14-07-2025
Penang embraces pinang revival to reclaim heritage
Left: Sundarajoo (in white) and Baderul Amin (left) watering 'pinang' sapling at the event, with MBSP councillors. Photos: — LIM BENG TATT/The Star
THE pinang tree – once so common it gave Penang its name – is getting a big push for a comeback.
Locals are welcoming a state plan to plant 100,000 pinang trees across the mainland and island, calling it a meaningful way to restore Penang's natural identity.
Technician Mohd Azri Adzemi, 38, said it was a timely move.
'Penangites should be proud of this initiative because we will again have so many pinang trees all over the state to remind everyone of how our state got its name,' he said.
Irsyam: The pinang tree is more than just a tree for Penang. Mohd Azri, who lives in Bertam, said the programme would also help beautify Penang and create a greener, more vibrant landscape.
Irsyam Ibrahim, 43, said the pinang tree was more than just a tree for Penang.
'Planting many of them across Penang makes perfect sense,' he said.
The two were among visitors at Vision Park in Bertam during the weekend, where the 'Pinang Tree Planting' programme was launched in conjunction with the state-level National Landscape Day 2025.
About 100 Seberang Perai City Council (MBSP) staff and their family members joined in, planting around 50 pinang trees at the park.
State housing and environment committee chairman Datuk Seri Sundarajoo Somu said the goal this year was to plant at least 100,000 trees to revive the original identity of Penang.
'With help from both our local councils, we will plant pinang trees in every corner of the state,' he said.
He noted the effort was not only about creating visual landmarks at key entry points.
'It's also about filling central medians and roadside verges with pinang trees wherever we can.
'Our hope is to go beyond the 100,000-tree target by the time we celebrate state-level National Landscape Day in October,' he added.
Sundarajoo said the tree- planting campaign was meant to reconnect with Penang's roots, not just beautify public spaces.
MBSP will meet two-thirds of the planting target, as more land is available on the mainland, while the rest will be handled by Penang Island City Council.
Seberang Perai mayor Datuk Baderul Amin Abdul Hamid said the pinang tree was more than just a landscaping choice.
'It is a symbol of Penang's identity and heritage.
'Planting it is a way of honouring and reviving the origins of our state's name, Pulau Pinang,' he said.
He noted the project supported Penang2030 vision to be a green, smart state that is family-focused and nationally inspiring, by balancing physical growth with environmental sustainability.
The core aim, Baderul Amin said, was to raise awareness about conservation while greening areas increasingly affected by development.
'It highlights Penang's cultural roots. The pinang tree is an emblem of our state.
'This programme helps reduce our carbon footprint and promotes a shared responsibility to care for the environment,' he added.
Penang's name comes from the areca nut palm (Areca catechu), a species that once grew abundantly across the island.
Historical accounts say that when Captain Francis Light landed here in 1786, he found the island thick with pinang trees – a detail believed to have inspired the name.
Although the British colonial government named it Prince of Wales Island, the local name Pulau Pinang became commonly used.
Eventually, the English-speaking world adopted the simplified state name Penang, which refers to both the island and mainland Seberang Perai.
