What's in a Name?: The Many Lives of Penang's Roads
By Liani MK
February 2025 FEATURE
FOR ANY VISITOR, George Town’s colonial footprint is easily evident in the names of roads, named after European administrators, merchants and notable personalities during the British colonial period. Light Street, for example, was named after Francis Light, Penang’s first superintendent, who had named this street after himself in 1786 after clearing a forested land that would later form Penang’s Esplanade.
While such British names may point to the island’s colonial beginnings, oftentimes they also signify a biased retelling of the history and origins of places. It is often forgotten until recently, for example, that the same Francis Light, who has been credited as the “founder” of Penang, had taken over the island in a series of dishonest dealings between both the sultan of Kedah and the East India Company. Penang’s road names, in indicating the place’s colonial legacy, can also obscure the stories of those who came before.
Peninsular Malaysia, including Penang, is historically regarded as the original land of various indigenous communities. People like the Senoi, Aboriginal Malay and Semang, who were categorised in the 1960s based on early European racial concepts, are part of the broader Orang Asli groups.
These classifications, however, oversimplify and misrepresent their histories and cultural identities. Limited documentation exists about Penang’s indigenous peoples beyond James Richardson Logan’s colonial writing, which describes “various tribes inhabiting Penang and Province Wellesley”. There is limited research on older indigenous names of places like Penang, despite evidence of indigenous communities living in the state prior to British presence. This absence underscores the need to uncover indigenous narratives to provide a fuller understanding of Penang’s complex past.
Meanwhile, other existing road names do document local cultural stories and figures. Aboo Siti Lane, for instance, is named after Aboo Siti, who was known as the father of Bangsawan—a Penang Malay opera form that later on influenced Malaysia’s early film industry.
There have also been recent moves such as in 2019, when the state proposed that street names return to their old, gazetted spellings, for instance Ayer Itam (instead of Air Itam), and Aboo Sittee Lane (from Abu Siti Lane) for consistency. Such changes reflect both the passage of time and the multicultural influences that define the island.
Undergoing Change
Place names are not static entities, and they evolve with the communities around them. Local adaptations and spellings of road names hint at Penang’s evolving linguistic and cultural landscape.
Love Lane is an example of a place with a layered past. Today, Love Lane is a tourist haunt dotted with all-weeknight bars. However, in the past, the lane was long associated with sailors and wealthy Chinese merchants who kept their lovers in the area. In this way, Love Lane’s name carries romanticised yet seedy connotations. Another theory links Love Lane to the surname “Love”, possibly of a colonial officer or influential resident.
A less sensational but more likely theory links the street’s name to Shiite Muslims who brought the Muharram Festival to George Town in the 19th century. During the festival, Chulia Street and Love Lane were painted red with the blood of devotees engaged in acts of self-flagellation. Cries of “Hassan! Hussain!” would echo through the streets as they honoured Prophet Muhammad’s grandsons through rituals involving swords, skewers and fiery coals. The sight of their devotion and self-sacrifice reportedly moved onlookers, and inspired the street’s evocative name—Love Lane.
Green Lane, officially known as Jalan Masjid Negeri, has a different but equally compelling story as it transitioned from a leafy suburban avenue (hence “green”) to a busy thoroughfare that now, more than ever, reflects Penang’s rapid urbanisation.
The place itself has its roots in Penang’s colonial era, when it was a suburban road flanked by greenery. It was a key route with a scenic passageway, connecting Air Itam to the city centre. It is for this reason that the original name “Green Lane” persists among locals, as a nostalgic reminder of the area’s once-peaceful aura.
Tanjung Tokong, or “Cape of the Shrine”, was traditionally a Malay fishing village. The area is named after a seaside shrine, which reflects the spiritual significance attributed to coastal landmarks by the local Malay community. However, over time, rapid urbanisation displaced local communities and transformed Tanjung Tokong from a traditional fishing village into a high-density residential area. While these changes occurred, the road name has remained.
Jelutong is named after the Jelutong tree (Dyera costulata), once abundant in the area. The Malay community utilised the tree’s latex for various purposes, including making traditional crafts.
Founded by Tengku Syed Hussain, a Malay-Arab trader from Acheh, Sumatra, Lebuh Acheh was another street that became a centre for the Malay-Muslim community in the early 19th century. The street housed the Acheen Street Mosque and served as a spot for pilgrims journeying to Mecca.
Formerly known as Pitt Street, Jalan Masjid Kapitan Keling was renamed to honour the Kapitan Keling Mosque, one of Penang’s oldest mosques built by Indian Muslim traders. The Sanskrit term “Kalinga” was historically used to refer to people from the Indian subcontinent, though its derivative is now considered a derogatory term. The road’s name reflects the multicultural make-up of Penang.
These historic roads are not immune to overdevelopment. Jalan Tanjung Tokong, for example, once a Malay fishing village, has given way to high-rise developments and luxury apartments.
Gentrification in George Town has also led to increased property prices on Lebuh Acheh, which has completely altered the street’s historical character and displaced its long-standing residents.
Jalan Jelutong, once a coastal village, has seen environmental degradation with industrial expansion along the thoroughfare, affecting the livelihoods of nearby residents and contributing to the decline of traditional trades—thus altering the area’s identity completely. Kampung Melayu, translating to “Malay Village”, faces similar pressures. Urban development has encroached on this historical enclave to threaten its cultural integrity and community bonds.
The Politics of a Name
Road names can be political—reminders of power dynamics and historical narratives. Thus, researching road names and the history of a place can deepen appreciation and understanding of our communities and their linkages to the land. Documenting and preserving these histories can prevent a disconnect from Penang’s diverse heritage. A book on street names, written by Loh Lin Lee, a member of the Penang Heritage Trust, has been commissioned by GTWHI.
Efforts to recontextualise Penang’s road names—and to uncover the stories behind them—are necessary to understand how colonialism, migration and modernisation shaped this island. By documenting our experiences, indigenous histories and local stories, we can honour the layers of identity embedded in the roads most often taken.
References
2. https://data.gov.my/dashboard/orang-asli
3. https://e-malabari.my/history/penangsettlers.htm
Liani MK
is an independent writer, journalist and artist whose works span areas of language, film, culture, indigeneity and migration in Southeast Asia.
