Opening Speech By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng During The One Week 1 Utama Launch Of The “Penang Paradigm” (2013-2023) On 20.3.2013.
The Greatest Gift That A People-Centric And Good Government Can Bestow To Our Future Generation Is Not Cash Handouts But Knowledge, Education, Freedom From Fear And Corruption.
I am very pleased to be here today to officiate the Selangor launch of the “Penang Paradigm”, which is a 10-year development framework (2013-2023) put together by the Penang Institute, the Penang state government think tank under the leadership of its Executive Director, Professor Datuk Woo Wing Thye, to develop Penang as an international and intelligent state. Or to put it simply to make Penang No.1 in Malaysia.
Let me first confess that the Penang state government humbly seeks your help, the experts and general public out there – to get your inputs on how we can make the Penang Paradigm better so we can make Penang No. 1 faster. This novel crowd sourcing approach and willingness to concede to superior proposals and policies in and outside Penang is unlike previous development plans which are implemented without genuine public engagement and consultation. This is why we have launched the Penang Paradigm in 3 locations in Penang, Mid-Valley in KL and now 1 Utama in Selangor.
Although it is a roadmap for Penang, we believe that the key policies proposed for Penang are also applicable to the rest of Malaysia. After all, what is good for Penang is also good for Malaysia, being that Penang is a significant contributor to the national economy, making up nearly half of total electrical and electronics exports and 9% of the country’s GDP.
Since Merdeka, 2 million Malaysians and Penangites, especially talented young people, have left because of lack of educational opportunities, lack of economic opportunities, discrimination, corruption and lack of social justice. Our vision is for Penang once again to be a regional hub that will build, upgrade, attract and retain international talent.
The greatest gift that a people-centric and good government can bestow to our future generation is not cash handouts but knowledge, education, freedom from fear and corruption Penang can only do this by becoming an international and intelligent state – one that educates and nurtures talent; one that promotes and rewards diligence, expertise and entrepreneurship; one that is liveable by being clean, green, safe and healthy; and one that practices integrity, justice and people-centric governance.
Since 2008, we have introduced open competitive tenders and compulsory asset declarations for EXCO members to weed out corruption and cronyism. We have made State Government contracts available for the first time for public scrutiny. We have legislated and pushed for freedom of information and local government elections despite Federal obstruction and opposition.
By operating a clean and competent government, we have reversed a string of deficits by recording consecutive budget surpluses year after year since 2008, and have reduced the State debt by 95%. And these surpluses are put to good use with innovations such as:-
• giving cash aid to the poor, senior citizens, the disabled, single mothers, trishaw riders, university, secondary and primary school students;
• yearly allocations for Chinese, Tamil, missionary and Islamic religious schools;
• providing fee wifi in public places throughout Penang;
• free bus services in the city of George Town as well as park and ride services across the Penang Bridge to ferry workers to and from the mainland to the island;
• carrying out infrastructure projects worth billions of ringgit to reduce traffic congestion and flash floods throughout the state;
• becoming the first state to allocate a RM500 million Affordable Housing Fund to build 19,172 units of the best quality that is managed by HDB Singapore; and
• becoming the first state to wipe out poverty in Malaysia in 2013 by ensuring a minimum household income of RM770 a month for every family in Penang, above the national Poverty Line Indicator (PLI) of RM763 a month.
In order to build on Penang’s human capital, we have set up learning and training centres as well as an educational hub in Balik Pulau. In the past five years, the arts and cultural scene in Penang has flourished with events such as the George Town Festival, and Penang has gained international renown for the revitalisation of our world heritage city.
In order to improve Penang’s liveability, we have thought outside the box by using new incentives to make Penang cleaner and safer, adopted green measures by introducing a conservation surcharge to limit water wastage, banning free plastic bags, phasing out polystyrene bags to maintain the highest recycling rate in the country at 24%, far surpassing the country’s recycling rate target of 20% 7 years from now by 2020.
