MP urges resolution to Chinese Cultural and Festival New Year celebrations impasse

GEORGE TOWN: A DAP parliamentarian has called on the Penang Chinese Clan Council not to monopolise the Chinese Cultural and Festival New Year celebrations if they are no longer interested in organising the event.
Tanjong MP Ng Wei Aik (pix), who is also a DAP Youth leader, said that many organisations have expressed their intention to hold the event after learning that the council has withdrawn from organising it.
The event has been held by the council for the last 18 years except for this year when the state government stepped in to organise it after a tiff with the council.
Ng told journalists that he was approached by some quarters to continue with the event even if it was not under the usual organiser.
Some of them might also collaborate with each other to get the event going smoothly without any hassle, Ng added.
Ng also urged the council to allow other interested parties or organisations to take charge of the annual festival instead of making it an issue; as it comes at the expense of the community.
Some tourists from other states plan to cancel their trips here after learning that the event would be scrapped, according to Ng.
This has now become a contentious issue, especially for the Chinese community here.
The event has been an annual affair for the Chinese community for the last seven years but the relationship between the council and state soured due to the delay in handing over a clan house in Love Lane last year.
Ng also pointed out that the state would not organise or co-organise it, but they would provide the necessary assistance and support in terms of logistics, as the event was designed to showcase Chinese culture during the Lunar New Year festivities.
The council's president Anthony Chang Wei Loon could not be reached for comments.