Malaysia Nanban reported that the Indian population on Penang island is dwindling, saying that the high cost of living had driven many families to the mainland and to Kulim and Sungai Petani in Kedah.
The paper quoted MIC deputy president Datuk G. Palanivel as suggesting that the Penang Hindu Endowment Board – the only government-run board in the country that looks into the welfare and maintenance of Hindu temples – carry out various housing schemes on the island to settle the Indians..
It could be one of the measures to increase the Indian population on the island, he said.