To encourage healthy lifestyles, we have hosted numerous events from trialthlons to the unique 4-stage “Penang Run”, over hills and flatlands that will take place over four separate occasions with a total distance of 77km around the Penang island. At the same time, Penang also aims to be a first cycling state in Malaysia with the construction of a round-the-island bicycle lane as well as over 200 kilometres of cycling tracks across Seberang Perai.
In our drive to ensure a Cleaner, Greener, Healthier and Safer Penang, we have also made decisions against big business such as closing down the Lee Rubber factory in Paya Terubong, once the largest rubber processing facility in Malaysia, that emitted a foul smell complained by residents over 25 years.
We are also seeking to take this thinking outside the box forward by offering Rapid Penang RM10 million every year to provide free bus services throughout Penang during peak hours which has not been taken up by the federal government. The fact is that the current situation with regards to the traffic situation in Penang is dire. The modal share of public transport in Penang is a cringe-worthy 3% state-wide and 8% in the George Town area. This abysmal figure is due to the Federal Government’s deliberate lack of support for public transport in Penang.
Not only have promise of an extra 200 buses by the Prime Minister gone unfulfilled, so too has the monorail system that had been proposed and approved by the Federal Government. Although an elevated monorail system is not something we were enthusiastic about due to Penang’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage City, we were willing to go along. However, that has turned out to be another empty promise.
However, the PR Penang State Government not only refuses to do nothing, but also refuses to allow Penangites to be choked to death by the worsening traffic congestion. Hence, we have embarked on a RM6.3 billion project to construct 3 major highways to decongest roads in the island, along with South-East Asia’s first underwater sea tunnel as our third link to improve the connectivity between the Island and the Mainland.
Ladies and gentlemen,
All that we have done in the last five years we have achieved in spite of the constraints of our country’s over-centralised Federal system, where the Federal Government gets 94% of Government revenues and the States get only 6%, and where crucial local matters such as public transport – buses, ferries – and the airport and the Penang Port are all under Federal Government control.
As a result, over the past 50 years, Penang has been badly neglected by the Federal Government, which has underinvested in Penang’s public transport infrastructure and in her seaport and airport. Our airport runway is still smaller than Langkawi’s, and too short to allow for the Airbus A380 to take off fully loaded. The iconic Penang ferry has simply been left to decline.
The Penang Port, which was the largest port in Malaysia in the 1950s and 60s, has been reduced to being a mere feeder port for Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas in Johor. The Penang Channel has still not been dredged to allow larger ships to call at Penang, despite the RM353 million dredging project promised in the 9th Malaysia Plan, and the Penang Port Free Commercial Zone in Butterworth is too small to allow Penang to develop into a regional logistics hub.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Penang Paradigm’s strategic vision is based on our greatest asset: our people. We believe that we can provide the best environment for people to live in if we have a people-centric government that invests in people, that educates and trains the people, that frees the people to innovate and engage in enterprise, and that liberates the people from ignorance, poverty and disability so that that they can be full participants in our economy and in our democracy.
We do not seek to manufacture economic growth through Government expenditure and spending by GLCs because we believe that the business of Government is to stay out of business. Instead we seek to turn Penang into a knowledge economy that emphasises science and technology and that relies on life-long learning and upskilling to generate human-capital-led growth.
Our belief that success and prosperity depends primarily on the people rather than on Government means recognising that in an increasingly globalised world, Penang must be able to fulfil a threefold “choice”, that is, to be the habitat of choice for residents, the destination of choice for tourists and the location of choice for investors in setting up business.
Quality of life in Penang should not be just for the rich, but for all who live and stay in Penang. This requires quality affordable housing, efficient and effective public transport, green open spaces accessible to all, a clean and healthy natural environment and a vibrant arts, culture and heritage landscape.
Thirdly, our emphasis on people means that we believe that we cannot prosper and develop as a State and as a nation if women, ethnic minorities, the poor and the disabled are shut off from full participation in our economy and our democracy. People-centric government requires eradicating poverty, eradicating unfair discrimination and eradicating corruption and cronyism, which elevates private interests and private profits above the public good.
