http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data/500/6619IMGP0151.JPG?6858

http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data/500/6619IMGP0152.JPG?6021

Its high time for the govt to recognised Penang/George Town as a city........sometimes politicking can be downright silly :ohno:

they will take 2 years for the local government thing. must be longer if wanna gain city status.....

This whole Penang a city or not a city thing will always be a never ending story la...

Judging from development... Penang is definitely a CITY!...
Population wise... maybe yes maybe no...

So... never ending story...

Penang used to be a City when she was still under British... but don't know why Malayan Government took it back... could it because of the percentage of Chinese over there?? PLS DUN GET OFFENDED!

:wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:

Judging from development... Penang is definitely a CITY!...
Population wise... maybe yes maybe no...

So... never ending story...

Penang used to be a City when she was still under British... but don't know why Malayan Government took it back... could it because of the percentage of Chinese over there?? PLS DUN GET OFFENDED!

:wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:

KL also have a high percentage of chinese. i think that is not the reason tho....

Judging from development... Penang is definitely a CITY!...
Population wise... maybe yes maybe no...

So... never ending story...

Penang used to be a City when she was still under British... but don't know why Malayan Government took it back... could it because of the percentage of Chinese over there?? PLS DUN GET OFFENDED!

:wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:


well.....Penang used to be under opposition rule mah......furthermore Penang had a higher ratio of ethnic Chinese. KL on the other hand is the capital city so they can't do much ;)

well.....Penang used to be under opposition rule mah......furthermore Penang had a higher ratio of ethnic Chinese. KL on the other hand is the capital city so they can't do much ;)

so what's wrong with chinese?? spoil the city?? :bash:

so what's wrong with chinese?? spoil the city?? :bash:


no lah.......these are just old politics.........you know those 60s politics when things gets segregated by race and stuffs like that........I guess being officially recognised a city isn't important for Penang anymore as in many Malaysian opinion - Penang IS a city ;)

no lah.......these are just old politics.........you know those 60s politics when things gets segregated by race and stuffs like that........I guess being officially recognised a city isn't important for Penang anymore as in many Malaysian opinion - Penang IS a city ;)

i didn't know that event still has it's impact till now.

i guess i agree with the city or not city part, but i wonder if Penang will even get the additional municipal councils

i didn't know that event still has it's impact till now.

i guess i agree with the city or not city part, but i wonder if Penang will even get the additional municipal councils


well....since it is mentioned......I think it is quite possible........but I can't give any definite answers as they sometimes do not practice what they preached ;)

well....since it is mentioned......I think it is quite possible........but I can't give any definite answers as they sometimes do not practice what they preached ;)

So true. So true. Talk is louder than action :D

The penyakit in Malaysian society....

So true. So true. Talk is louder than action :D

The penyakit in Malaysian society....

wah!! Malaysia Boleh!!!:D

did you guys ever think if skycrapers ever exist in the centre of georgetown and a second bridge(if ever constructed) like golden gate bridge, it would make georgetown a stunning and panoramic city with penang hills at the background. not trying to be silly but i think georgetown have a lot of similarity with san francisco.


hi,i am new member :) :) :) :) :) :)

did you guys ever think if skycrapers ever exist in the centre of georgetown and a second bridge(if ever constructed) like golden gate bridge, it would make georgetown a stunning and panoramic city with penang hills at the background. not trying to be silly but i think georgetown have a lot of similarity with san francisco.


hi,i am new member :) :) :) :) :) :)

WELCOME TO THE FORUM, AFL!!

yeah, it'll look like SF but with higher hills:D

however, inner goerge town will not have scrapers coz of those pre war houses (wish they are restored though). scrapers are more likely to be built around that area;)

Judging from development... Penang is definitely a CITY!...
Population wise... maybe yes maybe no...

So... never ending story...

Penang used to be a City when she was still under British... but don't know why Malayan Government took it back... could it because of the percentage of Chinese over there?? PLS DUN GET OFFENDED!

:wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash: :wallbash:

I also used to think like this. Look at Shah Alam, created in 1970, and now it already gain a city status easily. Shah Alam might look pretty clean and well planned. But do not forget that was the government who forked out a large sum of money just to create this city. Unlike Penang who struggle itself to become now it is today. Not to mention another city which i think should not deserve to be a city like Alor Setar. In my opinion, i think Penang, Petaling Jaya are even far more advanced than both of this cities. So happen that both of the cities have quite a number of chinese and have not obtain "city" status. I hope that the government will be more transparent next time. They seems to do everything secretly and without any logic explanation. :bash:

Penang is definitely a city in every aspect, whether in terms of tourism, population, business activity etc...! Skyline-wise, it's (IMO) no. 2 in the country behind KayEll... Even PJ and JB cannot beat the dense Penang panorama, clustered with high-rise towers!

