The Penang Forum Agenda (2018)

The Penang Forum has a list of demands which it calls on Penang’s newly elected officials of 2018 to act upon and deliver.

These demands are related to the three principles of:

• Bring back local elections
• Increase civil society representation in the interim
• PM, CM, and MB focus on holistic role and should
  not take on other ministries/portfolios
• Limit the terms of office of the PM, CM, and MB to
  two consecutive terms
• Politicians should not sit on boards of governmentlinked companies
• Immediate gazetting of Local Plans with full public
  participation
• Start a Penang Youth City Council to develop
  projects on issues important to youth.
• Encourage youth representation in urban
  development planning discourse
• Stop swap deals in land reclamation

• Adopt a comprehensive approach to housing policy,
  prioritising social housing for B40
• Provide affordable housing which is no more than 3
  times annual income for M40
• Make public buildings, spaces and transport accessible
  for people with disabilities
• Fulfill employment and housing quotas for people with
  disabilities
• Increase the Warga Emas cash handout and target only
  the elderly from B40 households.
• Upgrade public facilities, council and state flats, to
  elderly-friendly universal design.
• Update, adopt and implement the 2013 Penang Gender
  Policy to achieve gender equality
• Enhance gender and leadership training and accelerate
  women’s representation in politics
• Implement a fair labour policy and provide decent
• housing for migrant workers
• Ratify the 1951 UNHCR Convention
• Support refugees’ access to education, decent
• housing, healthcare and other services
• Reclaimed land should be leasehold
• Ensure public access to waterfront and coastline

• Planning approvals and densities should be based on carrying
  capacity of the area
• Prioritise accessible and integrated public transport over
  highway building
• Immediate implementation of bus lanes and BRTs
• Improve ferry service and introduce cross-channel rail link instead
  of building a tunnel
• Stop creating artificial islands through reclamation
• Include climate change in all aspects of planning
• Immediate moratorium on development projects on hill land
• More stringent prosecution of illegal clearing of hill land
• Make urban spaces more spongey to prevent flash floods
• Stop cutting down mangroves, conserve and expand mangrove
  area
• Work towards joint World Heritage inscription of Pulau Jerejak
  and Sungai Buloh
• No bridge, no reclamation and no theme park on Pulau Jerejak
• Develop a state urban forestry action plan
• Conserve and increase public open space and greenery
• No cable car and rifle range in the Penang Botanic Gardens
• Gazette the Prangin Canal site as a public park
• Extend heritage protection to heritage sites outside the World
  Heritage zone
• Develop sustainable and responsible tourism rather than mass
  tourism