2012 Chinese New Year Message By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng On
21.1.2012 In Komtar, George Town.
Putting Penang First – The RM500 Million Affordable Housing Fund, The RM8 Billion Road Projects And Transforming Penang’s Civil Service That Is Competent, Accountable and Transparent Will Help Make Penang Cleaner, Greener & Safer.
The year of the water dragon holds much promise of making Penang cleaner, greener and safer, which is essential to Penang’s long-term vision of an international and intelligent state. To succeed the state government must retain the rakyat’s faith in our ability and will as well as encourage their unique spirit of creativity and innovation.
Penang’s unique spirit of creativity and innovation can be retained so long as Penangites maintains its faith in the government. Retaining the rakyat’s faith is more about our ability and will to choose the best that can deliver and execute. It is much more about believing in common values of freedom, the rule of law, human dignity and democracy. It is about sharing the commitment of always putting Penang first over our own private interests.
There is a certain confidence in Penang, born of optimism and past achievement in our ability and will to choose the best. Penang has
been praised by the Auditor-General for recording budget surpluses every year in state government finances. Most notable was saving
Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai from bankruptcy afer RM230 million of losses in 7 years under BN. Another notable achievement was reducing our state government debts by 95% or RM600 million from RM630 million to only RM30 million.
More important than these achievements, is the optimism in the future stemming from proving that a clean, competent, accountable and transparent can also work and succeed in Malaysia. Open tenders, public declaration of assets and public disclosure of government contracts has brought about confidence and optimism resulting in praise from Transparency Internantional as well as record levels of foreign investments and tourists.
These improvements are meaningful when achieved with respect for each other as well as the institutions of freedom, rule of law and
democracy. Respecting human dignity to speak freely and each other’s differences fosters peace and harmony. Penang’s ability to accommodate diversity has brought great pride to Penang, with the listing of George Town as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
However, present achievements are no guarantees for future success. Future success is only guaranteed when both the rakyat the state government is committed to putting Penang first over any private interests. Putting Penang first requires proof that prosperity is
shared and solutions to problems are inclusive. If possible no one is left behind.
To ensure that the civil service performs well by serving the rakyat with quality, good governance of competency, accountability and
transparency will be intensified to a higher level. There is no room for non-performance, delays, passing the buck from one department to another and corruption.
To deal with housing needs of the lower-income groups, the Penang state government has set up the largest affordable housing fund of any state government amounting to RM500 million. To deal with the traffic congestion caused by the sudden surge of investors and tourists, the government has outlined short-term, medium-term and long term plans of road infrastructure projects amounting to nearly RM8 billion.
Putting Penang First – the RM500 million Affordable Housing Fund, the RM8 billion road projects and transforming Penang’s civil service that is competent, accountable and transparent will help make Penang Cleaner, Greener & Safer.
–Mandarin Translation–
槟州首席部长林冠英于2012年1月21日在槟城乔治市发表声明：
以槟城为先- 推出5亿令吉可负担房屋基金、80亿令吉道路计划、打造能干、公信及透明的公共服务素质，让槟城变得更清洁、绿意及安全。
龙年展望槟城更加清洁、绿意及安全，这可以实现槟城要成为国际及智能都市的长期愿景。如果要成功，州政府必须让人民相信的能力，同时也要鼓励人们革新创意的精神。
只有人民继续对州政府有信心，槟城才能保持独特的革新创意精神。要让人民有信心，在于我们有没有能力及意志，选择最好的人来工作及执行。我们是否相信一些普世价值如自由、法治、尊严和民主。我们是否可以共进退，首先考量槟城的利益，而不是个人的利益。
人民对槟城是有信心的，与生俱来的乐观、以及选择人才的意愿。槟城已因为连续数年都保持财政预算盈余的记录，而被总稽查司表扬。
最明显的成就是，威省市政局在国阵管辖下，短短七年内亏损了2亿3000令吉、近乎破产。另一个重要的成就是，我们把州政府的负债减少了95%（近6亿令吉）， 或从6亿3000万令吉减少至3000万令吉。
最重要的是，这些成就让我们对未来充满希望，证明干净、能干、公信及透明也能够在马来西亚推行成功。公开招标、公布财产和公开政府合约，已经建立起人民的信心和乐观，也让我们被国际透明表扬，在招商引资及游客人数方面也获得不俗 成绩。
这些都是有意义的改变，它们在大家相互尊重以及自由、法治及民主的基础上达致，我们尊敬自由发言的人类尊严、彼此差异、和谐共存。槟城拥抱多元的能力让我们赢得殊荣，被联合国科教文组织列为世界文化遗产。
但是，现有的成就并无法保障未来的成功。唯有当人民和政府都把私己利益放一边，以槟城为先，未来才会成功。以槟城为先就是繁荣与共、共商对策解决问题。尽可能不让任何人落后。
为了确保公共服务的表现，为人民提供良好的服务，我们将再次强化能干、公信及透明的良好施政的方针。我们不允许表现不良、耽搁、部门之相相互推诿及贪法。
为了解决低收入群体的房屋需求，槟州政府已经 成立比其它任何州属还大的可负担房屋基金， 价值为5亿令吉。为了解决投资者及游客突然涌入而导致的交通阻塞，槟州政府已经拟定短期、中期及长期计划，开展近80亿令吉的道路建设计划。
以槟城为先- 推出5亿令吉可负担房屋基金、80亿令吉道路计划、打造能干、公信及透明的公共服务素质，让槟城变得更清洁、绿意及安全。
林冠英