I dunno what those jokers in the government were thinking when such backwaters like Shah Alam and Alor Setar(?) can get city status, whereas the true cities like Petaling Jaya and Penang, and to a lesser extent Subang Jaya, have to remain under municipal council administration... But it's good to hear that the Penang govt is trying hard to apply for city status! Go for it, Penang!

I'm hoping for PJ to follow suit, though... What's wrong with having two large cities stuck next to each other (PJ & KL)? Several examples include Los Angeles-Long Beach and San Francisco-Oakland in California, NYC-Queens-Bronx-Brooklyn (all 4 have populations exceeding 1m!) in New York State, as well as Tokyo-Yokohama in Japan...

I also used to think like this. Look at Shah Alam, created in 1970, and now it already gain a city status easily. Shah Alam might look pretty clean and well planned. But do not forget that was the government who forked out a large sum of money just to create this city. Unlike Penang who struggle itself to become now it is today. Not to mention another city which i think should not deserve to be a city like Alor Setar. In my opinion, i think Penang, Petaling Jaya are even far more advanced than both of this cities. So happen that both of the cities have quite a number of chinese and have not obtain "city" status. I hope that the government will be more transparent next time. They seems to do everything secretly and without any logic explanation. :bash:

Kevin.....I think you shouldn't bring racial issues into this city thread. I know that is what most people say .....Penang and PJ being ethnic-Chinese dominated thus not granted city status is absurd! ....but lemme explain: :)

Kuala Lumpur is a city despite it being an ethnic-Chinese dominated city........okay fine....it is the capital but what about Ipoh and Johor Bahru which are both majority ethnic -Chinese too. Melaka and Kota Kinabalu are 2 other better examples. So I could conclude this isn't a bout racial issues.

The govt did explain ......they announced last year that only one city to one state (which is very silly) so PJ definitely outta question. Penang is a different case.....its the municipal council thingy.....(explained in an earlier thread).....so all issues are all out in the open - just that the general public are sometimes a bit ignorant to such issues ;)

Ipoh is a so called city but actual fact is it's still far from being one.

There's really pointless to argue whether a city deserves a city status or not because we all don't really know what are the criteria they use to declare a city as City...

Anyway, we all know that after KL being the largest city, Georgetown Penang and JB Johor are the 2 greatest cities with highly densed city skyline as well as overall yearly performance.

Interesting arguements... :yes:
Should be revived? :D

http://www.xpphotoalbum.com/data/500/6619IMGP0151.JPG?6858

Singapore - city or not city? :D:D:D

Singapore - city or not city? :D:D:D

Singapore is an Island. :)

Singapore - city or not city? :D:D:D

what kind of question is that??:?

^^^ I think both question and answer also got something wrong :lol:

what kind of question is that??:?

LOL Singapore is city-state :D
My original reply was Singapore is country/state/city? I'm sad you didn't get it :D:D

LOL Singapore is city-state :D
you knew!! so why ask?? seems like a very wrong thread to ask it. maybe should ask in mamak or something :D

My original reply was Singapore is country/state/city? I'm sad you didn't get it :D:D
Singapore is all of them, country, state and city.....i still don't get it:D:D

That one city to one state is defintely the stupidest policy... Selangor's PJ and Klang could have become cities long ago in terms of size n population n density n income etc (which i believe are much greater than that of Shah Alam)... It was once 'promised' that PJ or Klang would be the next after Shah Alam but we waited until now... Penang, including the island n Butterworth could have become cities too... may be we have to wait for Kota Bahru or Kangar to be cities first... hmm...

If you check all the tourist brochure... they term Penang as metropolitan city... so... you judge yourself... whether Penang is a city or not...

No doubt... KL, Penang (Georgetown) and JB are the 3 places that officially and statistically deserve city status...

