“PENANG FAMILY FOCUSED FORUM - BRIDGING THE GAP’

SPEECH BY CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG

FOR “PENANG FAMILY FOCUSED FORUM - BRIDGING THE GAP’

26th January 2019, 11am

THE TOP GRAND BALLROOM, LEVEL 5, KOMTAR

• YB Chong Eng
Penang State EXCO for Women & Family Development, Gender Inclusiveness & Non-Islamic Religious Affairs

• Mr Harith Iskander & Family

• Invited Guests Speaker:

• Panelists

• Tan Sri’ / Dato’ Seri / Dato’ / Datin

• Members of the Media

• Ladies & Gentleman

A warm welcome to everyone here today.

On the 29th August 2018, when we launched the Penang2030 vision, I have envisioned to take the state a step further, by moving towards becoming a more family-focused green and smart state that will inspire the nation.

I am delighted to see that the state elected representatives including the Exco members are taking heed of the call and have already organized and planned a number of programmes in line with the Penang2030 vision. I am very sure that more initiatives and policies will be announced soon as the state moves towards becoming a smart and green state in slightly more than a decade from now.

The Penang Family-Focused Forum we are having today, is one of the many events and programmes that will help us achieve the Penang2030 vision. I would like to convey my appreciation and congratulations to YB Chong Eng for taking the initiative to kick off 2019 with a very important event for the family unit in our community. It is indeed an honour to be here to be part of this noble effort.

The combined strength of each family unit in society is the driving force to build a successful nation. It is so important to ensure that as the country continues to grow, our people are able to grow in tandem and are able to adapt to the changes. The complexities of a modern family are ever-changing and more opportunities exist now compared to the past. I believe that every parent would want their child or children to have the opportunities to lead a better life compared to what our forefathers went through.

As outlined in the Penang2030 vision, we aspire that our policies and programmes are people-centric, inclusive for all age groups and their needs, and to place the family unit as the central or core value in everything we do. By doing so, we will be more sensitive and aware in creating support systems or environment to cultivate better lives for families and for society as a whole.

With a better system, the State Government will be able to focus in providing better facilities for the society, such as childcare facilities, a roof over the head for the homeless and needy, access to education materials for everyone, as well as family-friendly facilities like parks that are inclusive to all.

There is a saying - “A family that plays together stays together” that means family work-life balance is very important. When we spend time with our family, we will share a close bond and create a safe environment for them to learn and to grow. It will also greatly encourage communication between family members, and we will be able to know when our child is going through change in his or her life.

I would also like to applaud YB Chong Eng for her tireless effort in creating more awareness on child body safety through the Body Safety Education handbook. It was definitely an eye-opener when I was invited to launch the book in April last year and to learn of the alarming statistics concerning child abuse cases in our midst. Now that the book is available in all three local languages, I sincerely hope we would be able to create higher level of awareness among the different communities in Penang.

I truly wish that all of you present here will join hands with the State Government in creating a better Penang for our future generations. I also hope that everyone will gain helpful inputs from the forum we are having and our objectives for today met.

Thank you.