In other words, empowering human talent, good and clean governance, sustainable development, liveable city and a shared society are critical success factors for economic prosperity that will make Penang No.1 in Malaysia. A shared society is crucial to ensure that prosperity is inclusive. A ‘shared society’ is a socially cohesive society. It is stable, safe based on four key characteristics:-
1. democratic participation in decision-making,
2. respect for diversity and the dignity of an individual,
3. equal opportunity; and
4. prohibition of all forms of discrimination.
Making Penang No. 1 in Malaysia is possible. After all, Penang achieved international recognition in 2011 when it was selected by Yahoo Travel as No. 8 top island in the world you must see before you die. This year George Town became the No. 4 top place for retirement in the world, becoming the only Asian city in the top 8 list. And in 2011 and 2012, George Town became the most liveable city for the first time in Malaysian history, surpassing Kuala Lumpur for the first time ever.
Lastly, I would like to quote former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam, who said in an interview with Sinar Harian yesterday that “if the opposition rules, they will not chase investors away from the country. They will not do so and make the economy bankrupt.” At the same time, Tun Musa also said that those who are truly bankrupt are the ones who play racial politics.
I fully agree with Tun Musa’s statement, and believe that the Penang PR government is solid proof of this. In the last five years in Penang, yearly budget surpluses were recorded despite increasing development expenditure by 55% and giving RM150 million in cash aid, achieved record levels of investments by becoming No. 1 for the first time in Malaysia for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011 contributing 28% of Malaysia’s FDI, increased our state assets by 50% or RM400 million. We had previously inherited RM800 million worth of assets which took the BN over 50 years to amass. We have increased it by half in only five years or one tenth the time.
We have managed to achieve this because we are a people-centric government based on the principles of Competency, Accountability and Transparency.
I would like to end by saying that the time has come when the people should no longer fear the government, but that the government should fear the people. And it is because we, the Penang state government, fear the people that we have adopted this crowd-sourcing approach in order to seek inputs from the people at large. And so, I hope you will all participate by giving your feedback in order to help us refine the Penang Paradigm. Thank you.
Lim Guan Eng
——Mandarin Version —–
Opening Speech By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng During The One Week 1 Utama Launch Of The “Penang Paradigm” (2013-2023) On 20.3.2013.
The Greatest Gift That A People-Centric And Good Government Can Bestow To Our Future Generation Is Not Cash Handouts But Knowledge, Education, Freedom From Fear And Corruption.
I am very pleased to be here today to officiate the Selangor launch of the “Penang Paradigm”, which is a 10-year development framework (2013-2023) put together by the Penang Institute, the Penang state government think tank under the leadership of its Executive Director, Professor Datuk Woo Wing Thye, to develop Penang as an international and intelligent state. Or to put it simply to make Penang No.1 in Malaysia.
Let me first confess that the Penang state government humbly seeks your help, the experts and general public out there – to get your inputs on how we can make the Penang Paradigm better so we can make Penang No. 1 faster. This novel crowd sourcing approach and willingness to concede to superior proposals and policies in and outside Penang is unlike previous development plans which are implemented without genuine public engagement and consultation. This is why we have launched the Penang Paradigm in 3 locations in Penang, Mid-Valley in KL and now 1 Utama in Selangor.
Although it is a roadmap for Penang, we believe that the key policies proposed for Penang are also applicable to the rest of Malaysia. After all, what is good for Penang is also good for Malaysia, being that Penang is a significant contributor to the national economy, making up nearly half of total electrical and electronics exports and 9% of the country’s GDP.
Since Merdeka, 2 million Malaysians and Penangites, especially talented young people, have left because of lack of educational opportunities, lack of economic opportunities, discrimination, corruption and lack of social justice. Our vision is for Penang once again to be a regional hub that will build, upgrade, attract and retain international talent.
The greatest gift that a people-centric and good government can bestow to our future generation is not cash handouts but knowledge, education, freedom from fear and corruption Penang can only do this by becoming an international and intelligent state – one that educates and nurtures talent; one that promotes and rewards diligence, expertise and entrepreneurship; one that is liveable by being clean, green, safe and healthy; and one that practices integrity, justice and people-centric governance.
