Hard questions: Teng holding up leaflets highlighting ‘51 Empty Promises’ of the state government.
GEORGE TOWN: From a monorail over Penang Bridge to the undersea tunnel project, the state has not delivered any of them, said Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow.
“Between 2008 and 2016, there were public transport proposals from a tram, a monorail, Penang Sky Cab, aerobus between the island and mainland, light railway transit, cable car and underground subway to underground mass rapid transit.
“Eight promises made but until today, not even one has commenced work,” Teng told a press conference yesterday.
In November 2008, a few months after helming the state, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state was considering adding a hanging monorail along Penang Bridge, among other transport projects.
Teng brought up these unfulfilled transport projects yesterday.
He also maintained that the state could cancel the Penang undersea tunnel project because there was no clause in the agreement to pay compensation for cancellation.
“I am shocked that Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said I should pay compensation if the project is cancelled.
“The question is why the state government still refuses to cancel the contract.
“With so many missed deadlines and no construction after five years and the tunnel feasibility studies not completed, we wonder why the state government still refuses to cancel the project.”
Teng was responding to Lim who said on Wednesday that when a signed contract was cancelled, there must be some sort of compensation - The Star
A group of gamers wearing VR headsets at Zero
Latency Singapore. The VR arcade in Singapore is the latest to pop up
around the world as backers of the technology seek to shake off teething
problems and break into the mainstream. — AFP
Arcades seek to take virtual reality gaming mainstream
SINGAPORE: Gamers wearing headsets and wielding rifles adorned with flashing lights battle a horde of zombies, letting out the occasional terrified shriek.
The virtual reality arcade in Singapore is part of a wave of such venues being opened as backers of the technology seek to shake off teething problems and break into the mainstream.
The buzz around virtual reality (VR) gaming has seen Taiwan-based HTC, Sony and Facebook-owned Oculus VR battling to woo consumers with a range of headgear.
But it has been slow to really take off, partly due to the hefty price of top-end headsets, beginning at around US$350 (RM1,362), and the challenges in setting up complex VR systems at home.
But VR arcades, which have been springing up around the world, particularly in Asia, are now giving people the chance to try it out more easily and for a fraction of the price.
“Given the complications of at-home, PC-based VR systems, pay-per-use, location-based entertainment venues can fill the gap,” said Bryan Ma, from International Data Corporation (IDC), a consumer technology market research firm, in a recent note on the industry.
Several VR gaming companies have made forays into Singapore, seeing the ultra-modern, affluent city-state that is home to hordes of expatriates as a good fit.
The zombie fight-out was taking place at a centre where participants stalked a room with a black floor and walls.
“I did paintball before, it’s quite fun... but I think the whole scene is much more interesting here,” said Jack Backx, a 55-year-old from the Netherlands, who was playing with colleagues from the oil and gas industry on a work day out.
The location is run by VR gaming group Zero Latency, which started in Australia and has expanded to nine countries. It uses “free-roam” virtual reality – where gamers move around in large spaces and are not tethered to computers with cables.
It’s not all intense, shoot-’em-ups – VR group Virtual Room has an outlet in Singapore that transports gamers to scenarios in the prehistoric period, a medieval castle, ancient Egypt and even a lunar landing.
Asia leads the way
VR arcades have been springing up in other places. China was an early hotbed for virtual reality gaming although the industry has struggled in recent times, while they can also be found in countries across the region including Japan, Taiwan and Australia.
Many key industry milestones over the past two years have been in Asia but arcades have appeared elsewhere – London’s first one opened last year while there are also some in the United States.
Consumer spending on virtual reality hardware, software and services is expected to more than double from US$2.2bil (RM8.56bil) in 2017, to US$4.5bil (RM17.51bil) this year, according to gaming intelligence provider SuperData Research.
For the best-quality experience, it can be relatively expensive – a session in Singapore costs Sg$59 (RM175).
“The equipment here is not cheap,” said Simon Ogilvie, executive director of Tomorrow Entertainment, which runs the Zero Latency franchise in Singapore.
The industry faces huge challenges.
China offers a cautionary tale – according to IDC, VR arcades have struggled there after expanding too quickly.
There have also been warnings that improvements in home-based technology may eventually lead to VR gaming centres suffering the same fate as traditional arcades that were once filled with Pac-Man and Street Fighter machines.
“The rise and fall of coin-operated videogame arcades in the 1980s suggests that such VR arcades may eventually fade in relevance as home-based computing power and prices fall within mass consumer reach,” said the note from IDC’s Ma.
Rebecca Assice, who runs Virtual Room in Singapore, said one challenge was getting people interested in the first place as many still did not know about the arcades.
“VR is still a really new industry,” she said. “A lot of people just don’t know this sort of activity exists.” — AFP
BUTTERWORTH: Six pledges and 60 initiatives – that’s what the Barisan Nasional will be armed with as it attempts to wrest Penang from the clasp of the Opposition.
