A combination of public holidays, including Malaysia Day, Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, and school holidays, led to a massive traffic jam on the northbound lane of the North-South Expressway yesterday.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow was among the many travellers affected by the gridlock, causing him to miss an important banquet in his constituency.
Chow had been attending the launch of the 100th Malaysia Agriculture, Horticulture, and Agro-tourism Exhibition (MAHA 2024) in Serdang, Selangor, officiated by Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
According to Oriental Daily, during the Zhongyuan Festival banquet, Penang Chinese Town Hall Vice Chairman explained Chow’s absence, noting that the Chief Minister had been caught in traffic for nine hours on his way back from Selangor.
Despite this, he expressed hope that attendees were satisfied with the newly renovated Penang Chinese Town Hall, as this was the first banquet held since its completion.
In his absence, Batu Kawan and Batu Gajah constituency service centre head attended the event on behalf of the Chief Minister.
This morning, while attending and delivering a speech at the “Forward Road Relay 2024” organized by the Penang Forward Sports Club in the George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site, Chow shared details of his experience.
He departed from Serdang at 2 PM, but due to the severe traffic congestion, he only reached Penang at 11 PM, resulting in his absence from the 105th anniversary Zhongyuan Festival banquet hosted by the Penang Chinese Town Hall.
The Penang Chief Minister also took this opportunity to urge the government to pay attention to the continuous traffic jams on the highways during long weekends.
The heavy traffic along the North-South Expressway was attributed to the long weekend, as many travellers returned home from holiday activities, leading to significant delays across the country.
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