Cities of Malaysia

The cities of Malaysia are (in order of grant of city status):

1. George Town (1957) (current status disputed)
2. Kuala Lumpur (1972)
3. Ipoh (1988)
4. Kuching North (1988)
5. Kuching South (1988)
6. Johor Bahru (1994)
7. Kota Kinabalu (2000)
8. Shah Alam (2000)
9. Malacca (2003)
10. Alor Star (2003)

George Town

George Town became a city on 1 January 1957 by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first town in Malaya after Singapore to become a city. However, as a result of local government reorganisations in 1976, the City Council of George Town was merged with the Penang Rural District Council to form the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

Although the city status of George Town was never officially revoked, it is now questionable whether George Town exists as a corporate entity, let alone as a city. This is similar to the position of the former city of Rochester in England, the site of England's second-oldest cathedral, which had been a city from 1211 until 1998, when it was merged with a neighbouring borough. As the new council was not granted city status, and the city through oversight failed to appoint charter trustees to inherit the city charter, the city ceased to exist and has been forced to petition the Queen to regrant city status.

This view has been supported by both the state and federal governments, but is disagreed with by some local residents, who hold that as George Town's city status has never been revoked it remains a city to this day. As city status is a matter of law, the actual legal position will depend on an analysis of the Local Government Act 1976 and the subsidiary legislation which created the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

The issue of city status has lain dormant since 1976, but in recent years local resentment has grown as relatively insignificant towns such as Alor Setar have been designated cities. The state government has announced its intention to petition the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia for a regrant of city status once the city's new boundaries are agreed.

Subsequent cities

Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Shah Alam, Malacca and Alor Setar's royal charters were from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, while Ipoh and Johor Bahru were granted by their respective state sultans. Malacca was declared a "historic city" prior to being granted city status in 2003.

Kuala Lumpur, the largest city, is the federal capital and a federal territory, but most executive bodies are moving to the new administrative capital and federal territory of Putrajaya. The federal territory of Labuan is an island whose principal town is called Victoria.

Miri has become a city !
What happen to Penang ?!
Malaysia's second largest city with a status of municipal council !

YES, miri becomes a city!!!!congrats to mirians........
But what a bout penang????

According to news i heard, Miri's population is 270 000
but Georgetown is half a million

From all I've seen and read in this forum, Penang definitely is a city!

PJ and Klang should be next on the list... Both are among the largest revenue earners for the Developed-State of Selangor and (especially PJ) have come close to meeting all the criteria to be considered cities...

In fact, Ong Kah Ting (the MCA President is a long-time PJ resident!) is actively lobbying for PJ to be declared a city... Apparently even MB Khir Toyo supports the idea... Lets hope the Federal Government gives the green light for my hometown to be one!

But whatever the outcome, PJ is undeniably a city in its own right, after seeing amazing growth since the mid 1990s...

the density and the infrasturcture of Penang already shows that Penang deserves the title as City rite!? or maybe Penang is missin somethin else that prevent it from havin the title as City..?? arrrgh.. i donno..?

so what's wrong with chinese?? spoil the city?? :bash:
i just would say the policy seems to be unfair and fascistic!!!!!! dammit

i just would say the policy seems to be unfair and fascistic!!!!!! dammit

wow... this is really stg undeniably emotionally-stricken-opinion. yes u r entitled to yrs, but i do believe that you have to be sensitive to the topic discussed here. n u can't simply be blinded by ur own view w/out taking into account of other people's thought :bash:

so what if Penang is not a city aknowledged by the current govt? i mean, to each one of us Penangites, Penang will always be the CT in our heart.. and from today onwards, I myself will declare Penang as the City of Heart. :)

nope, but seriously, yr comment above is trully unbecoming and unethical. tell me, and convince me, where on earth would there be a policy which is fair and not chauvinistic??

Why get so agitated?

Why get so agitated?
err.. magician, me or atoom? i am just being as sly as a fox.. he heh

yea ..... wat the heck with our government ? they seems to do things weirdly .. oh gosh ....

not quite.. i mean almost all govts in the world act rather peculiarly.. muahahahaaa..

YES, miri becomes a city!!!!congrats to mirians........
But what a bout penang????

According to news i heard, Miri's population is 270 000
but Georgetown is half a million

yeah!! the MPPP area has a higher population than any other "city halls" or "city councils" in Malaysia (excluding DBKL of course).

and MPSP (Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Prai) has an even higher population than MPPP!!

http://img274.echo.cx/img274/8489/census20007wb.jpg

Y a City Council has less population than a Municiapl Council??

does any1 knows what is the criteria towards achieving a city status?

and how does city hall differs to city council?

does any1 knows what is the criteria towards achieving a city status?

and how does city hall differs to city council?

i think szehoong or someone has posted the criteria before...i'll look for that post;)

A city hall is more "powerful" than a city council. i don't know the details though:(

posted by szeehoong:

Ministry’s criteria for city status:


- It must be a state's centre of administration.



