By Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang
As we welcome the Year of the Goat, Penangites hope that we can also bid farewell to the man-made and natural disasters in the Year of the Horse. The Penang state government expresses our condolences and sympathies to the victims of the three airlines lost and victims of the massive floods at the end of last year.
In hoping for a new year that is free from man-made or natural disasters, Penang can show Malaysians a better alternative model of governance by relying on moderation, rule of law, integrity and relentless pursuit of excellence. These four basic criteria are the secrets of success behind many states that have achieved international and intelligent status. Penang state government’s CAT governance of competency, accountability and transparency is a paradigm shift from BN’s model of crony capitalism, negotiated tenders, budget deficits and increased debts.
The Penang state government has adopted the people-centric approach of 3Es to enable the people through acquiring skills and knowledge, empower them with rights and responsibilities and enrich the rakyat. Firstly, to live with dignity, the people must be enabled with skills, knowledge as well as empowered with a deep understanding of rights and responsibilities. Investment in education is necessary to win the future. Similarly investing in moderation that respects our rights and responsibilities can ensure stability and an orderly society that are keys to success.
For instance the Penang Science Cluster(PSC) has started the first STEM teaching in the country of Science, Engineering, English and Mathematics. Through PSC, cafes are set up to teach young primary schoolchildren robotics. PSC also organizes the largest science and technology exhibition in Malaysia over two days attracting 60,000 people, until it has to be held in a stadium. The RM 25 million Penang Tech Dome has been approved to establish Penang as a center of science and technology.
Acquiring skills and knowledge as well as a work ethic of hard work, team work and positive values of moderation and harmony is the solution. Blaming others and taking the easy way out by breeding hate and violence through racism and extremism, will only lead to ruin and failure. No country in history that has relied on discrimination, hatred and violence has succeeded.
One of the measures of the success of CAT governance is economic growth. As an industrialised state, Penang has recorded higher investments of RM41 billion from 2008-2013, which is 90% higher than a similar 6 period from 2002-2007 of RM21 billion. CAT governance has allowed Penang to reduce our state debts by 90% and recorded surpluses every year since 2008. Since 2008, our total budget surpluses amounted to RM453 million. This RM453 million budget surplus over 6 years is even higher than the total surpluses over the previous 50 years from 1957-2007 of RM373 million!
This is shared with the people. To enrich the people, the state government has distributed RM287 million of the budget surplus of RM453 million, in the form of cash to the people. The remainder is used for basic infrastructure projects of better roads, drainage, public amenities and green parks. The state government allocates around 12% of our annual budget for this cash assistance, the highest amongst all state governments.
In our quest to achieve international and intelligent city status, we must not forget the fundamental pre-requisites of a cleaner, greener, safer and healthier Penang. And that Penang must be a vibrant cultural and heritage city to be a dynamic economic center in Malaysia.
Let us in Penang show that we value collaboration, not confrontation in resolving our problems together. Unlike the different colours of our skin, inequality and injustice has no colour. Similarly why should we discriminate when we do not differentiate between the different colours of our bank notes?
– The Rocket
