GEORGE TOWN, May 28 ― The Penang government spent a total of RM1.97 million for the Northern Zone Madani Rakyat 2024 programme held from May 3-5, resulting in savings of RM22,836.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the ceiling budget for the programme was RM3.2 million, funded by the state government as the host in collaboration with the Transport Ministry (MoT) as the lead ministry.
He said the state executive council meeting had approved the programme with a ceiling allocation of RM2 million.
“The total expenditure shared by the state government and MoT amounted to RM3.70 million. Additionally, there were separate costs borne by the state government to finance specific state activities, such as sports events and religious forums, amounting to RM127,004.48,” he said.
Chow was responding to a question from Lim Guan Eng (PH-Air Putih) at the Penang state assembly sitting today regarding the costs of the programme held at the Sungai Nibong Pesta site, the expenses borne by Penang and the company awarded the contract to run the programme.
Chow (PH-Padang Kota) revealed that Chilli Hotshoes Asia Sdn Bhd had been awarded the contract, and was selected based on procurement financial procedures after four companies presented their proposals.
The programme had also attracted over 285,000 visitors, surpassing the initial target of 200,000, the chief minister said.
Chow noted that this attendance was the highest compared to similar programmes conducted in other zones previously.
The Northern Zone Madani Rakyat 2024 programme, which offered 196 services from various ministries and government agencies, coincided with the Madani Aidilfitri 2024 celebration and was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The programme served as a platform for the public to directly access services from federal and state government ministries and agencies, while also providing an opportunity for feedback and suggestions to improve the quality of government services. ― Bernama
