analysis Two 'bomb-scares' within 24 hours in Penang last week have raised serious questions about the emergency response system as well as the situation of law and order.

Last Wednesday evening, life on the island practically came to a standstill because of bomb hoax that lasted several hours.

At 4.05pm, the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA) alerted the police central command centre that a 'bomb' had been found wedged in a divider along the 13.6km Penang Bridge.

Acting on suspicion that the steel pipe could be packed with explosives, police brought in ballistics experts who later confirmed that the 'pipe' was empty. The six-member bomb squad used a robot to destroy it at 6pm.

George Town OCPD Assistant Commissioner Azam Abdul Hamid said the 'pipe' was believed to be a kangaroo bar of a vehicle.

Then at 4.30am on Thursday, there was another fright when a restaurant in Bukit Mertajam was ripped apart by an explosion.

Police confirmed on Friday that the blast was not caused by explosives, but by chemical substances usually found in fireworks.

State Deputy Police Chief, SAC II Othman Harun suggested that it could have been the work of a secret society, loan sharks or enemies of the restaurant owner.

Traffic chaos

The public were left to deal with a tedious outcome from the bridge incident, from tailbacks that formed at all points of entry to the island.

Police obtained the go-ahead from Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon to close the bridge between 4.30pm and 7pm to ensure public safety.

Both ends of the bridge were soon choked with evening rush-hour traffic. Thousands were stranded in George Town, Seberang Jaya, Bayan Lepas and Prai Industrial Zones, Bukit Mertajam and Butterworth.

Traffic was also backed up along the stretch of the North-South Expressway between the Juru and Sungai Dua toll plazas, while the ferry terminals at both sides of the Penang Channel were packed with vehicles diverted from the bridge.

The closure has made many islanders realise that emergency escape routes are lacking between the island and mainland.

"Without the bridge, we would be stranded on the island," noted pensioner Abdul Majid Mamut, 67.

The incident appears to have generated support for a second bridge-link to the mainland, a ferry service perhaps connecting Bagan Jermal on the island and Bagan Ajam in Perai, and an improved public transportation network.

Questions raised

Explosives or not, the incident on the bridge triggered widespread panic and raised several questions.

What if there had indeed been a bomb? What if it had exploded and destroyed the bridge? Is Penang, let alone the bridge, safe?

The way the 'alert' was sounded is questionable. A MHA staff told police that his supervisor had received the information from the office of state executive councillor Koay Kar Huah. So why didn't Koay call the police directly?

This was the first 'bomb threat' involving the Penang Bridge. Who would leave the pipe there and why? Was it someone trying to get a message to the government and public? Was it the work of a prankster or criminal elements?

Islanders have brushed aside any idea of a terrorist threat, saying 'we are a peaceful society' and 'who would want to blow up the bridge?'. They think it is the action of "someone who wants to have fun by causing fear among the public'.

If so, then it must be read as a sign that certain elements are showing disregard for law and order.

Previously they used guns and knives. Now at least some appear to be resorting to chemicals to achieve their ends.