Since 2008, we have introduced open competitive tenders and compulsory asset declarations for EXCO members to weed out corruption and cronyism. We have made State Government contracts available for the first time for public scrutiny. We have legislated and pushed for freedom of information and local government elections despite Federal obstruction and opposition.
By operating a clean and competent government, we have reversed a string of deficits by recording consecutive budget surpluses year after year since 2008, and have reduced the State debt by 95%. And these surpluses are put to good use with innovations such as:-
• giving cash aid to the poor, senior citizens, the disabled, single mothers, trishaw riders, university, secondary and primary school students;
• yearly allocations for Chinese, Tamil, missionary and Islamic religious schools;
• providing fee wifi in public places throughout Penang;
• free bus services in the city of George Town as well as park and ride services across the Penang Bridge to ferry workers to and from the mainland to the island;
• carrying out infrastructure projects worth billions of ringgit to reduce traffic congestion and flash floods throughout the state;
• becoming the first state to allocate a RM500 million Affordable Housing Fund to build 19,172 units of the best quality that is managed by HDB Singapore; and
• becoming the first state to wipe out poverty in Malaysia in 2013 by ensuring a minimum household income of RM770 a month for every family in Penang, above the national Poverty Line Indicator (PLI) of RM763 a month.
In order to build on Penang’s human capital, we have set up learning and training centres as well as an educational hub in Balik Pulau. In the past five years, the arts and cultural scene in Penang has flourished with events such as the George Town Festival, and Penang has gained international renown for the revitalisation of our world heritage city.
In order to improve Penang’s liveability, we have thought outside the box by using new incentives to make Penang cleaner and safer, adopted green measures by introducing a conservation surcharge to limit water wastage, banning free plastic bags, phasing out polystyrene bags to maintain the highest recycling rate in the country at 24%, far surpassing the country’s recycling rate target of 20% 7 years from now by 2020.
To encourage healthy lifestyles, we have hosted numerous events from trialthlons to the unique 4-stage “Penang Run”, over hills and flatlands that will take place over four separate occasions with a total distance of 77km around the Penang island. At the same time, Penang also aims to be a first cycling state in Malaysia with the construction of a round-the-island bicycle lane as well as over 200 kilometres of cycling tracks across Seberang Perai.
In our drive to ensure a Cleaner, Greener, Healthier and Safer Penang, we have also made decisions against big business such as closing down the Lee Rubber factory in Paya Terubong, once the largest rubber processing facility in Malaysia, that emitted a foul smell complained by residents over 25 years.
We are also seeking to take this thinking outside the box forward by offering Rapid Penang RM10 million every year to provide free bus services throughout Penang during peak hours which has not been taken up by the federal government. The fact is that the current situation with regards to the traffic situation in Penang is dire. The modal share of public transport in Penang is a cringe-worthy 3% state-wide and 8% in the George Town area. This abysmal figure is due to the Federal Government’s deliberate lack of support for public transport in Penang.
Not only have promise of an extra 200 buses by the Prime Minister gone unfulfilled, so too has the monorail system that had been proposed and approved by the Federal Government. Although an elevated monorail system is not something we were enthusiastic about due to Penang’s status as a UNESCO World Heritage City, we were willing to go along. However, that has turned out to be another empty promise.
However, the PR Penang State Government not only refuses to do nothing, but also refuses to allow Penangites to be choked to death by the worsening traffic congestion. Hence, we have embarked on a RM6.3 billion project to construct 3 major highways to decongest roads in the island, along with South-East Asia’s first underwater sea tunnel as our third link to improve the connectivity between the Island and the Mainland.
Ladies and gentlemen,
All that we have done in the last five years we have achieved in spite of the constraints of our country’s over-centralised Federal system, where the Federal Government gets 94% of Government revenues and the States get only 6%, and where crucial local matters such as public transport – buses, ferries – and the airport and the Penang Port are all under Federal Government control.
