GEORGE TOWN: Companies in Penang are not closing down despite the global economic challenges.
The Human Resources Ministry has not received any reports of closures although some companies in the state were downsizing, said its deputy secretary-general (Policies) Mohd Shariff Hussin.

“Companies that want to close down must inform us but we have not heard anything so far. There are companies downsizing but the situation is not worrying,” he said.

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GEORGE TOWN: If all goes well, Penangites will be able to cross the second Penang bridge to a new world-class golf resort in Batu Kawan, modelled after the famed resort town of Santa Monica in California.

Representatives from the bridge contractor China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and South Korean company DK Enc Company Ltd expressed the hope for closely-timed launches as both projects are scheduled for completion in 2012.

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Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng today asked Penang Gerakan to prove that the RM84 million Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP) headquarters in Bandar PERDA was mooted by the then deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.


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PETALING JAYA: George Town and Malacca will officially get the Unesco World Heritage Site recognition tonight at 8pm, when the letter of commission is handed over by the world body.
The Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry’s Heritage Department said the handover ceremony at Kuala Lumpur’s Dataran Merdeka will be conducted with pomp and splendour in traditional Malay custom, complete with warriors, horses and elephants.

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BOTH living and architectural heritage are key factors drawing in tourist dollars that will ultimately enhance the state’s economy, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.
Speaking at the recent Night of Nostalgia charity gala dinner, Lim said that George Town’s listing as a UNESCO World Heritage Site was not only for the unique cluster of pre-war buildings, but also for the city’s multicultural diversity.

“Both the government and residents of Penang should continue playing their part to preserve these unique cultures. Hopefully, the listing has raised awareness of our distinct cultural heritage and given us a renewed appreciation of George Town’s identity and future potential,” he said.

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COMPANIES with research and development (R&D) and design and development (D&D) will have little difficulty recovering from the pending global recession, said investPenang executive committee chairman Datuk Lee Kah Choon.
He said sectors that would do well included equipment manufacturing, high-end test machine products, electronics and medical devices.
“In Penang, we have encouraging news, especially from the medical devices sector which is recession-proof,” he said.
Lee said the manufacturing industry would normally “ride it out through good and bad times”.

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GEORGE TOWN: While the status of George Town’s World Heritage Site hangs in limbo, developers, heritage watchdogs and experts here have started questioning the part played by the previous state administration.

Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association (Rehda) Penang chapter chairman Datuk Jerry Chan said stakeholders, including landowners, developers and businesses were not consulted on the formation of the heritage guidelines.

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GEORGE TOWN: There is no plan to turn Penang into a free port as the status does not guarantee an improved economy.
State Domestic Trade and Con­sumer Affairs Committee chairman Abdul Malik Abul Kassim (PKR – Batu Maung) said Penang, with its free industrial zones and licensed manufacturing warehouses status, did not need to be a tax-free port.

“Current practices allow tax exemptions for exported goods and imported raw materials and ma­­chines for manufacturing purposes.

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GEORGE TOWN: Penang will continue to implement the 30% quota for bumiputras.
“In housing, the state aims to speed up the quota release process to ease the financial burden of developers,” Deputy Chief Minister I Mo­hammad Fairus Khairuddin (PKR – Penanti) said in a written reply to Datuk Arif Shah Omar Shah (BN – Seberang Jaya).
He also said the quota was also to enable bumiputras to take part in the economic sector with emphasis on capacity-building.
“Bumiputra entrepreneurs will be offered financial aid and training to help them master information and communications technology, management, accounting and marketing skills.

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PENANG: The Penang government will proceed with its decision to use multilingual road signs and street names to promote Georgetown as a World Heritage Site.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said it was merely adding English, Tamil, Chinese, Arabic and Jawi in the signboards while retaining Bahasa Malaysia in deference to it being the national language.

He said the multilingual road signs could assist many foreign tourists in exploring Penang as a multiracial, multicultural and multireligious city.He said multilingual signboards had been put up in many cities, including Kuala Lumpur, which had added Arabic and Jawi on its road signs.

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A BACKBENCHER yesterday called for the banning of Utusan Malaysia from covering state assembly proceedings because of inaccurate reporting.

R.S.N. Rayer (DAP Seri Delima) cited a Nov 14 article in the Bahasa Malaysia daily as example where the newspaper had twisted what deputy chief minister II Prof P Ramasamy had said during proceedings into something with racial overtones. He said this had led to a police report being lodged against Ramasamy.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) has been likened to a “healthy man ending up in intensive care unit.”

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, who described the MPSP as “nearly insolvent”, said the state government was now trying very hard to reduce the council’s budget deficit and go through the auditor’s report.

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GEORGE TOWN: Penang is expected to rake in over RM8bil investments this year, nearly double the amount of RM4.77bil in 2007.
InvestPenang executive committee chairman Datuk Lee Kah Choon said from January to August, the state had attracted RM6bil in investments.
“About 77%, or RM4.77bil of the amount, came from local investors. These investments were mainly in the manufacturing sector,” he said at the opening of Surface Mount Technology Association (SMTA) conference.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Pakatan Rakyat-led state government’s inaugural Budget saw the tabling of a RM477.24mil Budget for next year with a deficit of RM39.4mil.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said this was an increase of 8.2% or RM36.15mil from this year’s RM441mil.

