EMPOWERMENT and sustainability. Those are the two key drivers of the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) under the leadership of the newly-appointed mayor Datuk A. Rajendran.
“Empowerment is a very important approach as it promotes civic participation and enables individuals to represent themselves responsibly.
“I encourage my team in the local council – from councillors, heads of departments, and staff – to embrace empowerment by sharing ideas and solutions to make our city strong and sustainable.
“It is also crucial to ensure that this empowerment is felt among the people. I believe that it is important for the public to move together with us in the same direction.
“Mutual understanding is needed where the local council listens to the rakyat, and the people understand why MBPP makes certain decisions.
“Ultimately, we want the same goal, which is to ensure that not only us but our future generation, can also benefit from Penang’s progress. And to have that, we need the cooperation from everyone,” he told Buletin Mutiara at his office in Komtar today.
Rajendran said sustainability is another important aspect to ensure long-term preservation.
“This is why one of our main focuses is climate resilience. We need to be mindful of the things we do.
“The impacts of climate change have already affected the people and the ecosystem.
“We need to take measures to mitigate those impacts from getting worse. And that requires the cooperation from everyone. Are we (the people) doing enough to reduce carbon emissions?
“Are we doing our part by minimising our waste to the landfill through recycling and composting?
“All these efforts can help us in the long run. And they need the cooperation of the people,” he said.
Rajendran said the council is also playing its role as one of the executing entities for the Penang Nature-Based Climate Adaptation Programme (PNBCap).
PNBCap is a multilateral initiative to enhance urban resilience and reduce human and ecosystem vulnerability to climate change impacts and extreme weather events through the implementation of nature-based solutions. And it also seeks to improve social resilience and build institutional capacity.
Under the Adaptation Fund (established under the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change), a grant of US$10 million was approved for the PNBCap on Feb 23, 2022.
On Jan 31, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow witnessed the signing of an agreement of cooperation between UN-Habitat and Think City for the PNBCap in Putrajaya.
Commenting about his vision for Penang island, Rajendran said Penang island is a unique city.
“Yes, there are many successful urban development models for us to adopt. But we cannot fully adopt or apply them.
“The island is unique. It is surrounded by the sea, rich in heritage, houses a 130-million-year-old rainforest, and has limited land.
“We need to be our own ‘artisan’ when it comes to doing what is best for our city, according to the people’s needs and its sustainability,” he said.
Rajendran also mentioned the challenges faced by the local council.
“As the city grows, the people’s expectation grows too. It is challenging when we must meet the expectation of the rakyat with limited resources.
“MBPP has been spending prudently to stretch our resources so that they can benefit more people.
“We welcome the cooperation with the private sector to jointly develop our city in a sustainable manner,” he said.
Rajendran also acknowledged the need to continuously upgrade the transportation network, public facilities, and cleanliness in the city.
Story by Christopher Tan
Pix by Siew Chia En