Location : North of Penang Island, State of Penang, Malaysia

Population : 150,000 (estimated)

Constituency Boundaries : North - Batu Ferringhi town East - Gurney Drive South - Scotland Road West - Air Itam town, including Penang Hill

Registered Voters : 69,800 (1999) Constituency : Incorporating the State Constituencies of Tanjung Bunga, Kebun Bunga and Air Itam

Landmarks : Penang Hill resort Municipal Youth Park Botanic Gardens Penang Turf Club, Golf Club, Penang Swimming Club, Beaches of Batu Ferringhi, Gurney Drive, International beach hotels.

MENTION Bukit Bendera to those outside Penang and they are likely to blink. Mention Penang Hill and they will probably nod. Bukit Bendera is the official name for Penang Hill. Bukit Bendera also lends its name to the parliamentary constituency which covers the most famous tourist beach belt in the country.

Batu Ferringhi, which has made Penang and Malaysia popular throughout the world, is part of this constituency on Penang island. The more popular tourist attractions in the State are to be found in this constituency of about 150,000 people. They include Penang Hill, the Batu Ferringhi beach belt with its many hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and seasports facilities, the Botanic Gardens, the Youth Park, Gurney Drive, the Thai and Burmese Buddhist temples, the Kek Lok Si Temple, the waterfall hilltop Bala Thandayuthapani temple and Natukkotai Chettiar Thandayuthapani temple.

Tourism is the main industry here and many residents are involved in this lucrative industry. For instance, most of Penang's chefs stay in Tanjung Bunga which is part of this constituency.

There are also small businesses and plenty of hawkers in places such as Batu Ferringhi, Gurney Drive and Rifle Range. There is only one major factory in this constituency, namely, a garment factory at Rifle Range. Many professionals and businessmen live in this constituency, as do teachers, clerks, hawkers and service industry workers.

Income levels in this constituency span the extreme, with people earning salaries of RM300 a month and those who earn RM50,000 a month.

Bukit Bendera is the only parliamentary constituency that borders all four other parliamentary constituencies on Penang island - Jelutong, Tanjung, Bayan Baru and Balik Pulau.

The MP is Chia Kwang Chye, a young and dynamic politician on the move. Popular Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon is Assemblyman for Tanjung Bunga, State Exco Member for Local Authority Dr Teng Hock Nan is Kebun Bunga Assemblyman while Lye Siew Weng is Air Itam Assemblyman.

So, all, or most, of their problems regarding facilities and services should be easily solved since both the chief executive of the State Government and the Exco Member for municipal matters are their representatives.

Jesselton Heights, considered one of the classiest areas, is located here. A three-room apartment at one of the condominiums in this area could cost RM4,000 a month to rent.

Apart from Dr Koh, Chia, Lye and Dr Teng, other Assemblymen living in the constituency are State Executive Councillor and Machang Bubuk Assemblyman Dr Toh Kin Woon and Padang Kota Assemblyman Teng Chang Yeow, who is also the Chief Minister's Political Secretary.

Former Chief Minister Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu also lives here.

One of the most, if not the most, congested living areas in the State is also here - the Hong Seng Estate. It is home to many squatters, many of whose houses have tombstones right at their doorsteps.

Among the major problems in the constituency are the lack of proper roads in a few places in Air Itam and Tanjung Bunga village. The drainage system in places such as Hong Seng Estate, Pepper Estate and Kampung Chetty pregressively being upgraded. Low water pressure is another problem often cited by people here. And Air Itam residents are frequently complaining of the frequent disruptions in electricity supply. Since this is the most hilly constituency in the State, a number of people are occupying houses built on slopes. When it rains heavily, mudslides, and sometimes, landslides, occur.

Traffic congestion especially in Air Itam town, Pulau Tikus, and part of Tanjung Bunga are legendary. Among the projects in the pipeline are a four-lane road widening project from Tanjung Tokong to Tanjung Bunga, the construction of the Penang outer ring road which will pass through all three State constituencies, and several mixed housing projects from low-medium cost to high cost.

New hotels have sprung up recently, notably the Evergreen Hotel at Gurney Drive, the Berjaya-Georgetown Hotel at Midlands, Gurney Park Hotel and the complete redevelopment of Lone Pine Hotel and Palm Beach Resort. Penang Hill is to be upgraded and facilities there improved. There are plans to enlarge the Botanic Gardens.

Bukit Bendera is a model constituency in terms of services and the working relationship between the MP and the three Assemblymen.

MP Chia is on excellent terms with Dr Koh, Dr Teng and Lye. Even though Lye is from the MCA and Chia, Dr Koh and Dr Teng are from the Gerakan, they work as an effective team.

Their working relationship, in fact, is the envy of many Assemblymen and it will not be wrong to say that theirs is the best MP-Assemblymen working team in the State. They always invite each other for functions and it is not uncommon to see all four or three at the same function. They also often go on constituency visits together.

Says Chia: "We work hard to make sure we satisfy the needs of the people. We can be firm but we are friendly. All of us are people-oriented. We are not jealous of each other and we don't backstab. We see the opposition as our enemy, not each other." He says they do not keep their noses in the air but meet the people at every level. All of them have well deserved reputations for their friendly natures and easy accessibility.

Living in their own constituencies, all four have industriously built up an image of friendliness and dedication. For years, Bukit Bendera, together with Air Itam, had been under the DAP. Tanjung Bunga was also once under the DAP.

The BN managed to wrest these opposition strongholds in the 1995 general election, with Chia beating veteran DAP stalwart Gooi Hock Seng and Dr Koh handing DAP secretary-general Lim Kit Siang a decisive defeat. Chia and Dr Teng defended their positions by defeating Lim Kit Siang in their respective parliamentary and state constituencies.

(Adapted from A. Kathirasen's article in The New Straits Times, 2 June 1996, "Tourism Industry Synonymous with Bukit Bendera" )