Fifty years ago, Penang was considered one of Asia’s most well-known cities, and its importance as a trading centre and major port enabled her to compete with the likes of Hong Kong and Singapore.

These three island cities of Penang, Hong Kong and Singapore are in many ways similar to each other. All have been ruled by the British, and all are Chinese-majority cities with Singapore and Penang having a more multi-cultural outlook due to the presence of the Malay and Indian populations.

That was 50 years ago. How has Penang fared compared to its rival cities? Certainly Penang is not in the same league now, as Hong Kong and Singapore have developed significantly into world-class cities that are envied by the whole world.

Hong Kong tops the list as the preferred business location while Singapore has been consistently voted the best location for expatriates. Both cities are efficient, dynamic and vibrant while Penang has degraded into what it is today – dirty, messy, ineffective and lacking.

Twenty years ago, Penang was still the preferred tourist destination among westerners in South East Asia. Today, it lacks the ‘pull factor’ and is now far behind Phuket, Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Bali, Siem Reap and Hanoi in attracting tourism. Despite the recent World Heritage Site status accorded by Unesco, tourist arrivals to the city are not expected to increase.

In terms of infrastructure development, Penang is also lacking far behind Hong Kong and Singapore. These two cities have an efficient and comprehensive mass rapid transportation system while Penang does not even have funds for a mini-monorail.

Money has never been properly spent, especially when the second bridge design included a ‘pearl-size observation platform’ which is more likely to be a wastage than a tourist attraction by itself.

In any case, a monorail would never be sufficient for densely populated Penang. By the time a train line is ready for use, Penang’s population would have also grown significantly.

Even now, cities considered ‘backward’ previously such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, have major plans for their urban transportation system by 2020. I predict that Malaysian cities, including our much adored capital (KL), will lag behind these new and upcoming cities in Vietnam and Thailand within the next decade.

This is especially true when China opened up in the 1990s with cities which were once considered backwards and unknown developing into mega-cities such as Shenzhen, Tianjin and Chongqing.

The Umno-led BN has always been a stumbling block to economic growth, especially Umno itself and should be blamed for the state of affairs affecting Penang today.

Now that Penang is being ruled by Pakatan Rakyat, we hope that the future of our island city will be much better.