Penang's pro-active policies to retain and attract human talent by relying not just on good governance, performance-based reward system, building innovation and creativity but also setting a minimum wage

Media statement by Lim Guan Eng in Penang on Sunday, 5^th June 2011:

Penang's pro-active policies to retain and attract human talent by relying not just on good governance, performance-based reward system, building innovation and creativity but also setting a minimum wage. Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Idris Jala had during a meeting on 2nd June 2011 on setting the framework of the Greater Penang Masterplan(GPM), agreed that a minimum wage must be an integral ingredient of the GPM to make Penang the third megapolis of Malaysian.

Unlike BN and MCA's failed policies such as the unfair distribution of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships, DAP and its PR partners in Penang had given numerous awards to top students equally based on performance. However Penang state government does not have sufficient funds and can not afford to award scholarships.

Penang state government does not even have any access even with USM, much less any universities as they are controlled by the Federal government. However if DAP has the tens of billions of ringgit in funds available in the Federal government, then all top students will be awarded scholarships that they deserve.

What Penang has done is to form a Penang Science Council to establish Penang as a center of excellence for science and technology by rekindling interest amongst the young and inspiring innovation. A key project is the over RM100 million Penang Tech Center that will serve as a educational tool, one-stop center for the industry, a showcase of all the products invented and manufactured in Penang and a R& D hub.

A Career Assisted Training or CAT center and the Penang Skill Development Corporation Center have been set up to deal with the workers and skill shortage.

Further, Penang is also the first state to offer assistance to small and medium scale enterprises with a 3-prong approach of:-

free SMART advisory services;
a RM 40 million SME Center to offer low-cost tenancy to innovative technopreneurs for a two-year period to help their business start-up; and
a SME Village grouping all the established SME enterprises in one location.

With good governance and a livable city, Penang is on its way to transform itself into an international and intelligent city. This is shown by Penang topping investment in Malaysia with RM 12.2 billion last year, or 36% of Malaysia’s Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) despite having only 6% of the country’s population.

These policy initiatives will help not only to stem the brain drain but also inspire innovation amongst the young. BN and MCA has done nothing to stop the 2 million Malaysians who have left the country except to highlight the annual problem of top students not getting overseas scholarships without resolving the problem.

*Lim Guan Eng, Penang Chief Minister