I wish to commend Serdang MP Dr Ong Kian Ming for exposing BN dishonesty in using 2011 statistical data instead of the updated 2014 data issued by the Department of Statistics. I regret the personal attacks by Gerakan MP Liang Teck Ming on Dr Ong’s academic credibility. Dr Ong has a Masters in Economics from Cambridge University and is a Ph.d scholarship student with Duke University, one of the top universities in the US.
BN should stop dishonest Donald Trump-like behaviour by disputing and distorting their own Federal Government statistics, even misuse outdated ones, to present a false narrative of Penang as a failed state. Such denial syndrome was evident when the Perak state government disputed and condemned findings by the Federal government-study done by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI) that Perak has turned into the second poorest state in Malaysia after Kelantan.
Now BN is repeating such dishonest tactics by either distorting or even use outdated figures from the Federal government’s Department of Statistics to try to deceive the people that Penang is a failed state, when it is actually the most successful economic model in Malaysia.
Department of Statistics’ figures clearly show that in 2007, the last year BN was in power, Penang recorded the lowest percentage growth in per capita GDP. BN denies both their abysmal economic failure in causing Penang to be the bottom state for 2007 and the Pakatan government’s success over a painful 8 years to transform Penang into national champions by 2015.
Just as we can not turn back the clock, BN cannot turn black into white or white white into black when the annual Auditor-General Reports certifies the following:-
- Over the last 8 years since the Pakatan government took over, Penang has recorded annual budget surpluses with accumulated surpluses of RM574 million over the last 8 years of 2008-2015, more than the accumulated surpluses under BN over the last 50 years from 1957-2007 of RM373 million. We have done better in 8 years than BN has done in 50 years!
- Our asset reserves have nearly doubled over the 8 year period from RM850 million to RM1.6 billion.
- For the comparative 8-year period from 2008-16 compared to 2000-7, Penang’s manufacturing investment increased by 87% to RM54.9 billion from RM24.9 billion, with job creation increased by 17 % to 128,317 job opportunities from 106,583.
- Most significantly our state’s debts has been reduced by 90% over the same period and at RM69 million by end 2015, is the lowest in the country. This RM69 million debt compares with the total RM16.8 billion of debts owed by all 13 states, with Pahang owing the most at RM2.9 billion, followed by Sabah RM2.6 billion, Sarawak RM2.5 billion, Kedah RM2.3 billion and Kelantan RM1.3 billion.
- Penang recorded the 3rd highest GDP per capita (current price) in 2015 of RM 44,847.
Compare this successful economic performance of Penang with the woeful performance of the Federal government that has recorded annual budget deficits for the 18th consecutive year since 1998, federal government debts increasing by 3 times since 2007 to RM800 billion and a lower national GDP per capita of RM 37,104.
Penang’s sterling economic performance can be seen with the transformation of a state acknowledged to be the dirtiest in Malaysia into one of the cleanest that is also green, safe and healthy. New roads are built on Seberang Perai and for the first time in 20 years, on the inner city of the island Jalan Ahmad Nor. Despite spending more for these development projects, Penang could still record annual budget surpluses.
The economic success over the last 8 years have allowed abandoned housing projects to be rehabilitated, “dead” tourist sites revitalised such as the Komtar building, Penang Hill, George Town, the Penang International Sports Arena(PISA) and even Seberang Perai. Further 1.6 million Penangites have benefited with cash aid of RM400 million distributed yearly such as the yearly RM100 for senior citizens, single mothers, housewives, disabled and students as well as one-off payments of RM1,000 funeral expenses, RM200 for each child born and RM1,000 for first-year local university students.
BN has tried to obliterate Penang’s singular success in financial management and clean governance, including practicing open competitive tenders, that has attracted praise from the annual Auditor-General’s Reports as well as Transparency International by alleging that,
“the National Statistics Department showed the per capita GDP for Penang recorded only a 44 % increase from RM31,039 in 2007, to RM44,847 in 2015, which is the lowest growth recorded in the country from 2007-2015.”
BN fails to mention that they were the culprits and the reason for Penang recording the lowest growth rate for per capita GDP in the first place. In their last year of BN ruling Penang, in the year 2007, Penang was the bottom state by recording the lowest growth rate for per capita GDP in the country.
CHANGE IN GDP PER CAPITA BY STATE
Once when you reach rock-bottom, it is a difficult almost impossible task to quickly turn things around. How many students succeeded from being last in class to be top student? This was the challenge facing us when the Pakatan government took over in 2008, we had a huge task to turn around the economy that recorded the lowest growth rate for per capita GDP.
Fortunately, the Pakatan government succeeded in overcoming this challenge as shown by the same figures released from the National Statistics Department(see above. Penang coming out third highest nationally in growth rate per capita GDP for 2013, second for 2014 and finally national champions for 2015. Whilst it took us a long and difficult 8 years, the Pakatan government succeeded finally in turning around what was then the bottom state in the country in 2007 to be the No. 1 national champion in growth rate for per capita growth in GDP in 2015.
The contrast between a non-performing BN and a Pakatan that delivers is even more evident if we look at the figures below showing the difference between each year as compared to 2015. Together with the people of Penang under CAT good governance and clean leadership, the Pakatan government painfully pulled Penang up from the bottom rank during the lost years under BN to be the top performer by 2015. Indeed Penang voters made the right choice to return the mandate back to Pakatan during the 2013 general elections.
I have verified these figures with Penang Institute CEO Dr Lim Kim Hwa who has a doctorate in economics from Cambridge University. Dr Lim confirms that Penang went from bottom state in 2007 to national champion in 2015. Or is the Penang BN Chairman Teng Chang Yeow, with no degree in economics, better than Dr Lim? Or similarly their Simpang Rengam MP Liang Teck Meng better than Dr Ong Kian Ming?
This is what the Pakatan government is capable of doing, turning deficits to surpluses, bottom states to national champions, high debts to low debts. The secret to Penang Pakatan’s success is our integrity and clean governance. Contrast Penang as the cleanest state government in Malaysia praised by Transparency International with the BN Federal government accorded the most corrupt government in the world.
Instead of praising us for turning around Penang’s economy, we are asked to learn from BN who have destroyed our reputational risk globally with the RM53 billion 1MDB and RM4.2 billion donation scandals. I repeat my statement that for those who lies as easily as we breathe, are clearly unfit for elective office.