Quoted from a paper
KUALA LUMPUR - PENANG lawmakers may consider a proposal to launch a casino to woo tourists, although the plan is likely to face fierce opposition from Malaysia's Muslim majority.
Opening a casino on Penang could help the country compete for tourist dollars with nearby Singapore, which is expected to open its first casinos in 2009, said Mr Wong Mun Hoe, a Penang state legislature member.
'The word 'casino' may cause apprehension about gambling and strike fear in people's minds, but we should open up our mindset about what's good for us,' Mr Wong said.
... A recent survey by Penang's State Tourism Board showed that many residents support the idea for a casino and other entertainment facilities on one of Penang's outlying islets, Mr Wong said. 'This could become a fantasy island, with hotels, chalets, a theme park and a casino to cater to visitors, especially from markets such as China and Thailand,' he added. He stressed the proposal is not meant to promote gambling, saying officials could restrict the casino to foreigners only. Muslims would definitely be barred from entry, he said.
Penang is lovely as it is. Those nincompoops ought to tidy up the place first before suggesting anything else! Ask any sane Penangite, and they'll tell you that no one in the right mind has/would/will ever take the public transport if they can afford it. Hence the horrible jam that's clogging up the island currently. To make matters worse, the public taxis there charge not by meter, but by an agreed amount among their own fellow felons. I once took a taxi from Komtar to Gurney and it costed a cut-throat RM10! Worse thing is the distance is less than from my house in PJ to Midv (the cab fare for that was only RM6).
Fantasy island??? Someone should kick him. Penang is NOT meant to be a fantasy island! Gosh. The town's already busrting its seams. The place has been relatively the same for all my life ( except for more destructive development). People should refrain from making shallow comments in public papers. It's a terrible embarassment to society. And in the first line, he's more afraid of whether the Muslims will approve of it or not, rather than the implication to the entire society!
Looks like lemmings in the society are still inevitable. Everybody's too eager to jump onto the bandwagon without giving much thought to the consequences. Perhaps its the claim to fame in the event that it does succeed, but please deal with the current situation first before skipping to the next step and leaving the mess for others to clean up!
let's just pray this piece of news was badly reported
No comments:
Post a Comment