Thesun 2009-10-15 Page10 Penang Braces For New Investments

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speak up!

Penang braces for new investments EARLIER this month, there designer, based in Silicon was a bit of a bump from the Valley, California, has already federal government when it andecided to plough in more than nounced that work on the seca billion ringgit for a regional ond Penang bridge, scheduled headquarters in Bayan Baru. for completion by 2012, would Added to this is a bolt from be delayed by another year. the blue by German medical The announcement had devices company B.Braun that come as a surprise because it it is enlarging its presence in seemed so incongruous with Penang with a reinvestment TheNutmeg the signs of economic ascent worth €100 million (RM503 that the manufacturing sector is Verses million) for a research and deseeing following a long-drawn by Himanshu Bhatt velopment facility. The move, global economic slump. which will be spread out over For even as the news of the two to three years, would also RM4.3 billion bridge’s delay broke, highmean the company will be hiring more tech industries in Penang already seem Malaysians who are specialists in the to be taking off. medical devices field. And no where was this economic And this is on top of the extra RM300 flight more symbolic than in an anmillion that B.Braun, which produces nouncement by American avionics catheters at its 40,000 sq m premises specialist, Honeywell Aerospace, that in Bayan Lepas, had set aside earlier the flight control systems for Boeing’s this year to increase its manufacturing 787 Dreamliner would be built at the capacity on a nearby plot. company’s plant in Penang. The PhoeMeanwhile, the jobs sector saw a nix-based company has already invested surge in employment opportunities some RM520 million for its new facility with more than 3,000 vacancies late last in Seberang Perai. month. This spike in jobs came about But Honeywell’s show of confidence rather astonishingly, especially since in setting up a major international base there was a shortfall of 30% in June. in Penang is just one among a slew of As orders start to come in again, major investments that the state is bracmultinationals and Malaysian compaing for. nies doing precious contract work have According to a source, a major chip asked for the state’s assistance to urge

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the federal government to relax regulations on hiring of foreign workers. Many businesses are hoping the government will support them by relaxing the hiring freeze implemented in January. Even as the state began coping with a surge in demand, a consortium of about 50 heavyweight companies from India that are operating in Malaysia visited early this month. Calling itself the Consortium of Indian Industries in Malaysia, the group ended up identifying biotech and ICT as key sources of investment in Penang, with a few members already looking for funds to set up facilities in the state. Interestingly, India has not been affected by the global slowdown as most other nations. Its growth rate is expected to be about 6-7% this year and forecasted to reach 8% next year. Seizing the opportunity, the Penang government is planning an investment visit to India early next year, to explore investments in industrial processing and tourism. But news of these investments are just precursors to a wave of other business ventures that are about to hit Penang. According to a reliable source, a major American life sciences company is on the verge of investing in the state, while another US-based wafer manufacturing giant has confirmed the setting up of a plant on the island. These developments are bound to create ripples of confidence for Penang, which has a mature logistics and infrastructure network, and a pool of skilled personnel suitable for international corporations. But most of all, they would leave investors and local industries wondering if the federal government does indeed have a bit of catching up to do. Himanshu is theSun’s Penang bureau chief. Comments: letters@thesundaily. com

| THURSDAY OCTOBER 15 2009

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First, stop squabbling by Yap Mun Ching

segments of the community. FOR the third time Yet to voters since the start of such as myself the millennium, the and like-minded MCA is marking anfriends, these other milestone in are hardly comits history – through pelling reasons yet another leaderto support the ship struggle. Over party. For one, the years, the deit is clear for velopments within all to see that the party seem “healthy poto mimic an over- Where young views rule litical culture” dramatised plot of hardly prevails. a Taiwanese soap opera. For another, most of the goals Back in 2001, we saw the lack implementation force. controversial takeover of NanHow exactly does one “revitalyang Press Holdings followed ise education” or boost “ecoby years of feuding splitting nomic competitiveness”? The the party from the top down fact that the party still has on to the grassroots. Interspersed its agenda the “development in the plot are chair-throwing of new villages” speaks poorly incidents, sex scandals, graft of its development credenscandals and electoral humili- tials. The new villages policy ation. One has to wonder how was created in the 1950s to the party finds any time left to prevent the Malayan Comrepresent its constituents or munist Party from recruiting attract new members. among Chinese sympathisers. Although a Chinese Malay- Fifty years later, communism sian in my 30s and a registered is as good as indistinguishable voter, I have never been able from capitalism in China but to fully figure out the party’s many “new villagers” in Maagenda or who they truly aim laysia continue to live in rural to represent. A glance of the pockets untouched by much party website reveals that the development. MCA 9-Point Party Platform Finally, to focus on race and addresses vague items such race-based rights is a concept as a “healthy political culture”, that is obsolete and even ob“revitalising education” and jectionable. By self-identifica“a just and caring society”, tion by race, a group increases among others. Another emits own siege mentality and phasis is on Chinese language reinforces its own differences education, an issue which is of primary importance to some Turn to Page 11

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