"Happy Hour" Sculpture (No More Red Tapes)

Happy Hour (GPS: 5.41796, 100.32938) aka No More Red Tapes is a steel-rod sculpture along Transfer Road, in George Town, Penang. It is one of the steel-rod sculptures installed by the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) in 2013, in continuation on the Marking George Town project, and is among those based on the caricatures by cartoonist Lefty.

The Happy Hour Sculpture depicts four European men in a seemingly joyous mood. On the left side is the words "EIC" while on the right "Crown Office". Why are these people elated? Is it happy hour in a pub? It's not that at all. Let me explain what the sculpture is trying to say.

Happy Hour Sculpture, Transfer Road, George Town, Penang (3 February 2013)


The Happy Hour Sculpture commemorates the naming of Transfer Road, which itself commemorates the 1867 transfer of the administration of the Straits Settlements from the British East India Company (EIC) headquartered in Madras, India, to the Crown Office headquartered in Singapore. It so doing, it reduced the bureaucracy - red tape - and increased efficiency and profitability. This took place under the backdrop of booming local economy fueled by the tin rush, so it translates to greater local control of the wealth.

Although tin mining brought much social upheaval - 1867 was the same year the differences between different factions erupted into street fights known as the Penang Riots - it was also the start of the long-awaited years of prosperity ahead. In the subsequent decades, the population of Penang Island grew by leaps and bounds due to a huge influx in Chinese immigrants fleeing the poverty in southern China. In addition to the laying of Transfer Road, there was general improvement to local infrastructure, the Town Hall was built, and the first tramway was also constructed.

Further Reading

To learn more about the Penang Riots and events taking place in Penang during the third quarter of the 19th century, read the following pages:

List of Steel-Rod Sculptures by Lefty, Marking George Town Sculptures and Penang Street Art