Speech by Chief Minister of Penang and the Chairman of the Penang Institute, YAB Lim Guan Eng, at the “Soft-Launch” of the new Penang Institute office in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday, 19th of May, 2015
It is no secret that Penang aspires to be an international and intelligent city. For Penang to achieve this ambition, it must be able to understand as well as influence decision makers, policy makers and civil society. At the same time, it must put itself in a place to absorb and assimilate cutting edge ideas from key thinkers and leaders in Malaysia, in the region and around the world so that these ideas can be customized and implemented by the state and local governments in Penang.
The role of Penang Institute is to translate these ideas into implementable policies. The motto of Penang Institute – “Making Ideas Work” – encapsulates the raison d’etre (or the reason for existence) of this state government sponsored think tank. “Making Ideas Work” will be centered on continuous pursuit of excellence and freedom, where not only the best ideas and policies will be formulated but also the freedom of expression
that is necessary in exploring new ideas. Only when there exists the 3Ts of talent, technology and tolerance of new ideas, can we build a creative/knowledge cluster.
While the heartbeat of Penang Institute is firmly located in its offices located in Jalan Brown in Georgetown, there is also a need for Penang to spread its wings beyond the boundaries of the state. Given the strategic importance of Kuala Lumpur as a place where many policy thinkers and decision makers live and also pass through, it is necessary for Penang Institute to have a presence here.
The role of the Penang Institute in Kuala Lumpur is to ensure that the ideas and aspirations of Penang is represented in our capital city. While the state government’s vision may be well publicized in Penang, many people outside Penang are still unaware of the many programs and plans already announced and implemented and also the many future plans in store. The key thrusts and vision of the Penang state government are outlined in the Penang Paradigm which was prepared by the Penang Institute. These ideas must be put out there, especially in KL, as part of a larger strategy to promote and showcase Penang as an international and intelligent city.
At the same time, Penang Institute’s office in KL will also conduct research on national issues which are of strategic interest to Penang. One of the areas of focus is the education sector, a pillar of any city, state or country which values human capital as a strategic resource. The Penang Institute’s office in KL has recently completed a study on the state of the private education sector in the country and will reveal the full report and findings this Saturday, the 23rd of May, 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Some of these findings will be shocking to many, including policy makers from the Ministry of Education, and these findings will be discussed in greater detail in a forum that will be held at the same time.
We also expect the Penang Institute’s office in KL to engage with thinkers and policy makers to be from the younger generation through internships and other strategic outreach programs. No city can be a world class city without the vibrant energy of and inputs from the younger generation. Penang Institute’s office in KL hopes to be one channel whereby members of the younger generation, regardless of whether they are from Penang or not, can contribute their ideas and energies to create a smarter and more intelligent city where they may find themselves living and working in one day in the near future.
While the Penang Institute’s office in KL may be small, I fully expect it to punch above its weight in ensuring that Penang is properly represented in all forms and facets among the intelligentsia and the idea creators and implementers in the country. This is because PI in KL is led by Dr Ong Kian Ming, who apart from being the MP for Serdang, is a well known Fulbright scholar from Duke University in the US as well as an alumni from Cambridge University, with a well rounded work experience that previously included being an associate consultant for the Boston Consulting Group.
Lim Guan Eng
—-Mandarin Version —-
槟州首席部长兼槟城研究院主席林冠英在2015年5月19日于吉隆坡为槟城研究院吉隆坡办事处推介礼上发表声明：
通过人才、科技、创新概念的包容（3T），打造创意知识集群，以“让想法成真”（Making Ideas Work）为中心，继续追求卓越及自由。
我们从未隐瞒槟城要成为一个国际及智能都市的愿景。槟城要达致这个梦想，它必须要明白及影响决策者及公民社会。同时，它必须要从吸收全马、本区域及全世界的主要思想及领袖的精华，好让这些思想可以被融入槟州政府及地方政府并实施。
槟城研究院的角色就是要将这些想法成为可以实践的政策。其口号“让想法成真”，简述了这个州政府资助的智囊团的“存在的理由”。我们“让想法成真”为中心，继续追求卓越及自由，不只是制订最好的概念及政策，我们也需要言论自由来表达创意想法。只有通过人才、科技、创新概念的包容（3T），我们才可以打造创意知识集群。
槟城研究院的总部位于乔治市Jalan Brown，我们也有必要扩展其羽翼到其它州属。有鉴于吉隆坡的策略性位置，聚集了许多政策思考者及决策者，槟城研究院有必要在这里办公。
槟城研究院在吉隆坡的角色是确保槟城的想法及理想在首都占一席之地。州政府的愿景虽然在槟州广为人知，但是，槟城以外的人们可能还不知道许多已经公布、实施的计划及项目，以及许多未来的计划。槟州政府的推进力及愿景都已经概括在由槟城研究院所草拟的《槟城典范》里。这些想法都必须要公开特别是吉隆坡，以推广及展示槟城做为国际及智能城市。
同时，槟城研究院在吉隆坡办事处也会针对关系到槟城策略影响的国家议题进行研究。其中一项焦点是教育领域，这是任何注重人力资本为策略性资源的城市、州属或国家的支柱。槟城研究院吉隆坡办事处最近针对我国私人教育领域完成了一项研究，并将于2015年5月23日在吉隆坡Renaissance Hotel 公布研究报告。一些结果将会让许多人震惊，包括教育部的决策者，我们将在同时举行的公众讨坛上进一步讨论这些结果。
我们也期待槟城研究院驻吉隆坡办事处可以通过学生实习及其它策略性对外活动，吸纳年轻一代的思考及决策者。如果没有年轻一代的活力及想法，没有任何城市可以成为世界级城市。槟城研究院吉隆坡办事处也希望成为年轻一代（不论他们是不是来自槟城）前来贡献想法、精力的管道，让他们把未来即将生活及工作的地方打造成一个精明、智能的城市。
这个办事处虽小，我希望它展现“蚍蜉憾大树”的能力，确保它在各个智慧群体、政策思考及制订人士面前，适当地展示槟城的方方面面。这个办事处是由王建民博士所领导，他除了是沙登区国会议员，也是美国杜克大学的布莱特奖学金得主，他也是剑桥大学的校友，他曾在波士顿咨询集团任职，拥有丰富的工作经验。
林冠英