What now for George Town?

Okay, I believe 24 hours should be just right for the euphoria to last and the state to get back to reality. I'm referring, of course, to the news that George Town has at long last received its World Heritage recognition from the good guys at UNESCO.

Let's not feel smug about this achievement. It means NOTHING at all if the Penang state government does not roll up its sleeves and capitalise on the listing. How, you may ask? As a supportive Penangite who believes nothing can ever be good enough for Penang, here are my two cents' worth of opinion to improve my state:

• For a start, educate people that the capital of Penang is spelt as George Town (two words) and should not be bastardised as Georgetown. Just check with the Penang Museum.
  
• Reaffirm George Town's status as Malaysia's first city. We became a city on 1 Jan 1957 and nothing can and will remove this status from us.
• Redefine the city limits. What's wrong with having a city within a municipality?
• Bring back the tramcar system or reintroduce the electric buses. Relook into the traffic system, create a proper public transportation system within the city limits and build major hubs for public buses plying intra-municipality routes.
• Build on our heritage and historical status by bringing back the old street names. This has nothing to do with colonialism.
• Make George Town the hub of food culture in Malaysia. Don't let others steal our Penang Food identity and shamelessly claim Penang's food as theirs. See how we can promote Penang's food through our own exclusive television programmes.