In its “Save Penang” manifesto launched yesterday, the coalition listed resolving flooding, overcoming traffic congestion and halting hillside development as the top priorities.
State Barisan chairman Teng Chang Yeow said if it regained power in the state, the controversial undersea tunnel project to link the island to the mainland would be scrapped.
He said further land reclamation at Permatang Damar Laut and Gurney Drive would also be barred.
Teng also announced that areas 76m above sea-level would be declared permanent forest reserves to protect the hills.
On flooding, he said the Barisan would resolve the problem within three-and-a-half years, by installing water pumps and floodgates and implementing a Penang Flood Mitigation Plan.
Another priority was to build 65,000 affordable houses within five years, introduce rent-to-own housing scheme, set the price of a low-cost home to RM40,000 (including a free carpark) and between RM80,000 and RM120,000 for medium-cost units (including free carpark).
The other priorities were listed as economic development, people’s welfare, and tourism and heritage.
Among others, the Barisan pledged to remove toll charges for motorcycles, abolish the water surcharge, provide a special fund of RM2,000 to couples who tie the knot for the first time, provide school bus subsidy to eligible families, provide free parking at council roadsides and residential areas, and allocate RM15mil annually for national-type, religious and private Chinese schools.
The Barisan also pledged to abolish postage charges and other charges for bill payments, provide free water to hardcore poor, reintroduce traffic wardens in school areas, and not to increase water tariff for residential areas within five years.
Thousands of Barisan leaders and members who attended the launch cheered when Teng fired salvos at the DAP-led state government, claiming its leaders made 51 false promises over the last 10 years.
Also present were state Umno chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman, state MCA chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng, state MIC deputy chairman Datuk M. Nyanasegaran and leaders of Barisan-friendly parties.
Teng (middle) getting waves of support as he
launches the Penang Barisan Nasional manifesto at The Light Hotel in
Seberang Jaya, Penang. With him are Penang Umno liaison committee
chairman Datuk Seri Zainal Abidin Osman (on Teng’s right) and Penang MCA
chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng. — Photos: ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
Flood Mitigation plans among BN manifesto
BARISAN Nasional will get allocation from the Federal Government to alleviate flooding woes in Penang within three and a half years if it secures the mandate from the people.
Penang Barisan chairman Teng Chang Yeow, a former state exco member, said detailed infographics would be required to come up with an action plan as well as a drainage masterplan to resolve the problem.
“We have experience in formulating flood mitigation plans in the past.
“From there, we will take the matter up to the Federal Government to negotiate for the amount of funds needed.
“We also have an emergency manual outlining
standard operating procedures for a state to manage when struck by
floods, and this goes in tandem with the Federal Government’s guidelines
to create a clear chain of command.
“We noticed that in recent years, places in Penang that had never been flooded suddenly experienced floods.
“This is due to poor planning, lack of drainage and failure to identify hotspots.
“The people have suffered because of poor coordination and help could not reach them in time,” he said at a press conference after unveiling Barisan’s manifesto at a hotel in Seberang Jaya.
Commenting on the pledge for 50% of Penang island city councillors and Seberang Prai municipal councillors to be appointed from independent bodies, he said the representatives could join the planning committee to give their ideas.
Teng said that although landowners had the right to plan projects, those staying next door could voice their views including objecting to the projects if they were affected.
“But today, planners are not planning.
“Instead, politicians are doing the planning,” he said.
Teng said planning should be left to planners with expertise while politicians should only make policies.
'Can fulfil promises'
Teng: Penang will receive more allocation if voted into power
DESPITE being an Opposition state, Penang has received RM2.08bil as allocation from the Federal Government between 2013 and 2017.
Penang Barisan Nasional chairman Teng Chang Yeow said the amount was the highest among the northern states.
He said Kedah received RM1.76bil followed by Perak (RM1.25bil) and Perlis (RM360mil) during the same period.
“We can fulfil all our promises in the manifesto. The state will receive more allocation if we win the state from Pakatan Harapan,” he told reporters after launching the Penang Barisan manifesto at a hotel in Seberang Jaya yesterday.
Asked why the monorail and LRT projects which were in the 2013 manifesto were missing from the present one, Teng said the people in the state had rejected both projects as Penang Barisan was not voted into power then.
“However, we are open to consultation with the people and those from the civil movements to revive such projects if we are voted into power in the upcoming general election,” he said.
On another matter, Teng said Penang never had it easy during the 22-year tenure of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Penang was bypassed most of the time when it came to development projects.
“It was difficult for then Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to get allocation for projects in Penang as the funds would not come.
“Dr Mahathir, for reasons best known to himself, did not allocate sufficient funds for Penang and most of the time we were bypassed,” said Teng, who was once a state executive councillor.
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- By K. Suthakar, Lo Tern Chern, and R. Sekaran, The Star
Barisan Nasional Youth volunteers posing for a
group photo at the recent Penang Barisan Nasional manifesto launching
ceremony at The Light Hotel in Seberang Jaya, Penang. — Photos: ZHAFARAN
NASIB/The Star
