AIR Putih assemblyman Lim Guan Eng stated that Penang’s thriving success was due to its clean administration which adhered to the CAT (Competency, Accountability & Transparency) principles.
“Penang became the only state in Malaysia with budget surpluses since 2008 bringing an increase to the state’s reserve asset reaching to RM2.1 billion compared to RM849 million in 2007 as well as reducing the debts by 90 percent which is RM63 million, the lowest in Malaysia.
“This also had placed Penang in a better financial situation compared to other states led by the opposition parties including Putrajaya which was previously under the Barisan Nasional administration.
“Even without the assistance from the previous federal government, the state had robust economic growth. Penang’s per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) also showed an increase from RM31,381 in year 2007 to RM49,873 last year,” said Lim at the State Assembly today.
Lim, who is also the Bagan MP, said Penang continues to be the preferred destination of foreign direct investment in manufacturing amounting to RM8.5 billion last year.
“The most important thing is, wealth should be shared by people from all layers of society through various programmes with the concept of a caring society,” added Lim.
Touching on the challenges pertaining to the Industry 4.0 Revolution, Lim said that Penang has already embarked on preparing itself towards it and highlighted the need to bring the Sciences to rural areas which is deemed an important initiative.
“With the slogan of ‘Data is King, Talent is Everything’, the state government has started investing in trainings and workshops for computer coding through the Penang Science Cluster (PSC) and are giving emphasis on STEMA (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Accounting /Arts) education through the Penang Future Foundation Fund since 2015.
“Among the state government’s initiatives to strengthen the foundation of Industry 4.0 include the Penang Digital Library (collection of books on STEM subjects), Karpal Singh Learning Centre with the emphasis on STEM education, Penang Tech Dome and the Penang International Science Fair.
“The increase in the number of visitors to the Penang International Science Fair shows the increase of students from rural areas to the programme,” affirmed Lim.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Law Suun Ting