- Population of more than 300,000 people.



- Financially stable with a yearly revenue of not less than RM80mil.



- Vast physical and financial development.



- A business and industrial centre with stable financial institutions.



- A centre for higher education, complete with universities, libraries and colleges.



- Possesses unique historical background and acts as cultural and sporting hub.


________________________________________________________________


What PJ has:



Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ)




- MPPJ is an administrative centre for Selangor.



- Population in Petaling Jaya is about 500,000 people.



- The annual revenue for the current term is RM185.5mil (although the assessment rate has not been increased since 1992).



- Areas under MPPJ are constantly under development, especially up- coming places such as Damansara Perdana, Bandar Utama and Mutiara Damansara.



- Petaling Jaya is a pioneer industrial area in Malaysia.



- There are more than 23 colleges and universities in Petaling Jaya including Universiti Antarabangsa Islam campus branch at Section 17, Universiti Institute Technology Mara campus branch at Section 1, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (Utar) campus branch at Section 13, Universiti Tun Abdul Razak (Unitar) main campus at SS6 Kelana Jaya and Malaysia University of Science and Technology (MUST) main campus at SS7. There is the Petaling Jaya Community Library in Jalan Selangor.



- MPPJ is the first new town development in the country as development began in 1953. Although Petaling Jaya does not have a museum, there is a proposal to set up Museum Warisan Petaling Jaya at Taman Jaya. There is also a sports complex at Kelana Jaya.

oooo, like dat ah... but miri has pop <300K, not the state admin ctr..

anyway, they should elevate this one particular place to a city status.. where else if not my kampung Sitiawan.. nice place u know.. cheap somemore heh heh..

oooo, like dat ah... but miri has pop <300K, not the state admin ctr..

anyway, they should elevate this one particular place to a city status.. where else if not my kampung Sitiawan.. nice place u know.. cheap somemore heh heh..

yeah!! based on that screenshot i got from the Department of Staistics, why not, Butterworth, George Town, Klang, PJ..... :bash:

in my mind Georgetown supposed to be A CITY loooong time ago but for some reason its all kinda Malaysian style of what settlement should be considered a city...................

someone should invite our PM for a helicopter ride and look at Georgetown from air and see the size of the city...

what could be government's next target, i know for sure Sandakan have a potential to become a city............

but i know, places that should be a city are PJ and Klang, they are big, i know because i learn geography a lot..............

someone should invite our PM for a helicopter ride and look at Georgetown from air and see the size of the city...

:lol:lololol..Our PM is from Penang, Batu Kawan...he should know everything about penang more clearly than other previous PM...

:lol:lololol..Our PM is from Penang, Batu Kawan...he should know everything about penang more clearly than other previous PM...

:lol: :lol: :lol: oh, yes i forgot but surely he should know more of his homestate.............................

aiya... anyway don't the previous PMs know about Penang's status?

yeah!! the MPPP area has a higher population than any other "city halls" or "city councils" in Malaysia (excluding DBKL of course).

and MPSP (Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Prai) has an even higher population than MPPP!!

http://img274.echo.cx/img274/8489/census20007wb.jpg

Haha this is unbeliveable....

Yeah, it is a bit surprising. SJ more people than PJ? I thought PJ has more than half a million giving its high population density.

read in bernama.com dat sibu is also going to seek city status.. aiyoh!

and this datuk (can't recall his name la) said miri attained her status due to 'community consensus.' if that is the case, Penangites shud b doing the same thing also. write a petition or the like and submit to the CM/FGovt. cannot simply wait for the CM to do things stms.. the people have to act.

jgn nanti Sitiawan also rcve city status (like that is going to happen in the near future) leaving Penang ternganga ha haa :)

Latest population of Penang is about 1.45 million where Penang Island has population of about 670,000 whereas for Seberang Prai is about 780,000 !
In my opinion, Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang (MPPP) should be upgraded to Dewan Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (DBPP). Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Prai (MPSP) should split into 3 to become 1 city council and 2 municipal concil.

