Vision is good, but not wild dreams


Practical purpose: Penang’s LRT service is expected to connect the island’s 1.8 million residents to the million others on the mainland and vice-versa, as seen in the artist impression of its Mutiara Line project. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star

IT is understandable for elected representatives to ask state and federal governments for projects that can bring high impact value for their constituents.

However, that does not mean these lawmakers can simply ask and expect these requests to be met, especially if these infrastructure projects are hugely costly.

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Wong Chun Wai

Wong Chun Wai

Wong Chun Wai began his career as a journalist in Penang, and has served The Star for over 35 years in various capacities and roles. He is now group editorial and corporate affairs adviser to the group, after having served as group managing director/chief executive officer. On The Beat made its debut on Feb 23 1997 and Chun Wai has penned the column weekly without a break, except for the occasional press holiday when the paper was not published. In May 2011, a compilation of selected articles of On The Beat was published as a book and launched in conjunction with his 50th birthday. Chun Wai also comments on current issues in The Star.

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