Penang's Southbay: a Hollywood sign look-alike?

This, of course, is the famous Hollywood sign. Originally erected in 1923 to advertise a new housing development in the hills above Hollywood, it is now the symbol of the motion picture industry in the United States.

Penang can also boast of a Hollywood-like sign that sits near the top of a hill. This Hollywood-like sign in the southern part of Penang Island bears some similarities with the original sign in California. Here, this sign was commissioned by a housing developer who had hoped to develop 35 hectares of land near Batu Maung, where the second Penang Bridge is supposed to be built.


If you travel south along the Bayan Lepas coastal highway you cannot miss the Southbay sign. For me, however, the first time I noticed it was from the air. Then, I didn't give any thought to it for months until last week when I drove to Batu Maung. Intrigued, I even drove up the hill to take a closer look at it.


From that vantage point, you get to see the Bayan Lepas Industrial Park from a different point of view. It was breath-taking when I stood there and looked down.


However, you also get to see the continuing rape of this hillside on the mainland. A different angle from my usual view from the Penang Bridge. It's an ugly reminder that our previous state administrations had permitted this to happen without caring about its effect on the environment. Whoever owns this piece of land is laughing all his way to the bank and it's too late for anyone to do anything about it now. Who says you cannot get away with rape?