THE OFFICIAL LAUNCHING OF FMM CEO FORUM 2017
SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
FMM CEO FORUM 2017: FUTURE PILLARS OF OUR NATION
8 APRIL 2017
Selamat pagi!
Congratulations FMM Penang Branch for successfully organizing your second FMM CEO Forum 2017 with a “Future Pillars of our Nation” as their theme for this year’s CEO Forum. Human talent are our future pillars as it is a very critical asset in every successful business or eco-system.
FMM has been the voice of the manufacturing industry since 1968. I observe that the FMM Penang has been actively pursuing their mission to nurture the young minds. Today's crowd is five times bigger than the first CEO Forum in 2015.
From this CEO Forum a sum of RM100,000 will be donated to the Penang Future Foundation for the deserving underprivileged students. On behalf of the State Government, I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to FMM Penang’s sponsors.
I wish to encourage the deserving students to apply for scholarships under the Penang Future Foundation to further their studies. From this year onwards, Penang Future Foundation will be offering two types of scholarships namely Penang Scholar and Mutiara Scholar.
Penang Scholar offers successful recipients up to RM100,000 for tuition fees and monthly living allowance of RM1,000. Whereas, Mutiara Scholar rewards up to RM60,000 for tuition fees and RM600 for monthly living allowances.
The Penang Future Foundation is an initiative by the Penang Government to develop and retain talents. We award scholarships for outstanding and deserving Malaysian students to pursue their undergraduate studies in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Accountancy. Upon completion of their studies, the scholars are bonded to work in any public or private organisation of their own choice in Penang for up to 8 years.
Penang has a lot to offer to the local as well as the foreign investors. We have world-class capabilities with a robust supply chain, critical support services, vibrant manufacturing ecosystem, a conducive business environment, infrastructure and good connectivity, and a good quality lifestyle. Not to mention, that the Penang Government is transparent with good governance.
Penang is the growing centre of learning for global citizens. We have one of the top Malaysian university, 10 international schools, 40 institutions of higher learning and skills training institutions such as PSDC, JMTI & FMM Institute as well as science learning centres and Malaysia’s first digital library in Penang.
Penang is the home to more than 300 multinational manufacturing companies which are in line with the State Government’s vision to propel Penang into advanced manufacturing and to partake in the Industry 4.0, which in turn will move Penang up the value chain and provide higher paying jobs. We seek convergence in the public, manufacturing and services sector to enable us to partake in the 4th Industrial Revolution.
The 1st Industrial Revolution happened with the invention of steam engines, the 2nd Industrial Revolution with the discovery of electricity of mass production and specialization of work, the 3rd Industrial Revolution with the invention of computers and internet. Finally the 4th Industrial Revolution revolves around the Big Data Analytics (BDA), e-commerce, crowdsourcing, Cloud Computing and Internet of Things (IoT).
Moreover, claims that foreign investors are leaving or Foreign Direct Investments(FDIs) no longer interested in coming to Penang is absolutely untrue. Figures from MIDA from 2008-2016 reveal that Penang came out third in Malaysia for FDIs, with RM 41,554 million, losing out only to Johor’s RM 55,751 million and Sarawak’s RM 48,371 million. Total investment, including both FDI and domestic investment, amounted to RM55 billion from 2008 to 2015 which is a 90% increase from the RM 29 billion recorded in the similar 8 year period from 2000 – 2007.
Our very success in attracting investments and tourism has resulted in traffic congestion which we hope to overcome with our RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan. Under the Penang Transport Master Plan which is the future engine of growth, the Penang South Reclamation initiative will reclaim 4,500 acres of land off the south coast of the Island. From this, a large plot of reclaimed land will be dedicated to a high-tech manufacturing and R&D cluster.
Besides the manufacturing industry, Penang also accounts for 46% of Malaysia’s medical tourism revenue in 2016, with 300,000 medical tourists visiting Penang and our 7 major private hospitals. We intend to build a medical city in Penang with new hospitals on both the island and the mainland.
Penang has also been voted for the 8th most liveable cities in Asia, among the top best cities in the world for food, top 8 islands in the world you must see before you die and 2nd best place to retire. Penang was also selected as the “No. 2 in the 17 Best Places In The World to Visit in 2017” by CNN, “No. 1 Best Healthcare In the World” by International Living and Penang’s Gurney Drive came out at number 13 noted for the best street food.
Indeed Penang is the place where together we can build a platform for dream-makers to make your dreams come true.
Ladies & Gentlemen,
It is now my pleasure to officially declare the FMM CEO Forum 2017 open. I wish you all a stimulating, meaningful, and fruitful deliberation!
Thank you.