Penang Hill is flocked by thrilled tourists who want to enjoy a scenic bird’s eye view of the city, lower temperatures and colourful blooms.
One person who has been making sure that Penang Hill is well maintained and clean is 61 year old cleaner P. Sanmuggam. For the past 39 years, Sanmuggam has been working for the Majlis Bandaraya Pulau Pinang (MBPP) as a cleaner. He rides the 6.30AM funicular train to the top of the hill and cleans the area before the tourists start coming in. His day ends at dusk and he will catch the 6PM train back down the hill.
This has been his routine for almost 4 decades. To honour workers for their involvement in 3D jobs (dirty, dangerous and difficult jobs), seven employees of MBPP and three others from the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) received the Pingat Jasa Masyarakat (PJM) and Sanmuggam is one of the recipients.
Sanmuggam received the award during the investiture ceremony to mark Yang di-Pertua Negri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas’ 81st birthday at Dewan Sri Pinang in Penang.
When asked about his job, Sanmugam said, “It may seem like a tiring job as I finish only at 6pm, but the satisfaction from the job is worth it.”
Thank you for your services!
