Speech by the Rt. Hon. Mr. Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister on 9 July 2013 – Penang Investment Promotion Seminar at Orchard Hotel, Singapore Released In Penang On 10.7.2013.
Increasing Available human talent manpower, resolving traffic gridlock, supplying adequate affordable housing and making Penang clean, green, safe and healthy will be crucial towards realising penang’s aspirations as an international and intelligent city. According to the World Bank, in order to reach our goal of becoming a high-income nation, Malaysia will need to continue building skills and institutions that will support further diversification towards higher productive investments through improvements in human capital.
For this reason, the Penang government has crafted the Penang Paradigm, a 10-year development blueprint from 2013-2023 that is focused on economic vibrancy, liveability, sustainability as well as social development and inclusion. The Penang Paradigm aims to achieve these goals by focusing on five thrusts:
1) combatting poverty and socio-economic inequality;
2) ensuring environmental sustainability;
3) attracting, training, retraining and retaining human talent;
4) democratic empowerment; and
5) implementing good governance.
Socio-economic inequality is now widely believed to be an impediment to economic growth. In the last five years, we have become the first state in Malaysia to institutionalise annual financial assistance programmes for the poor and marginalised, such as senior citizens, the disabled, students as well as single mothers.
This year, Penang will become the first state in Malaysia to eradicate poverty altogether by ensuring a minimum household income of RM770 a month, which is higher than the national Poverty Line Indicator (PLI) of RM763 a month. Any household with less than RM770 a month will receive a “top-up” payment every month from the State Government.
Secondly, it is critical to ensure that all development is sustainable and environmentally friendly. Penang’s success in moving towards becoming the first green state in Malaysia is widely acknowledged from being the only state in Malaysia to have no free plastic bags and shopping centers to recording the highest recycling rate in the country at 26%.
Thirdly, while the last century was driven by the race for resources, this century will be driven by the race for talent. The state government has adopted a 3-prong approach to build human talent through annual allocation of funds to schools, attracting top universities for top students and establishing Penang Learning Centers to provide remedial teaching for academically weak students to create a rising tide effect to benefit the largest pool of students possible.
Fourthly, a society can only progress if it is democratically empowered where Penang respect basic freedoms and human rights. Last but not least, a most vital aspect of ensuring equitable growth and prosperity is good and clean governance through our famous CAT governance of Competency, Accountability and Transparency (CAT). Through CAT governance, we became the first state to implement open competitive tenders and public declaration of assets of EXCO members and Chief Ministers.
This has translated into surplus budgets every year since 2008, reducing our state debts by 95 per cent and increased our state assets by 50% over the last five years. Transparency International has praised Penang State for having a clean government that fights corruption and practice open tender.
In summary, Penang has adopted five implementation measures:
1. Wiping out poverty and reducing the socio-economic gap.
2. Implementing green policies to achieve environmental sustainability.
3. Developing, attracting and retaining the required human capital in order to compete globally.
4. Empowering the people through democratic processes.
5. Fighting corruption and cronyism through good and clean governance.
Lim Guan Eng
—-Mandarin Version —
槟州首席部长林冠英于2013年7月10日在新加坡槟城投资讲座谈会上发表演讲，重点如下：
增加人力资源，解决交通阻塞、提供可负担房屋及打造净绿安康的槟城，是让槟城迈向国际及智能都市的关键因素。
增加人力资源，解决交通阻塞、提供可负担房屋及打造净绿安康的槟城，是让槟城迈向国际及智能都市的关键因素。根据世界银行，为了成为高收入国家，马来西亚必须继续提升能支持多元化的技术和机构，通过提升人力资源素质，走向高产价值的投资。
因此，槟州政府已经拟出《槟城典范》，即2013至2023年的10年发展大蓝图，将集中在经济活力、宜居、可持续、社会发展及包容性。槟城典范的宗旨是要通过五个方面取得成就：
1) 扫除贫穷及社会经济不平等;
2) 确保环境永续;
3) 吸引、培训、再培训及留住人才;
4) 赋权民主;
5) 良好施政
社会经济不平等已经被视为经济发展的绊脚石。过去五年，我们成为马来西亚第一个制度化拨款给贫穷及被边缘化群体的州属，例如乐龄人士、残障人士、学生及单亲妈妈。
今年，槟城将成为全马第一个扫除贫穷的州属，确保家庭最低月入为770令吉，高出全国贫穷线RM763。任保家庭若月入低入770令吉，州政府将补贴余数。
第二，我们要确保所有的发展都是可持续及环境友善的。槟州是全马第一个在购物广场成为推行无免费塑料袋的州属，我们也正迈向绿州，我们的再循环率为26%，全国居冠。
第三，上一个世纪是资源的竞争，本世经将是人才的竞争。州政府已经三管齐下，通过常年拨款给学校、吸引顶尖大学、成立槟州学习中心辅助学习进度落后的学生，栽培人才。
第四、一个社会唯有赋权民主才能进步，槟州尊重基本自由及人权，最重要的是确保合理公平增长及繁荣的能干、公信及透明施政（CAT）方针。我们是全马第一个实行公开竞争招标及公布行政议员及首长财政的州属。
于是，我们自2008年开始财政预算年年有余，州政府的负债减少95%，州政府的资产增加50%。就连国际透明组织也称赞槟州政府廉洁、肃贪及推行公开招标。
简而言之，州政府已经推行下列五大措施：
1. 扫除贫穷及拉近社会经济鸿沟
2. 实施绿色政策，达致环境永续
3. 栽培、吸引及留住人才以在国际上竞争
4. 通过民主过程赋权予民
5. 通过良好施政打击贪污及朋党
林冠英