Never ending discussion....

jgn nanti Sitiawan also rcve city status (like that is going to happen in the near future) leaving Penang ternganga ha haa :)


Hahahaha.....the day Sitiawan would receive city status is when it is joined or combined with Lumut (both are rapidly expanding actually) :D

Maybe it could be called Manjung City or something :lol:

Sitiawan is a fairly pleasant town..........musang......post some Sitiawan pics ler ;)

that my fren u have 2wait la cos i don't have any pics of sitiawan.. maybe i'll snap some when i balik cuti nanti..

hahaha....okaylah :D

Maybe I have some.....wait.....have to search for it ;)

In fact, foreign magazine (Asia Week if im not mistaken) consider Penang as City Hall,
same status as KL !
One article in that magazine is about local authority's efficiency in Asia. City Hall of KL and "City Hall" of Penang are considered as "inefficient" local authorities in Asia according to that article.
But i think DBKL has improved a lot ! In contrast, MPPP doesn't seem to improved !

read in bernama.com dat sibu is also going to seek city status.. aiyoh!

and this datuk (can't recall his name la) said miri attained her status due to 'community consensus.' if that is the case, Penangites shud b doing the same thing also. write a petition or the like and submit to the CM/FGovt. cannot simply wait for the CM to do things stms.. the people have to act.

jgn nanti Sitiawan also rcve city status (like that is going to happen in the near future) leaving Penang ternganga ha haa :)

Penangites arent strong enough, they have and should have that power , voice out and lobby for georgetown to be a CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

not strong enuff??

y ah? eating too much nutmeg i supposed :crazy:

I think until this moment... whether Penang has the city status is no longer important to me... since we all know... and perhaps majority of Malaysians know that Penang is far than just a small town... even in the tourism brochure... Penang has always been named a a Metropolitan... although I feel that the word metropolitan might be too far ahead what Penang has at the moment... But, the word or status 'City', Penang has fulfilled all the criteria and should have it...

So... we are not the lawmaker... even if Penangnites cry... shout... or even boycott the Government... do you think this will help?

The Government always gives the reasons that Georgetown does not have enough people/population... not enough people stay in Georgetown....

Well... we all know that Penang or rather Georgetown is one of the highest populated city in Malaysia...

If you are judging of the number of people staying within the city... then I have a question... Do KL people... all stay within KL? or majority of them stay outskirt.... Do JB people stay within JB? I don't think so... of course if judging the city size... JB is extremely small (business area)... but if we include all the residential area... JB is huge... So... Georgetown is Penang's CBD... of course most people will not stay within CBD... even like Singapore... I wonder if there's enough people stay within CBD for Singapore to claim as a city...

Penangites arent strong enough, they have and should have that power , voice out and lobby for georgetown to be a CITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not strong enough????...U should read the newspaper..i should say almost every months..there will be some penangits carry out this kind of topic in the newspaper :bash:

to me Penang is a CITY....regardless, it has all that it takes. No need for a lebel! We all know that and Georgetown shouod just stay cool...modest and mellow but has lots to offer and less talk...and the need for approval/recognition/acknowledgement...Penang is sweeeettttt!

Not strong enough????...U should read the newspaper..i should say almost every months..there will be some penangits carry out this kind of topic in the newspaper :bash:

yes, i know The Star newspaper is doing it right now

i believe this city status stuff is more political than physical.

so, penang is not a city, who cares?? this "town" is so much more bigger, advanced, proporous than those "cities". maybe one day, Penang will be the world's biggest and most advanced "town".

Penangites has been complaining about this ever since it's status was disputed. i think all of the penangites are already sick of it.

Maybe..soon..penang will becoem the first ''town'' in the world which have the monorail system..:lol::lol:lol:

Maybe..soon..penang will becoem the first ''town'' in the world which have the monorail system..:lol::lol:lol:

yeah..... right......

maybe next time this "town" will be so much more advanced than the cities near it, this "town" will control those cities :lol:

True also... Georgetown has alway been the northern region headquarter, overseeing many companies' branches (especially banks, even government agencies) in the so-called 'CITIES) like Alor Setar, Ipoh and Kangar...

So... if you guys are saying 'WILL', I do not agree... because Georgetown is currently controling (I don't want to use the word control, oversee will be a better word) these CITIES....

We all know that economically wise, Penang is strong... I would say one of the strongest in Malaysia...

