CHIEF Minister Chow Kon Yeow today had a positive engagement with visiting German ambassador to Malaysia Dr Peter Blomeyer during a courtesy call at his office in Komtar.
They exchanged views on various topics, such as the Penang South Reclamation (PSR) project and other state infrastructure to attract investors, the Covid-19 pandemic and the state’s effort to get its people innoculated.
“Most of the cases that happened here are detected in working clusters. On average, our state is recording about 100 cases daily. So far, Penang is still maintaining this range of cases.
“Due to the mass screening, the cases remain uptrend as of now compared with other states.
“It’s important to instil confidence among the people on the safety of getting the jab. In fact, many leaders have now received the vaccines,” he told Dr Blomeyer.
The state, Chow said, was highly-dependent on the manufacturing and the service industry sectors.
“First of all, Penang is not a big state and we are doing our best to attract investments.
“Many investors are attracted to invest in Penang as the state houses many of the well-known corporations.
“On top of that, the private sector has been supportive towards the state. The state and private sector have been cooperating well in developing the state,” he said.
According to Chow, Penang had yesterday announced that the Penang Infrastructure Corporation Sdn Bhd (PICSB), on behalf of the state, would be entering a joint venture with SRS Consortium to reclaim one of the three islands of the PSR project.
He pointed out that this was another initiative by the state to push itself forward.
“This will further spur Penang to become an important hub in the future,” he added.
Moreover, Chow said the expansion of the Penang International Airport (PIA) in Bayan Lepas was needed to accommodate its passengers capacity.
Chow said Putrajaya had committed to the airport’s expansion.
“We want to make Penang as a gateway in the northern region,” he said.
At the end of the session, Chow handed over a book on the state’s storied historical past and its multi-racial populace to Dr Blomeyer.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Chan Kok Kuan