“Air Laut Macam Daun Pandan” (The Sea is Like Pandan Leaf): Pulau Pinang Fishing Communities, Contested Development and “Anti-Politics”

This study identifies the developmental pathway that is taking place in the state of Pulau Pinang. The focus is on the responses of the ordinary people, namely fishing communities to the development pace of Pulau Pinang (island), the contestation on “developmental” discourses with the state (namely Pulau Pinang State Government, PSG), and the ways in which state institutions and communities construct the narrative of “development”. Through participant observation in the field sites with the fishing community and secondary resources analysis, the article showcases the contested meaning of “development”. The research findings are on the one hand by the PSG, which is underpinned by neoliberal economic principles, on the other hand, by the communities at large, which is multifaceted in nature.