Kedah can prove this to be wrong, for them to go for DAP.




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