True also... Georgetown has alway been the northern region headquarter, overseeing many companies' branches (especially banks, even government agencies) in the so-called 'CITIES) like Alor Setar, Ipoh and Kangar...

So... if you guys are saying 'WILL', I do not agree... because Georgetown is currently controling (I don't want to use the word control, oversee will be a better word) these CITIES....

We all know that economically wise, Penang is strong... I would say one of the strongest in Malaysia...

i am fully agree with you and also penang is commercial aviaiton hub of northern region where bayan lepas is rated fourth busiest in the nation....

Somehow sometimes I feel that Central government tries to stop Penang from growing... shining....

But, Penang manages to maintain its own pride and status...

For example... Penang Bayan Lepas Airport has always been a famous Air Cargo port in the region... but somehow, not much fund was allocated to further improve the airport... and that was a time when someone even thought of moving the Airport to Alor Setar...

Penang Seaport has high potential to grow into a main port... but, see what the government has done to the seaport? Taken away the entrepot status...

so, penang is not a city, who cares?? this "town" is so much more bigger, advanced, proporous than those "cities". maybe one day, Penang will be the world's biggest and most advanced "town".

:guns1: yeh dude! totali agree! and oyeh! the first "town" wit monorial :guns1: im happy wit "town" now! :gunz:

Maybe..soon..penang will becoem the first ''town'' in the world which have the monorail system..:lol::lol:lol:

Technically speaking, Bandar Sunway (PJ) already grabbed that title too. Sigh… :D

are you kidding? of course penang is a city! i expected a nice little historical resort type island, and i was struck upon arrival on the boat by an expansive city with many high-rises! and it sprawls too. the view from the top of penang hill only reaffirms penang's city status...its huge! i talked to a local, he said the greater penang area had 1 million people, and that the island itself had from 600-700 million. this sound about right? from my experience, it seems correct. all penang needs now is another bridge closer to the georgetown! the other one was crowded beyond beliefe, and quite far away from the city center.

Somehow sometimes I feel that Central government tries to stop Penang from growing... shining....

But, Penang manages to maintain its own pride and status...

For example... Penang Bayan Lepas Airport has always been a famous Air Cargo port in the region... but somehow, not much fund was allocated to further improve the airport... and that was a time when someone even thought of moving the Airport to Alor Setar...

Penang Seaport has high potential to grow into a main port... but, see what the government has done to the seaport? Taken away the entrepot status...

same problem with KK airport

found this article at answers.com

Georgetown

George Town became a city on 1 January 1957 by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first town in the Federation of Malaya to become a city ([[Singapore became a city in 1951). However, as a result of local government reorganisations in 1976, the City Council of George Town was merged with the Penang Rural District Council to form the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

Although the city status of George Town was never officially revoked, it is now questionable whether George Town exists as a corporate entity, let alone as a city. This is similar to the position of the former city of Rochester in England, the site of England's second-oldest cathedral, which had been a city from 1211 until 1998, when it was merged with a neighbouring borough. As the new council was not granted city status, and the city through oversight failed to appoint charter trustees to inherit the city charter, the city ceased to exist and has been forced to petition the Queen to regrant city status.

This view has been supported by both the state and federal governments, but is disagreed with by some local residents, who hold that as George Town's city status has never been revoked it remains a city to this day. As city status is a matter of law, the actual legal position will depend on an analysis of the Local Government Act 1976 and the subsidiary legislation which created the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

The issue of city status has lain dormant since 1976, but in recent years local resentment has grown as relatively insignificant towns such as Alor Setar have been designated cities. The state government has announced its intention to petition the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia for a regrant of city status once the city's new boundaries are agreed.

found this article at answers.com

Georgetown

George Town became a city on 1 January 1957 by a royal charter granted by Queen Elizabeth II, becoming the first town in the Federation of Malaya to become a city ([[Singapore became a city in 1951). However, as a result of local government reorganisations in 1976, the City Council of George Town was merged with the Penang Rural District Council to form the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

Although the city status of George Town was never officially revoked, it is now questionable whether George Town exists as a corporate entity, let alone as a city. This is similar to the position of the former city of Rochester in England, the site of England's second-oldest cathedral, which had been a city from 1211 until 1998, when it was merged with a neighbouring borough. As the new council was not granted city status, and the city through oversight failed to appoint charter trustees to inherit the city charter, the city ceased to exist and has been forced to petition the Queen to regrant city status.

