Jan 31, 2011
Penang Government wants more quality homes built
GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Government will focus on providing affordable housing for the low to middle-income groups in the state this year.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said he would speak to developers about the need to construct houses costing not more than RM500,000.
He said the newly-formed state housing board would work closely with developers to achieve the goal.
“Low-cost housing worth RM50,000 is no longer tangible as the younger generation of professionals would like to invest in quality homes and the state intends to help them in this area,” Lim told the media at his office here after a courtesy call by Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce (PCCC) officials.
He said the state government would also focus on traffic management in view of the increasing congestion on the roads.
He appealed to the Federal Government to provide more for road infrastructure in the state.
Lim said the state government needed at least 10 years to better its civil service.
“Two or five years is just not adequate. The mindset of the civil servants must be changed so they can become competitive with the private sector,” Lim said.
“What is important is the system and not individuals. If we do not change our system, we will continue to lag behind regardless of who the leaders are,” he added.
Separately, the PCCC urged the state government to focus more on attracting domestic investments rather than foreign direct investments (FDI).
Speaking to pressmen after leading an 11-member delegation to meet Lim, chamber president Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping said domestic investments had more multiplier effects than FDI.
“While FDI does create jobs with limited transfer of technology, domestic investors tend to accord more attention to long-term investments while enabling their workers to enjoy a more secure form of employment.
“They also better understand the local culture and the need to reinvest in human capital development,” he said.
Tan said although it was good to attract all forms of investments, FDI had limitations as investors tend to repatriate the returns to their respective countries or companies.
“During recessions, they instantly pull out their capital,” Tan said.
He also spoke on focusing more on health tourism as Penang was believed to be number one in the country in the sub-sector of the tourism industry.
Tan said the state had generated much interest in healthcare tourism, especially in the field of plastic surgery, so it was only logical for the players to better market it worldwide.
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