Affordable ‘paradise’

IN 1985, the 13.5km-long Penang Bridge, connecting the island to mainland Prai, was completed — symbolising the agro-based nation’s ambition to become a global industrial powerhouse. The South Korean-built, cable-stayed structured bridge was the longest of its kind in Southeast Asia and won awards for its unique architecture. At conception stage, the bridge drew criticism, chiefly because it was seen as a “luxury” project. Now, that initial outcry sounds thoroughly antiquated. Luxurious or not, the government disregarded the sceptics, invested RM800 million in construction and realised the early-1970s dream of then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein and chief minister Tun…