Seeking silver linings up north

Picking up the pieces: Around 1,000 houses in Kampung Iboi in Baling, Kedah were damaged by flash floods on July 4. — Filepic

THIS was a year that posed challenges for those in the northern states as accidents and floods grabbed the headlines, but there was also some good news as sporting events could be celebrated physically again.

Some of the incidents led to positive changes as authorities were moved to act, especially in the case of road safety and mental health.

Illegal racers

One incident that prompted change was an early morning crash involving illegal motorcycle racers along the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway on July 17.

The 4.40am accident, which involved two cars and several motorcycles, claimed five lives and grievously injured three.

A 17-second video posted on social media showed motorcyclists racing along the highway before cutting to the scene with motorbikes and bodies sprawled on the road.

Hundreds of motorcyclists were caught in the footage, believed to be either supporters or participants of the illegal street races.

The frequency of these illegal races had begun to increase once the travel and other restrictions that had been imposed during the movement control order were removed in April.

The deceased were Mohd Haziq Harris, 34, Muhammad Shazwan Hakim Mohd Abdul Sani, 22, Muhammad Eizreel Muhamad Roszaidi, 25, Ahmad Haikal Naif Ahmad Nazrul, 19, and Muhammad Harith Zikri Yusnizar, 17.

Their deaths sparked proposals to amend the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333) to curb illegal races by the so-called mat rempit.

Among the proposed amendments are stiffer fines from RM300 to between RM5,000 and RM10,000, prison terms up to 15 years, and also punishing parents or guardians who allow underaged persons to participate in illegal races.

The amendment would also empower action against spectators of illegal motorcycle races and workshop owners responsible for motorcycle modifications used for such illegal races.

Since the accident, Penang police and other enforcement agencies have been keeping a close watch on the streets at night for any large gathering of motorcyclists.

The measures seemed to have worked.

After about two months, the police declared that no more illegal racing were taking place and would strive to keep it that way.

Lives on the line

The year also saw Penang affected by the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that led to socio-economic hardships.

This severely affected the mental health of many people and there was a higher number of suicide attempts during the year.

On March 9, The Star photographer Ahmad Zhafaran Nasib saved a woman who was contemplating suicide on the Penang Bridge.

Ahmad Zhafaran, who was commuting from Butterworth to the island, had spotted the woman sitting on the edge, staring down at the sea.

Together with fellow press photographer Masry Che Ani, Ahmad Zhafaran stopped their motorcycles to approach the woman.

When they saw her moving towards the edge, they dashed forward with their cameras still slung around their necks.

Ahmad Zhafaran reached her in the nick of time and pulled her back from the edge, and both photographers kept her calm until the authorities arrived.

The Penang Bridge has seen numerous suicide attempts.

In May alone, nine attempted suicides were recorded with five of them, fatal.

The state government had sought approval for safety nets to be installed along the bridge as a preventive measure as one of the short-term solutions.

Besides safety nets, CCTV cameras capable of capturing clear audio and video were also among the suggestions presented during a talk in May with agencies such as the Penang Bridge operator, PLUS Malaysia Bhd, the police and medical experts.

Penang environment and welfare committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said although the initial proposals were rejected, the state was still hopeful of putting an end to suicide attempts on the bridge.

“We have the materials and expertise ready to support the installation of the nets or any other initiatives on the bridge.

“We hope the authorities will increase patrols on the bridge and ramp up monitoring efforts,” he said.

Marathon comeback

On the upside, the Penang Bridge International Marathon (PBIM) made a comeback after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

The tagline “Great Comeback” couldn’t have been more apt.

While there were competitive categories, most of the 26,000 runners were in the fun run category and many slowed down to a walk on the bridge, which is impossible to do on normal days, to take pictures and enjoy the sea air in the morning.

Bridge marathon runners took part in three categories – full marathon (42km), half-marathon (21km) and 10km run.

