Putrajaya, Penang join forces
By Yow Hong Chieh, The Malaysian Insider
KUALA LUMPUR, April 1 — Putrajaya and Penang will work together to develop a Greater Penang Transformation Programme to accelerate the northern state’s growth in an “inclusive, sustainable and holistic” manner, the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) has said.
Pemandu’s statement today quoted Datuk Seri Najib Razak as saying Penang needed to “synergise” its RM17.9 billion investment under the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) with the Economic Transformation Plan (ETP) to become a top urban centre in the Bay of Bengal and the Golden Triangle.
10MP infrastructure projects for the state include the Penang Bridge, Penang International Airport, Penang Port expansion as well as the construction of a second Penang bridge, an electrified double-track and the Juru-Sungai Dua bypass.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said his government fully backed the initiative as Penang was well-placed to “take a big leap” up the value-added chain due to its strategic location and leading position in manufacturing, logistics and services sectors.
“As an act of commitment, we have now shelved our Penang Blueprint, which is an industrial development masterplan that we have completed for the next five years, from 2011-2015,” he said in the same statement, adding that Penang was prepared to cooperate fully with Putrajaya to ensure the programme’s success.
One of the proposed initiatives is the rejuvenation of George Town and Butterworth through a Hong Kong Island-Kowloon-style waterfront development, which linked the twin urban centres via “seamless” land and waterway connections.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop said the George Town-Butterworth transformation will serve as the centre of growth for Greater Penang and increased connectivity will enable the state to “compete vigorously” with other regional cities.
