WELCOMING DINNER FOR WORLD URBAN FORUM'S DELEGATES
WELCOME DINNER SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG
IN CONJUNCTION WITH WORLD URBAN FORUM 9 TECHNICAL VISIT IN PENANG
SATURDAY, 10TH FEBRUARY 2018, 8PM
KHOO KONGSI, GEORGE TOWN, PENANG
A very good evening to all of you.
1. On behalf of Penang State Government, it is a great honour and pleasure for me to greet all of you Selamat Datang or Welcome to Penang, Malaysia in conjunction with the World Urban Forum 9 that has been going in Kuala Lumpur.
2. I hope that your journey to Penang was a pleasant one and I hope you will continue to enjoy your evening with us.
3. I also wish to express my sincere thanks to City Council of Penang Island and other relevant Government agencies for your untiring efforts to ensure the success of this technical visit from 10th to 11th February 2018.
4. We are honored to have YBhg. Dato’ Maimunah Mohd Sharif with us today. YBhg. Dato’ Maimunah worked for many years with Penang State Government to implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Penang through a lot of development programs. Her efforts need no introduction. Today, Penang has become one of the best model city that managed to achieve SDGs targets which include good health and well-being for people, quality education, gender equality, clean water and sanitation, decent work and economic growth also sustainable cities and communities.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentleman,
5. Thanks to the United Nations by introducing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and New Urban Agenda 2030 (NUA 2030). With these goals, we are aware of 'rights' in many spheres, towards achieving quality of life for the people. Implementation of the SDGs started worldwide in 2016.
6. Penang is one of the developed states in Malaysia. Recently, Penang has been pronounced as one of the 17 must-visit destinations in 2017 by CNN.com. The urban development in Penang is a top-notch but we still give priority to our environment and heritage sites in this rapid growth of the city. The good quality of our amenities, services and infrastructure in terms of healthcare, education, job opportunities and recreation has made Penang a natural choice for local and foreign talents who choose to work and live in Penang.
7. Today, all the delegates had the opportunity to go for a walkabout in George Town World Heritage Site. We are also having our dinner tonight in Khoo Kongsi compound, which is situated in the Special Zone of the Heritage Site. This zone has the highest concentration of significant cultural sites and Category 1 buildings within the World Heritage Site.
8. George Town is also a living testimony to the multi-cultural heritage and tradition of Asia, where the greatest religions and cultures met. The coexistence of distinct faiths - both tangible and intangible - in particular the different religious buildings, is a testament to the religious pluralism of Asia.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentleman,
9. State Government & MBPP strive to provide public facilities accessible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. For example, we have Relau Sport Complex, Subterranean Penang International Convention And Exhibition Centre (SPICE) and other public facilities including public toilets, market & hawker centers.
10. The Penang State Government has embarked on a plan to promote bicycling in 2011 as part of a comprehensive strategy for a Cleaner, Greener, Safer and Healthier Penang. We presently have about 180 kilometers of bicycle lanes throughout the island. Our vision is to make Penang a bicycling state and a green state to achieve the UN Habitat's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Last but not least, I welcome you all to this Pearl of The Orient and I wish you a pleasant and delectable dinner. I wish everyone a happy, healthy, and fruitful NewYear!
Thank you.