As a result, over the past 50 years, Penang has been badly neglected by the Federal Government, which has underinvested in Penang’s public transport infrastructure and in her seaport and airport. Our airport runway is still smaller than Langkawi’s, and too short to allow for the Airbus A380 to take off fully loaded. The iconic Penang ferry has simply been left to decline.
The Penang Port, which was the largest port in Malaysia in the 1950s and 60s, has been reduced to being a mere feeder port for Port Klang and Tanjung Pelepas in Johor. The Penang Channel has still not been dredged to allow larger ships to call at Penang, despite the RM353 million dredging project promised in the 9th Malaysia Plan, and the Penang Port Free Commercial Zone in Butterworth is too small to allow Penang to develop into a regional logistics hub.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Penang Paradigm’s strategic vision is based on our greatest asset: our people. We believe that we can provide the best environment for people to live in if we have a people-centric government that invests in people, that educates and trains the people, that frees the people to innovate and engage in enterprise, and that liberates the people from ignorance, poverty and disability so that that they can be full participants in our economy and in our democracy.
We do not seek to manufacture economic growth through Government expenditure and spending by GLCs because we believe that the business of Government is to stay out of business. Instead we seek to turn Penang into a knowledge economy that emphasises science and technology and that relies on life-long learning and upskilling to generate human-capital-led growth.
Our belief that success and prosperity depends primarily on the people rather than on Government means recognising that in an increasingly globalised world, Penang must be able to fulfil a threefold “choice”, that is, to be the habitat of choice for residents, the destination of choice for tourists and the location of choice for investors in setting up business.
Quality of life in Penang should not be just for the rich, but for all who live and stay in Penang. This requires quality affordable housing, efficient and effective public transport, green open spaces accessible to all, a clean and healthy natural environment and a vibrant arts, culture and heritage landscape.
Thirdly, our emphasis on people means that we believe that we cannot prosper and develop as a State and as a nation if women, ethnic minorities, the poor and the disabled are shut off from full participation in our economy and our democracy. People-centric government requires eradicating poverty, eradicating unfair discrimination and eradicating corruption and cronyism, which elevates private interests and private profits above the public good.
In other words, empowering human talent, good and clean governance, sustainable development, liveable city and a shared society are critical success factors for economic prosperity that will make Penang No.1 in Malaysia. A shared society is crucial to ensure that prosperity is inclusive. A ‘shared society’ is a socially cohesive society. It is stable, safe based on four key characteristics:-
1. democratic participation in decision-making,
2. respect for diversity and the dignity of an individual,
3. equal opportunity; and
4. prohibition of all forms of discrimination.
Making Penang No. 1 in Malaysia is possible. After all, Penang achieved international recognition in 2011 when it was selected by Yahoo Travel as No. 8 top island in the world you must see before you die. This year George Town became the No. 4 top place for retirement in the world, becoming the only Asian city in the top 8 list. And in 2011 and 2012, George Town became the most liveable city for the first time in Malaysian history, surpassing Kuala Lumpur for the first time ever.
Lastly, I would like to quote former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam, who said in an interview with Sinar Harian yesterday that “if the opposition rules, they will not chase investors away from the country. They will not do so and make the economy bankrupt.” At the same time, Tun Musa also said that those who are truly bankrupt are the ones who play racial politics.
I fully agree with Tun Musa’s statement, and believe that the Penang PR government is solid proof of this. In the last five years in Penang, yearly budget surpluses were recorded despite increasing development expenditure by 55% and giving RM150 million in cash aid, achieved record levels of investments by becoming No. 1 for the first time in Malaysia for two consecutive years in 2010 and 2011 contributing 28% of Malaysia’s FDI, increased our state assets by 50% or RM400 million. We had previously inherited RM800 million worth of assets which took the BN over 50 years to amass. We have increased it by half in only five years or one tenth the time.
We have managed to achieve this because we are a people-centric government based on the principles of Competency, Accountability and Transparency.
