Speech by Lim Guan Eng At Foreign Correspondents Club, Singapore

Speech by The Honourable Lim Guan Eng Chief Minister of Penang At Foreign Correspondents Club, Singapore
12 August, 2011

Changing Penang in a Changing World: Transforming Penang

Ladies and gentlemen thank you very much for inviting me here to speak. I come here as the Chief Minister of Penang, one of four states led by Pakatan Rakyat or the People's Pact, the opposition coalition in Malaysia. I am from the Democratic Action Party, one of three coalition partners. I am extremely proud to be given the opportunity to govern the beautiful vibrant state of Penang and delighted to have the opportunity to speak to you. I hope by the end of my remarks you will consider coming to visit and invest in Penang, as it continues to be an attractive location for business and pleasure alike.

It is wonderful to be in Singapore. We have so much in common; shared history and people. Our bonds are deeply intertwined, culturally, politically and economically. I would like to highlight some of our common features. We are both small states that have punched above our weight economically through the hard work and creativity of our people. We have both been successes despite our size and obstacles we share. Today, more than 25%Malaysia's exports in terms of value and volume come from Penang -
more than half of the country's electronics are produced there - and we are among the top tourist destinations in Malaysia with a record numbers of visitors. Like Singapore, we appreciate the importance of planning, a favorable market environment for investors and fiscal responsibility. We both have worked hard to put ourselves on the map internationally, and done so successfully.

When is a Hee not a He? When she is a shee-Hee-it

When is a He not a He. When she is a She-Hee-it, or SHIT in short.

Photo of Hee Yit Foong courtesy of Malaysiakini

Background: Hee Yit Foong was a long time DAP member, Perak State Assemblywoman and Deputy Speaker who hankered for an exco (executive committee) post and for a CAMRY car but didn't get them. So she sulk and eventually turned Independent while throwing her support to the dastardly BN @ UMNO, handing the Perak state government to BN. She is now the most hated and despised person in Perak and possibly the whole of Malaysia.

Change Federal Government of Malaysia: Next step

It is now becoming clearer by the day. Abdullah Badawi said they have heard the message, but from their actions, they are still deaf. We are seeing how the BN (Barisan Nasional) Federal Government and its agencies are placing obstacles in the path of the PR (Pakatan Rakyat) controlled states by various means such as stopping funding to the state government agencies and channeling it via BN controlled bodies. The latest is the announcement by Noh Omar that the Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development Ministry will stop disbursing development funds to the SEDCs (state economic development corporations) but channel them via MARA (Majlis Amanah Rakyat) instead. This was announced at the annual general meeting of the Perak chapter of the Malaysia Malay Chamber of Commerce.

Photo of Noh Omar courtesy of Malaysiakini, the real newspaper

Teng Chang Khim to be Selangor state assembly speaker, the first non-Malay speaker

On Sunday, 20 April 2007, Menteri Besar of Selangor, Khalid Ibrahim made a historical announcement. He announced that Teng Chang Khim will be appointed the Selangor state assembly speaker at the next Tuesday 22 April 2008, making him the first non-Malay to hold the post.

Another histotorical event will be created by the appointment of the first woman speaker, PKR's Taman Medan state representative Haniza Takha, as the deputy speaker of the Selangor State Assembly.

On Tuesday 22 April 2008, all the Selangor state representatives would be sworn in and the first sitting of the state assembly will also take place on Tuesday.

However, Teng Chang Khim declined to comment on whether he is happy about his appointment as the Speaker after being left out in the Selangor Exco.

Dr Karim Mansor protest pig farm project: Let the photo do the talking

UMNO and Barisan Nasional lost power in the State of Selangor and Tanjung Sepat assemblyman Datuk Dr Karim Mansor make U-turn and objected to pig farming project which he himself was instrumental in initializing

When UMNO and Barisan Nasional lost power in the State of Selangor, Tanjung Sepat assemblyman Datuk Dr Karim Mansor and former Kampung Tumbuk village head Mohd Tarmudi objected strongly to the project. (This is unverified and from memory, but if I remembered correctly there were also reports of them taking part in demonstrations against the pig farm project, but you have to do your own research as I am unable to locate the source of those reports. Not sure if it was only Mohd Tarmudi who took part in the demonstration or both of them).

MCA Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng claimed Datuk Dr Karim Mansor and Mohd Tarmudi were part of former committee for pig farming project

According to theStar Online, MCA (Malaysia Chinese Association) Traditional Agriculture and Agro Based Industry Bureau chairman, Datuk Dr Lee Chong Meng, had come out in the open to disclose that "Tanjung Sepat assemblyman Datuk Dr Karim Mansor and former Kampung Tumbuk village head Mohd Tarmudi were part of the committee that went on a trip to Germany to study the technology to be used in the project.

Source:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/16/nation/20965895&sec=nation

It is tough to make heads or tails of going on’s in Malaysia now after the March 8 "political tsunami" with all kinds of conflicting reports, but as the saying goes, a photo is worth a trillion words (own version), so let the photo do the talking:

Photo of Selangor Umno leader and Tanjung Sepat state assemblyperson Dr Karim Mansor posing next to a pig-pen (thumbs-up sign) in Germany courtesy of Malaysiakini

Source of photo which Malaysiakini said was released by the new Selangor Government:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/81418

Dr Karim Mansor, if I remember the reports correctly, was part of a group that went on a "study tour" to Germany and other countries. The new State Agriculture, Modernization, Natural Resources Management and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman, Yaakob Sapari Yaakob even disclose they have photographs countless other pictures of Dr Karim of him in Amsterdam and also at the Eiffel Tower in France that could be made public. Now just what does Eiffel Tower and Amsterdam has to do with pig farming? Perhaps Dr Karim Mansor is speculating that rearing pigs at higher altitude may lead to healthier pigs?

Source:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/16/nation/20965895&sec=nation

This is another piece of information of which I am unable to trace the source, and you will have to do your research, but there had been reports of Karim telling Utusan Malaysia on April 7 that the project would cause problems because the Malay-Muslim majority district of Kuala Langat will look like a pig-farming district.

In favor of project when in power and object to project when not in power. "Head" or "tail", I don't know. You tell me.

Ahmad Said to be Terengganu Menteri Besar (Chief Minister or MB)

According to theStar Online, the UMNO Supreme Council meeting has given its support for Ahmad Said, the Terengganu Kijal State Assemblyman, as the new Menteri Besar (MB or Chief Minister) of Terengganu, which hopefully now has helped avert a Constitutional crisis. The Terengganu Palace's choice for the post of Menteri Besar was Ahmad Said while initially, the other UMNO state assemblymen and Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi was Idris Jusoh, the former Terengganu Menteri Besar who was reported as having incurred the wrath of the Terengganu Palace.

Hopefully, the swearing in of the Terengganu Menteri Besar will take place soon, followed by the appointment of the State Exco (Executive Committee) and the formation of Terengganu State Government.