PENANG SIGNATURE GOLD FAIR 2019
SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW FOR PENANG SIGNATURE GOLD FAIR 2019
15 Aug 2019
Members of the Media, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen
A very warm welcome to all of you for being here to attend the exclusive and prestigious Penang Signature Gold (PSG) Fair once again!
This year will be the 4th edition of PSG Fair and I hope this event will continue to grow even bigger in the near future to be among the most anticipated trading platforms in Malaysia catering for a specific niche market involving international prominent gold jewellery and machinery manufacturers. Having said this, I’m indeed glad to see the wonderful support which have been gained over the years in the industry to witness the epitome of this morning which all of us are privileged to be part of.
More often than not, I have come across people who posed the question, why Penang? Why not KL? To answer this question in the most convincing manner, it is important to look into the history of Gold Jewellery industry in Penang which had existed since the 18th century. With a history of such industriousness in an industry which requires a keen eye for details spanning more than 100 years, the gold jewellery industry is not only well-developed in Penang but an admired one which exudes inexplicable charm of its own. It must be noted, furthermore, that 80% of our gold manufacturers are from Penang itself.
It, therefore, goes without saying that Penang occupies the most suitable location, both emotionally and in the geographical sense, to enlighten the forces at play in the industry of our rich history in gold and to reignite its growth as an industry so highly looked upon in the yester-years of this country.
Ladies & gentlemen,
The increased numbers of the delegates from as many as 17 countries attending PSG 2019 is indeed very satisfying and is a yardstick of how far we are willing to go to grow the industry. I have no reason to doubt that everyone will continue to work hard for PSG to remain as the one and only unique sourcing platform for the professional gold industry in Southeast Asia.
I would, therefore, like to congratulate Province Wellesley Gold & Silver Ornament Merchants Association for jointly organising Penang Signature Gold Fair as the first and only gold trading exhibition in the state together with Elite Expo. I believe the PSG Fair and its various programmes provide a good platform to explore new local and international gold trading market and create greater trading relationship with delegates from other nations.
One programme by PSG which deserves to be mentioned here is the International Gold Summit. For the past few years, this summit had helped many traders of different countries to identify the different types of gold industries in different regions. There’s also the Hosted Buyer Programme, where more than 100 international companies from 17 countries – Bahrain, Brunei, Cambodia, China, Dubai, India, Japan, The Philippines, New Zealand, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, UAE, Iran and Malaysia – were attracted to source for gold in Penang and the spiral effect for the economy cannot be overlooked.
On a final note, I only have great wishes for the organisers of the PSG Fair 2019 and even greater expectations for the objectives of the delegates to be met. I believe that the PSG Fair will only grow further and held with joy and positive news for many years to come.
Thank you.