I would like to end by saying that the time has come when the people should no longer fear the government, but that the government should fear the people. And it is because we, the Penang state government, fear the people that we have adopted this crowd-sourcing approach in order to seek inputs from the people at large. And so, I hope you will all participate by giving your feedback in order to help us refine the Penang Paradigm. Thank you.
Lim Guan Eng
—–Mandarin Version —–
槟州首席部长林冠英于2013年3月20日在槟城典范推介礼上发表演讲，重点如下：
一个民本政府及好政府给下一代最好的礼物，不是现金，而是知识、教育、免于恐惧及贪污。
我们相信我们所建议的关键政策，都适用于槟城和其他州属。槟城是国家经济的主要贡献者，占了总电子电气出口额的一半及国民生产总值的9%。
自从独立以来，200万名马来西亚人及槟城人，由于缺乏教育机会、经济机会、歧视、贪污及社会公义，很多有才华的年轻人离开了。我们希望再次打造槟城成为一个培育、提升、吸引及留住国际人才的区域中心。
一个民本政府及好政府给下一代最好的礼物，不是现金，而是知识、教育、免于恐惧及贪污，槟城必须要成为智慧型国际化城市，教育及培育人才、推广及奖励勤勉、专才及企业家；成为干净、绿意、安全及健康的宜居城市，以及一个推广廉正、公义及民本施政。
自2008年，我们突破重重难关，推介了公开招标、强制槟城行政议员公布财产，遏止贪污及朋党。我们第一次让州政府合约让公众审查。尽管受到联邦政府及在野党的阻碍，我们立法制定资讯自由法及地方政府选举。
在治理廉洁及能干政府的情况下，我们在2008年之后的财政预算年年有余，并缩减了95%的债务。我们善用这些盈利：
. 派发援助金给贫穷者、乐龄人士、残障人士、学生及单亲妈妈；
. 每年拨款给华小、淡小、教会学校及宗教学校;
. 在公开场所提供免费无线上网。
. 免费提供巴士穿行乔治市，以及“停车换乘”载送工作人士往返槟岛及威省。
. 在州内兴建基础设施，纾缓交通阻塞。
. 成为首个拨出5亿令吉可负担房屋基金的州属，兴建1万9172个高素质房屋，并由新加坡建屋局管理;
. 在2013年成为第一个扫除贫穷的州属，确保槟城每个家庭每月收入至少达770令吉，高于全国763令吉贫穷线。
为了栽培槟城人力资源，我们在浮罗山背成立学习及培训中心、教育中心。我们在公共场所提供免费无线上网。过去五年，槟城的艺术及文化发展欣欣向荣，我们拥有像乔治市节庆的活动，在复兴乔治市世界文化遗产城市方面，我们也获得国际认同。
为了让槟城更宜居，我们创意采取绿色措施如: 们也推介附加费保护水资源，禁免费塑料袋、减用保丽龙，维持全国最高的再循环率24%，超越了全国2020年20%再循环率的目标。
为了鼓励健康生活，我们主办无数次的活动，从三项全能赛到4个阶段的槟城跑，上山下平原，跨越全槟岛77公里。同时，槟州也放眼成为全马第一个脚车州，设立环岛脚车道以及跨越威省共200公里的脚车道。
我们也不惜对付大商家如垄尾的南益树胶厂，它曾经是马来西亚最大的树胶加工厂，当地居民因树胶厂的臭味而投诉了25年。
我们试图提供槟州快捷通每年1000万令吉，在车流量高峰区提供免费巴士服务，但是这项献议被联邦政府拒绝。事实上，现在槟城的交通情况是非常悲惨的，全州的公共交通分担率为3%，而乔治市为8%，这是联邦政府忽略公共交通及基本设施所直接导致的。
不仅是首相的额外200辆巴士承诺落空，联邦政府曾提议及批准的轻快铁系统也一样，虽然我们不热衷于轻快铁，因为它的结构会影响槟城做为联合国世界遗产城的地位，但我们愿意配合。但是，它还是成为另一项空头承诺。
但是，槟州民联政府不愿意坐以待毙，我们也不愿意让槟城人民被恶化的交通阻塞所困。我们已经开始了63亿令吉的两岸三通一槟城计划，兴建三条高速公路及东南亚第一条海底隧道，以连接槟岛及威省。
尽管我国高度联邦集权，我们依然尽所能。联邦政府获得94%的税收，州政府只获得6%，所有重要的地方事务如公共交通，包括巴士、渡轮、机场、槟城港口，全部由联邦政府管辖。
过去50年，槟城严重被联邦政府忽略，公共交通、海港、机场的所获拨款都很少。我们的机场跑道甚至小过浮罗交怡的跑道，因为太短，导致A380型客机完全起飞升空。槟城的象征性渡轮也日渐没落。.