This view has been supported by both the state and federal governments, but is disagreed with by some local residents, who hold that as George Town's city status has never been revoked it remains a city to this day. As city status is a matter of law, the actual legal position will depend on an analysis of the Local Government Act 1976 and the subsidiary legislation which created the Municipal Council of Penang Island.

The issue of city status has lain dormant since 1976, but in recent years local resentment has grown as relatively insignificant towns such as Alor Setar have been designated cities. The state government has announced its intention to petition the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia for a regrant of city status once the city's new boundaries are agreed.

i've already posted this article:D

ooops, i forgot :bash: :bash:

from citizen, penang really is a city, but for government penang still a town.

Still wanna argue over this issue/?

well at least Pak Lah has declared Penang as a MSC CyberCity.. read following article which appeared in The Star recently

Pondering the MSC from Penang

BY EDWIN YAPP

PETALING JAYA: The coming Multimedia Super Corridor International Advisory Panel (MSC-IAP) meeting in Penang will look at ways and means to further propel the MSC forward.

Multimedia Development Corporation (MDC) officials said some of the means that will be explored include the creation of high-value jobs, shared services and outsourcing opportunities in Malaysia.

Held each year, this MSC-IAP meeting is the ninth in the series, and it is themed “Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Driving the Innovation Society.”

“The theme is a very apt and a timely one for Malaysia and the MSC because we stand at the onset of a national thrust into an innovation-driven economy spearheaded by ICT and biotechnology,” said Datuk Dr Mohamed Arif Nun, MDC chief executive officer.

He said the most significant achievement of the MSC is that it has laid a solid foundation for the nation's hopes of achieving an information-rich and knowledge-driven economy.

The MSC, he said, has done “very well in its first phase of development by achieving all its milestones.”

“The task facing Malaysians now is how can we effectively use ICT as a key enabler and tool to excel in all areas of innovation, including areas such as biotechnology,” said Arif.

He said the Government recognises that the shared-services and outsourcing sector can be a major boost to the country, particularly through the creation of high-value jobs in the ICT and related sectors.

“A survey conducted by Deloitte Consulting notes that Malaysia is one of the likely beneficiaries of about US$250mil (RM950mil) worth of job shifts from the United States to other parts of the world.

“We need to ponder on how the MSC can position itself to take advantage of such opportunities,” he said.

The MSC-IAP meeting will be held in Bayan Lepas, Penang from Sept 8 to 10. It is also the first time the meeting is being held outside of the Central MSC Zone, which encompasses Cyberjaya and Puterjaya.

This year's topics of discussion are the role of ICT in building an innovation society; Global outsourcing: Moving up the value chain; Future business and technology trends; and MSC to Penang: Enhancing and creating niches.

Arif said he is happy with the progress made by Penang since it was declared an MSC Cybercity on Jan 29 by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

“(Penang) is on schedule with all the proposed plans and activities,” he said.

Since Penang achieved the Cybercity status, the number of its companies applying for MSC-status has been increasing, said Arif.

“Today, we have more than 1,300 companies (that have been granted MSC status) and I expect that this will continue to increase as other states apply for Cybercity status,” he said.

Arif said multinational companies in Penang have been very positive and supportive, and now directly enjoy all the incentives provided for MSC-status companies.

For example, he said, it is easier for them to hire top-notch foreign talent since the freedom to employ knowledge workers is one of those incentives.

city onot city, 9/10 people regarded georgetown as a city.

No doubt Penang is already a city! In fact, Penang is on the correct path of becoming a metropolitan, especially with the emerging of northern corridor. Increasing population, with current 1.5 million population and more than 2 million when combined with the population of neighbouring townships such as Kulim and Sg Petani, better infrastructure upon the completion of second link, PORR, BORR, monorail etc, improving of economy and standard of living are some of the key factors that enable Penang to become a metropolitan in malaysia after KL!

It's all about politics.
To me, Georgetown is physically a city, no questions about that. But it COULD do with major improvements in how things are run and maintained. The last time I was there (a couple of months back), I noticed the sidewalks and some buildings were crumbling away. That is really quite sad for a place touted as 'The Pearl of the Orient'.

City or not City :bash:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f157/adam_king/penang.jpg

City or not City :bash:
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f157/adam_king/penang.jpg

no doubt...PENANG REALLY IS A CITY!...maybe in the near future...the whole of Penang will become a city-state! :)