Penang State Government 2017 Chinese New Year Message By Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng In Komtar, George Town On 26.1.2017.
In welcoming the Year of the Golden Rooster, 1.6 million Penangites take a well-deserved break with their families and loved ones, after notching up sterling successes one after another, such as being No.2 on CNN’s list of 17 best place to visit in the world by CNN in 2017, and rated No.1 by CNBC for having the best health-care in the world.
At the same time, manufacturing has maintained its prominence as one of the twin engines of Penang’s economic growth with high-quality, high-tech and capital-intensive investments. From 2008-2015, Penang attracted RM55 billion in investments, up by 90% as compared to the corresponding 8 year period, from 2000-2007 of RM29 billion.
These successes are due in part to CAT governance of competency, accountability and transparenct that has allowed Penang to record annual budget surpluses, cut down state debts by 90% and increase our reserves by 50% from 2008-2015. A case in point is our accumulated budget surplues of RM 574 million from 2008-2015 far surpasses the accumulated budget surpluses of RM373 million from 1957-2007. Clearly 8 years of Penang under Pakatan’s rule is far better than 50 years under BN.
These annual budget surpluses were achieved despite the Pakatan state government doubling development expenditure and paying out a historic sum of more than RM400 million in cash to 1.6 million Penangites, through our “golden people’s” programme to schools, senior citizens, housewifes, newly-born child, disabled, single mothers, students, taxi drivers, trishaw pullers, school bus operators, fishermen and hard-core poverty eradication. Unlike the BN Federal government that to-date, cannot even come out with a miserly RM50 million allocation for Chinese primary schools promised in 2016, the Penang state government has given out 2017 allocations to Chinese schools within 30 days of 2017!
Penang’s professional financial management has been praised not only in the annual Auditor-General’s Reports but also by Transparency International(TI). Our record annual budget surpluses were achieved in part to our open and competitive tenders that saved 30% of project costs and allowed our annual projected budget deficits to be turned into annual budget surpluses. Even Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang confirmed that corruption or malpractices cost 30% of project costs, a sum that could cost Malaysia up to RM27 billion of losses and leakages annually.
The critical success factor behind Penang’s achievements is upholding our values of celebrating diversity, excellence and service delivery. This can be seen by our emphasis on building up public infrastructure and connectivity, building up human talent as well as building up good governance and integrity in leadership. Clearly Penang is not a failed state unlike some states that preaches but cannot even pay their civils servants without borrowing from the federal government or fail to even provide housing to flood victims or worse cut down up to 100,000 hectares of forests.
Penang will continue to build on our successes by spending a historic sum of RM220 million on flood mitigation; focus on STEM teaching of science, technology engineering and maths helped by the opening of the Malaysia’s first digital library; and propose the RM27 billion on the Penang Public Transport Masterplan(still awaiting approval from the Federal government) to overcome traffic congestion.
Happy Chinese New Year!
LIM GUAN ENG
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槟城州首席部长于2017年1月26日在乔治市光大发表的2017槟城州政府农历新年献词。
正当迎接金鸡年之际，2017年伊始槟城可谓好事连连，槟城在2017年CNN全球17个最佳旅游地排名第二及CNBC全球第一的医疗服务两项殊荣，皆让160万槟城人民今年确实更值得与挚爱的家人同欢共庆。
与此同时，制造业继续扮演槟城经济成长双引擎之一，尤其是在高品质、高科技及密集资本投资的生产业。2008至2015年，槟城吸引了550亿令吉的投资额，较2000至2007年的290亿令吉高出90%的投资额。
这些成就其中一个因素是来自于能干、公信、透明的CAT施政方针，在这方针之下，2008至2015年，槟城年年取得盈余，债务减少90%，储备金增加50%。我们在2008至2015年的财政盈余累积高达5亿7400万令吉比1957至2007年所累积的3亿7300万令吉还要高出许多。很明显的，槟城这8年来在希盟管理下，比过去50年要好。
尽管希盟州政府加倍提高发展开销及在这些年来拨出高达4亿令吉现金透过各项“人民黄金福利计划”给160万槟城人民，我们还是创造了盈余的记录，当中包括拨款给学校、乐龄人士、家庭主妇、新生婴儿、残障人士、单亲妈妈、学生、德士司机、三轮车夫、学生车司机、渔夫及消灭赤贫的计划。不像国阵联邦政府至今连承诺的2016年华小5000万令吉拨款还挪不出来，槟城州政府在2017年开年的30天内就已经将2017年的华校拨款悉数拨出！
槟城专业的理财不仅获得国家稽查司报告的称赞，更获得了国际透明组织的称赞。我们年度财政盈余的成就部分是因为透过各项计划公开招标所省下的30%计划成本，让我们原本推出的赤字预算最终转亏为盈。即便是国家稽查司丹斯里安比林也证实贪污滥权占了各项计划成本的30%，这笔总数导致马来西亚每年270亿令吉的损失。
槟城成功背后的最重要因素是我们秉持崇尚多元、卓越及服务使命必达。这都可以从我们强调建立公共设施及连贯东西南北、培养人才还有树立一个良好施政及廉洁的领导层看出来。很明显槟城不是一个衰败的州属，不像有些州属满是说教但却连公务员的薪金也无法支付，必须向联邦政府筹措，甚至水灾的时候无法提供灾民栖身之所，更糟糕的就是砍伐10万公顷的森林。
槟城将继续书写我们的成功之道，我们拨出史上最高的2亿2000万令吉治水；为了专注在科学、科技、工程与数学教育，开设了全马首家数码图书馆，还有倡议270亿令吉的槟城交通大蓝图计划（仍待联邦政府批准）以解决槟城的交通拥挤。
农历新年快乐！
林冠英