槟城港口，曾是1950年及60年代最大的港口，已经减少成为巴生港口及柔佛丹绒柏勒巴斯港的集散港。槟城海峡也还没有如第9大马计划中那样，挖深让更大的船只停靠，北海槟城自由商贸区也太小，更本无法应付槟城发展成为区域物流中心的需求。
槟州策略性愿景是依据我们最大的资产：人民。我们相信，如果我们有一个民本政府，愿意投资在教育人民、培训人才，我们可以提供最好的环境的人民居住。 让人民革新及创业，将人们从无知、贫穷及贫困中解放出来，让他们参与建设我们的经济及民主。
我们不愿意通过政府花费及官联公司的花费来刺激经济成长，我们相信政府的工作就是不做生意。我们反而要将槟城转型成为一个知识经济体，并强调科学、工艺，依靠终身学习及提升人民的技能，创造人力资本。
我们相信要取得成就及繁荣，必须依靠人民，而不是依靠政府，在日益全球化的世界里，槟城必须成为三个选项：居民、游客及投资者的选项。
槟城的生活素质不应该只是属于富人有士，而是所有生活及居住在槟城的人，这需要可负担房屋、高效率的公共交通、绿色空间、干净及健康的自然环境、有活力的艺术、文化及古迹景观。
第三，我们强调人民，意味着我们相信槟城之繁荣是全民之繁荣，如果妇女、少数民族、贫穷者、体残人士无法参与我们的经济及民主建设发展，我们将无法达致全民繁荣。以民为本的政府要做的是扫除贫穷、扫除不公平、歧视性政府、扫除贪污及朋党，把公共利益置于个人利益之上。
换句话说, 赋权予人才、良好廉洁施政、永续发展、宜居城市及共享社会，是槟城达致全马第一及经济繁荣的关键成功因素。尤其是共享社会，能确保昌盛繁荣真正概括全民。 一个共享社会是个群体合作的社会，是一个拥有以下4项特质的稳定、安全社会：
1. 民主参与的决策、
2. 尊重多元性及尊重个体尊严、
3. 平等机会、
4. 禁止各种形式的歧视
让槟城成为全马第一是可行的。再说，槟城在2011年已被雅虎旅游选为世界八大有生之年必游的岛屿。今年，乔治市成为世界四大退休后最适合居住城市（在世界八大中成为唯一入选的亚洲城市）。在2011年及2012年，乔治市也超越吉隆坡，成为最宜居的城市。
最后，我要引述前副首相敦慕沙希淡的谈话，他昨天在马来报章《阳光日报》一篇访谈中说“如果在野党执政，他们不会赶走投资者、他们不会这么做导致国家破产。”同时，敦慕沙也说，那些真正破产者是玩弄种族政治的一群。
我完全同意敦慕沙的言论，我们相信槟州民联政府可以证明这一点。过去五年，我们的财政年年有余，尽管我们的发展开销增加55%，并派发1亿5000万令吉的现金援助，我们在2010年及2011年的所获投资额全马居冠，贡献了马来西亚的外来投资额28%。槟州的资产也增加了50%或4亿令吉。我们之前继承了国阵用50年才累积下来的8亿令吉资立，却在5年内（或10分之一的时间） ，便令州政府的资产增加了一半。
我们做得到，全是因为我们是一个秉持能干、公信及透明的民本政府。