Numbers a warning sign

WHEN a friend discovered he was diabetic despite jogging regularly, not being overweight and not having hypertension, the big D played on my mind for days.

So I decided to buy a blood glucose meter at a pharmacy.

To my surprise, my morning fasting blood glucose level tended to hover in the sixes, and it was once even 7.1 millimoles per litre (mmol/L).

In a hospital test in 2019, my fasting blood glucose was only four-point-something, so blood glucose was never a health parameter I thought much of.

Within five days, I used about 40 test strips, testing frequently out of curiosity. Only once did I get a “safe” 5.5mmol/L and that was in the evening before dinner and after skipping lunch on a day which included a 5km brisk walk around Penang Botanic Gardens.

Going by the literature online, I seem to have Impaired Fasting Glucose, a common metabolic condition that may progress to full-blown diabetes if I do not make big changes to my lifestyle.

I have since gone for a proper diabetic blood test (am waiting for the results). I scaled up my exercise routines and permanently put sugars, refined carbs and even sweet fruits on my “forbidden” list.

While I was charting my mmol/L numbers, another set of worrying numbers came into my radar.

The Statistics Department released last year’s population estimates on Dec 23 and to my surprise, Penang’s population has been shrinking for two years in a row.

In 2020, the state’s population stood at 1.7404 million. It slipped to 1.74 million last year and this year, the forecast is 1.7386 million, representing a 0.1% shrinkage.

The department explains that these numbers include both Malaysians and foreigners living in Penang.

This is the first time the department has released yearly population estimates at state level. There are reports on the other states and Federal Territories too.

Get the full reports at www.dosm.gov.my, under the free download section in the website’s “eStatistik” menu.

The island’s northeast district suffered the greatest shrinkage at 0.5% while south Seberang Prai saw a population spurt of 1.4%.

There are markedly more people living on mainland Penang now than on the island – 947,400 versus 791,200.

We could blame this shrinking population on the Covid-19 pandemic, but then almost every other state saw positive population growth in that same time, except Sabah (-0.6%) and Kuala Lumpur (-1%).

I do not know much about Sabah but I find it perfectly normal for folk in Kuala Lumpur to move from super-dense Cheras (KL) to the more well-planned Kota Kemuning (Selangor), for example, and still work and play in the same places.

A population contraction of 0.1% does not sound severe. The difference between 1.7404 million in 2020 and 1.7386 million last year is only 1,800 people.

But I could not help equating the figures to my mmol/L readings.

There is no real danger yet.

There will not even be any symptom to give fair warning but if we are not careful, things will likely go from worrisome to frantic.

I believe Penang’s population should not be shrinking. I was sure that Malaysians from other states would want to settle down here.

I interviewed several people from Hong Kong not too long ago and they absolutely love Penang.

It is a great place to live with an enriching blend of the old and new that lifts our souls.

Our record of approved foreign direct investments is magnificent. Our crime rate is low.

The degree to which charity and social welfare is practised here is inspiring.

I get that the birth rate is low. Married couples are pessimistic about raising a football team of children because of rising living costs.

But if we are the economic and cultural hub of the northern region, why is Penang not drawing in migrants from other states?

At least my good friend Chandra, once a senior manager in a company in Kuala Lumpur, made it to Penang.

He lost his job during the pandemic and could not find another in Kuala Lumpur that would offer even half the pay he used to get.

He finally found a job offering a similar pay in Penang last September, and now he is smiling every day.

His rented condominium unit is less than 500m from two large supermarkets. His office is a 2km walk along a shady boulevard, giving him the chance to exercise daily.

I am so glad Chandra took that leap but why is his migration not the norm?

I am neither an economist nor a sociologist but as a layman, I feel that Penang ought to have been drawing people into the state and never record a negative population growth.

This is something that the state government, businesses and society as a whole need to take note of to make sure Penang stays attractive as a home for everyone.