I think today’s CJM’s outing is by far the best of all. We covered so many issues today and most importantly, we enjoyed doing them.
We did a few vox pops on the newly shifted wet and dry market of Balik Pulau, Penang. The old market which was located in the middle of the lay back Balik Pulau town was shifted to the new complex about 500 metres away. We asked a few vendors at the new complex how was the business even since they are here. There were some mixed comments, but very valid ones.
We took time to enjoy the local “food” and “drinks” like the purple banana kuih and nutmeg juice. Both very delicious and refreshing. Thanks to our CJ Owen Koh who is a “kampung boy” in Balik Pulau, we were able to see several changes, some good and some bad, which were highlighted to us. By the way, we will be soon promoting Owen Koh to Public Relation Officer for CJM as he got us to interview a few important people who provided us a lot of information about Balik Pulau. Syabas!! He has a skill to get total strangers talking, like they knew him for ages.
We then went to Pulau Bedong, just a 10 minutes drive from Balik Pulau and visited a farm by accident, of all farms, a goat farm… but we really had fun talking to the owner and I tried communicating the goats but failed. Even Owen failed to get something out from them.
It was lunch time, and we went for the famous “Prawn mee” and “Assam Laksa” nearby. Well, that was lunch and we dashed to the next destination, Pulau Bedong fishing village. We initially did not expect much, but was pretty excited to get good padding shots of fishermen, trawlers, boats, the sea and we even did not feel the hot sun beaming on us.
We were about to leave until our newly appointed PRO of CJM, called out to us and invited us to have a look at some live lobsters. It was the curiousity that took all of us, Natasja, Lim, Chan Lilian and I, through some narrow wooden planks and finally to a shady river side where fishermen and their families tend to their catch of the day. Some of their children were playing with live crabs and fishes. We were also introduced to a “urinating prawn” aka Mantis Prawn.
There were a few fishermen mending their nets and we were fasinated how fast one fisherman was doing it. We had small talks and he was doing his thing, we probe a little more deeper into their livehood and suddenly before we know it, the topic of “tiger nets” came in like a flash and there were accusation flying wildly against the related ministry for not responding to their plea. A plea that was of 30 years. This time around, we had 4 camcorders and I believed it was the best coordinated camcorder relay ever. You can hear whispers among CJs,” Eh my battery is going to kong in a few minutes, please stand by”….
Most of us were low on battery and we had to rationed it so that we could get what ever necessary to make this documentary right.
We were also told that the fishermen have asked for help from everyone, but so far there has been no changes. It seems their livelihood are being snatched away by big trawlers with “tiger nets” which is actually a kind bottom trawling net which destroys the sea bed and everything in its path in the process of catching fish. And it seems such nets are prohibited and it is illegal to use them, but are still deployed used by “big trawlers”.
We had some drinks before we moved on to the Owen Koh’s “issue” which has been troubling him for years, the “Abandon Highways of Balik Pulau”. Lilian Chan took some important shots of the said highway and really, it is sad, no, MAD to put things to waste after using up so much money to build a half cooked highway.
Anyway, I will have to stop here, or I will be telling you the whole story. Stay tune for a documentary on these issues, it will be out soon.
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Posted by Jimmy Leow Beng Hock
