GEORGE TOWN, Oct 14 — The Federal Government’s plan to open a high-tech industrial area in Kerian, Perak to develop a broader ecosystem for the electrical and electronics (E&E) cluster in the northern region can bring more high-impact investments to the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said.
Chow said the state government does not view this as competition and welcomes the plan to expand the area, which is seen as capable of making NCER a more attractive destination for foreign investment, thereby driving the country’s economic growth.
“Penang and Kulim, Kedah have already been important E&E development centres, so when the Federal Government plans to expand the area to northern Perak, it can bring an influx of investments to the Northern Corridor.
“We do not see this as competition and Penang can play a role in driving NCER to attract more industries to the state,” he said in response to the Budget 2024 tabled by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
Earlier, Chow attended the investiture ceremony of the state awards and medals in conjunction with the 74th birthday of Penang Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak at Dewan Sri Pinang today.
Meanwhile, Chow said he also hoped that the government could expedite the expansion project of the Penang International Airport (LTAPP) in Bayan Lepas as it is currently an urgent necessity.
He said this is because the airport could no longer accommodate the increasing number of passengers, which in turn affected the state’s image in the eyes of tourists.
“Although it was announced earlier this year (LTAPP expansion project), we received an answer from Parliament (yesterday) that it can only be implemented by September next year.
“We are proud that Penang is an international-standard E&E hub but when it comes to the airport, it does not meet the necessary standards, so we hope this project can be expedited,” he added. — Bernama
