Will city status for Penang Island bring a new mindset to citizens, to councillors and to officials? That is doubtful. But with concerted and conscious action from all parties concerned, there is always hope.
To many observers, there are 12 cities in Malaysia: KL, Ipoh (Perak), Kuching (Sarawak), Johor Bahru ( Johor), Kota Kinabalu (Sabah), Shah Alam (Selangor), Malacca City (Malacca), Alor Star (Kedah), Miri (Sarawak), Petaling Jaya (Selangor) and Kuala Terengganu (Terengganu).
Now, cities are administered by either city councils or city halls, and the heads of cities are addressed as mayors. While city councils have councillors, city halls have only advisors whose advice need not be followed by the mayors. The exception is Kuching, which is managed by two local authorities – one is city hall and the other city council.
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