I refer to the letter Transform Penang but not at public health expense .

I believe the heading ‘Transform Penang but not at public health expense’ is very na V ve and misleading because every transformation comes with its set of expenses.

First of all, like every other developing area in the world, the fact that we even have the option of pursuing a wireless Penang is in itself amazing. The keyword is developing. We don’t have the luxury that the German, Belgians, Swiss, and French enjoy. In fact, when you Google ‘Germany bans Wi-Fi’ you will find that a lot of these countries are doing it to err on the safe side and not because of concrete unequivocal scientific evidence.

Would our forefathers have had the luxury to go ‘Oh, just to be on the safe side, we should not have cars in Penang and TNB should not be allowed to build anything in this state’? We take what we can get.

Go and see if Angola is even thinking of what Penang is doing. Or compare the economic well-being of people living in areas with good mobile phone facilities and with those who don’t. If people see mobile phones and Wi-Fi as evils, then I suggest they view them as necessary evils (But in my experience, I hear more people complaining that their 01_ not getting good reception or enthusiastically sharing their revelation of a new free Wi-Fi spot, rather than trying to avoid it with a meter-long stick- so how close is the desire of CAP to the desire of the people of Penang?).

But before the idea of a modern Penang is even appreciated, we have people whining about its health effects. Are they, or would they, be the same people that oppose the building of factories in the Free Trade Zones because of the pollution they would emit? Would they also have opposed the building of roads for which to make easier for goods and people to be moved in this state?

In fact, would they also oppose that electricity not be directed to this state because of the explosive consequences that such an act would enable? In other words, would they would advocate that whatever we need we build with our hands be not done? Forget Komtar, Gurney Plaza, factories, or the numerous high/low-cost apartments; it is the attap house and the beca that should define Penang.

But even the attap house requires that we clear land and trees for building materials and the beca incurs a heavy toll on the physical wellness of the operator, so what are we to do?

I believe that CAP can do more good by focusing their attention on more dire problems in this state that has already been proven to be detrimental to our health rather than bickering over something as inconsequential and unproven as the health risks of Wi-Fi.

In addition to the ridiculousness of CAP is the behaviour of Lim Guan Eng. As the CM who is supposed to be more consultative no matter how stressed or frustrated he was, he shouldn’t have been so quick to be dismissive.

He should have been more conciliatory and said something to the effect of thanking the parties for their concern, adding that he would look into it and that meanwhile these parties should submit whatever evidence they have on this issue for his office to consider.

It looked like for a minute there that if someone opposed his desires he would revert to acting like the way BN leaders would have reacted. He could have countered by showing examples of wireless cities and the health of its citizens, cities like Corpus Christi, Texas or Mountain View, California.

I’m not saying that Wi-Fi is essential for the life or death of Penang but I’ve just been starving for the state government to do something, anything, ambitious and inspiring for the past 18 years. And for CAP to break its knees for a ‘worry’ about health is very selfish and irresponsible.