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| Keep politics out of development, InvestinPenang chief says |
| Written by Regina William | |||
| Wednesday, 17 June 2009 16:51 | |||
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InvestinPenang Berhad executive committee chairman Datuk Lee Kah Choon said if this was the "modus operandi" following the change in the state leadership from the Barisan Nasional (BN) to the Pakatan Rakyat (PR), the country would suffer in the end. The former Gerakan deputy secretary-general who quit the party due to political pressure after taking on the position at InvestinPenang says politics should not come in the way of development, at any cost. Commenting on Singapore Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew's statement about Penang's lack of development especially in terms of infrastructure, Lee said Penang also contributed in a big way to the nation's economic development, by way of taxes from the manufacturing and services sectors. "When he compared Penang as lagging behind compared to Seremban and Ipoh, I am sure he did not mean the pot-holed roads, but the overall development in Penang which has stagnated in the past 20-odd years," Lee said at a press briefing on investments and employment in the state. "We do not have new roads and new infrastructure when you compare Penang to Seremban and Ipoh which have developed more in the past 20 years compared to us. However, compared to other places in the region, especially South Thailand and North Sumatera, Penang's infrastructure is relatively okay. "However, if we do not move forward and do the needful to improve our infrastructure, these other places will overtake us and we will be in big trouble then. "This is what the MM meant when he spoke about our infrastructure, we have stagnated." The former health ministry parliamentary secretary prior to the March 8 general election, who has taken on the challenge of bringing in investors into Penang, said Penang must improve on its existing facilities and infrastructure. He cited the railway system, albeit the double tracking which has been in place since colonial days, while Penang's ferry services have remained unchanged over the years, and the Penang International Airport has also not surged forward all these years although the federal government recently announced an RM250 million expansion project for the airport. "We must move on and we need a good state government and federal government relationship and cooperation," he said. "However, this cooperation cannot be used as a tool to punish or sideline just because of political difference. "Not only will Penang suffer, Malaysia too will lag behind. "Cooperation between the state and federal governments should be above politics."
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