He also said the deficit was an increase of RM3.7mil compared with this year’s RM35.7mil. He said next year’s Budget included two social programmes introduced by the state to help the poor and schools here, such as the RM17mil aid in water subsidy to 170,000 poor families and an RM8.5mil allocation for 172 government-aided schools.

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PENANG: The Penang government will ensure all races have the same rights and opportunities to join the public sector and that the recruitment of state employees is not dominated by a particular race.
Deputy Chief Minister II P.Ramasamy said that as of Sept 30, 7,092 people worked for the state government, its statutory bodies and local authorities and, of the total, 81.95 percent were Malays, 12.92 percent Chinese, 5.05 percent Indian and 0.08 percent other races.

Replying to S.N. Rayer (DAP-Seri Delima) in the State Legislative Assembly on Thursday, he said the state government would carry out a thorough study so that certain actions could be taken to balance the situation.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state legislative assembly will table an administrative enactment on Thursday to create the official position of Opposition Leader.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the move was long overdue and the enactment would include a RM1,000 monthly allowance for the position.

“Even though this move is 50 years late, it’s better late than never.
“The enactment is in line with the spirit and concept of democracy which requires a constructive Opposition to provide checks and balances in the state.

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GEORGE TOWN: To celebrate George Town’s living heritage and cultural diversity following its inclusion in the Unesco World Heritage List in July, the state government is organising the inaugural Penang Cultural Fest 2008 (PCF2008), from Dec 4 to Dec 8.

The event will involve collaboration among the state government, heritage specialists, non-governmental organisations and individuals, local and foreign corporations, artists, musicians and chefs to deliver Penang’s cultural diversity at its best.

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GEORGE TOWN: A newspaper vendor was robbed and slashed several times with machetes (parang) while delivering newspapers in Solok Tembaga 2 in Seri Delima here.

Seri Delima assemblyman R.S.N. Rayer said a policeman told him at the hospital that three robbery cases were reported in his constituency on the same day.
“Apart from the newspaper vendor, two hawkers were robbed by the same gang.
“We are appealing to the Penang police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Wira Ayub Yaacob to increase police patrols in Seri Delima and other constituencies as newspaper vendors and hawkers are easy targets for robbers,” he said in a press conference Saturday.

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GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Government will proceed with a free state-wide WiFi initiative under its Wireless@Penang project.
Jelutong MP Jeff Ooi said the state would proceed with the project as long as there was no conclusive evidence of health risks posed by the initiative.

“There will always be dissenting views and it is only fair that we engage them and share our information. From our perspective, it is a measured risk but we have to do things for the larger group of society.

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YB R.S.N. Rayer giving Rm1000 as emergency aid from Tabung TYT Negeri Pulau Pinang, at 1.30pm 25/10/2008 to fire victim Mr. Lio Chee Ming and Ms. Yew Mei Yeang.
Their apartment at Jalan Gangsa, Island Park was razed by fire caused by a short-circuit at 10.30am 25/10/2008.

PENANG may be able to mitigate the effects of the current global economic uncertainties as foreign investments are still flowing in.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Penang remained a destination of choice for investors and the announcement by American automation company, National Instruments (NI), to invest RM280mil in Malaysia with their manufacturing and research and development facilities to be built in Bayan Lepas earlier this week, only reaffirmed the state’s position.

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THE Penang Municipal Council is expected to implement the coupon system for parking by June next year.
Council financial management subcommittee alternate chairman Tan Hun Wooi said the subcommittee had approved the proposal in a special meeting held on Oct 29 and it would go to the full council for final approval.
“Once it’s approved in the full council, we will draw up a mechanism and work on the details on how the coupons are going to be sold,” he said when contacted yesterday.

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GEORGE TOWN: German-based company Pac Tech Asia Sdn Bhd will invest a total of RM30mil in Penang by 2010. To date, the company which is involved in wafer bumping processes and the design and manufacturing of advanced packaging equipment, has invested RM20mil to set up its facility in Asia, Pac Tech Group president and chief executive officer Dr Elke Zakel said Tuesday during the opening of Pac Tech’s new facility at the Bayan Lepas Industrial Park.

“This new facility provides state-of-the-art wafer bumping and back-end processing for semiconductor companies within the Pacific Rim. The building has 40,000 sq ft of remodelled production floor space and clean room area equipped with the latest facility for producing 300mm wafers.

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KUALA LUMPUR: US-based National Instruments is investing RM240mil initially in Bayan Lepas, Penang to set up an integrated manufacturing plant.
The company said on Monday the plant would also undertake research and development and operations.

The RM240mil would be invested in the first and second phases to manufacture and service test, measurements and automation hardware and software products. Work on the plant would start next year and create 1,500 jobs when completed.

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