Full marathon runners ran the entire length of the Penang Bridge and back, while runners from other categories only ran almost to the mid-span point before turning back.

Following the success of this year’s PBIM, Penang is now eyeing the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) certification for the race.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said PBIM would be among the top races in the world should the state be successful in securing the recognition.

“The IAAF label will reflect PBIM’s standards in (ensuring) runners’ experience and safety.

“It’ll also elevate the state’s position as a premier location for marathons in the world,” said Chow, after giving out prizes to winners at the finishing point outside Queensbay Mall on Dec 11.

Election overdrive

On the political front, there was never a dull moment during the 15th General Election (GE15) in November.

Despite the fact that this year saw only the parliamentary elections after Penang opted not to dissolve its state assembly, there was still plenty of excitement on the ground.

Young guns and new faces took centre stage in Penang’s political scene, with almost every major political party fielding first-time candidates.

The gamble paid off for some.

Fadhlina Sidek, 45, who won the Nibong Tebal seat, was sworn in as Education Minister.

Another new face is that of Deputy Education Minister Lim Hui Ying, 59, who is a first-term MP.

The younger sister of DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng won the Tanjong seat – a DAP stronghold since 1986 – which had been vacated by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Chow moved to Batu Kawan and unsurprisingly, won the seat.

But there were a few big upsets.

Nurul Izzah Anwar’s loss of the Permatang Pauh seat, which had been a family stronghold for 40 years, caught most by surprise.

Since 1982, the seat had been won by her father, her mother and herself.

Kepala Batas and Tasek Gelugor seats, which were traditional Barisan Nasional (BN) strongholds fell to Perikatan Nasional, leading to Chow to sound the alarm, saying that if left unchecked, the “green wave” would result in further losses for Pakatan Harapan.

Football fever

No sooner did the election fever wear off, football mania gripped the nation during the World Cup.

Who can forget the jaw-dropping final match?

At the Esplanade, where the match was projected onto a giant screen, thousands of spectators cheered in unison as Argentina and France produced six goals and a heart-stopping penalty shootout.

Supporters of both teams came dressed in their team jerseys, but it seemed as though everyone celebrated every goal that was scored as the Esplanade field roared with thunderous cheers whenever a team scored.

Nature’s fury

In Kedah, weather-related calamities took place during the second half of the year.

On July 4, Kampung Iboi in Baling was hit by flash floods claiming three lives and causing RM28mil worth of property damage after heavy rain resulted in a huge surge through the streams in the valley.

Hundreds of villagers were evacuated while over 1,000 were affected when their homes were badly damaged in a series of floods in September, October and November.

The raging river washed away the concrete bridge in Lata Celak village during the floods in July, and was replaced with a temporary Bailey bridge.

Even the Bailey bridge was later damaged and was reported to have moved about 2m from its original location due to another round of flash floods in September.

Environmental groups claimed rampant forest clearing, construction and agriculture activities, as well as conversion of virgin forests were among reasons for the water surges and flash floods.

Tragedy was averted when 42 hikers who were stranded in the jungle near the Telaga Tujuh waterfall in Langkawi on Oct 16 were rescued in a five-hour operation.

Bad weather had turned a stream in their path into a raging river.

Firemen anchored tensioned ropes diagonally across the fast-flowing river to carry out the rescue operation.

Various areas on the island were inundated, some reaching dangerous levels, following a thunderstorm.

Penang was similarly affected.

On July 6, hundreds of thousands of households and businesses in Penang were left without water for days because the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant had to be shut down.

This was because the water in Sungai Muda became too turbid due to floodwaters from Baling.

This is the water source for over 80% of Penang, as it flowed along mainland Penang’s northern border with Kedah.

The sudden dry taps caused Penang residents to go into a water-buying frenzy and many supermarkets saw their stock of bottled water sold out within hours.

Another water disruption struck Penang on Sept 9, once again due to floods in Baling.