INTERNATIONAL ART EXCHANGE LAUNCHING CEREMONY

SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW

FOR THE INTERNATIONAL ART EXCHANGE LAUNCHING CEREMONY

 

9 January 2022; 5pm;

Desa Seni International Balik Pulau

 

 

YB Yeoh Soon Hin
Penang Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy

 

YB Muhammad Tuah bin Ismail
State Assemblymen for Pulau Betong

 

YB Zolkifly bin Lasim
State Assemblymen for Teluk Bahang

 

MBPP Councillors

 

 

Mr. Gooi Seong Kin

Special Coordinator to the Chief Minister in Balik Pulau

Puan Mai Hafizatul Azimah binti Ramlan
Pengarah Kraftangan Malaysia (Pulau Pinang)

 

Mr. Lee Khai
Chairman of Penang State Art Gallery (PSAG)

 

Encik Muhammad Haizal
Tourism Malaysia

 

 

All Hotel GMs; all participants and art lovers from near and afar; media

 

 

Ladies & Gentlemen

 

 

Good evening, everyone.

I am very glad that the second international art exchange exhibition of "Art for Wildlife and Environmental Conservation” kicked off in Penang’s enchanting Balik Pulau.

I thank the organizer for having the foresight to invite promising youngsters from different countries to participate in this art exchange as an effort to draw our attention to the pressing issue of environmental protection and endangered animals through visual language.

There is no doubt that Penang is an environmentally friendly and green state. However, we are still exposed to natural disasters due to our geographical location and, therefore, the State Government took the initiative to form the Natural Disaster Management Unit as a precautionary measure in the face of the climate change crisis and flood disasters in the state.

Ladies & Gentlemen,

Since the inscription of George Town in 2008 as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the state government has made great efforts to implement various green initiatives, such as banning the use of styrofoam, plastic straws, reducing the use of single-use plastic bags, promoting segregation of waste at source and the use of energy-saving technology products.

Since 2018, almost half a million new tree saplings have been planted by MBPP and MBSP as the state moves to increase the number of trees in Penang to combat climate change. Most important of all and one fact that I feel needs to be pointed out is that our gazetted forest reserves remain untouched by logging activities.

The efforts of the Penang state government in maintaining our greenery and taking proactive steps in environmental protection paid off significantly when on 15 September 2021, the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve was officially designated by the International Coordinating Council of UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere Programme in Abuja, Nigeria. With this designation, the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve, which comprises 12,481 hectares of marine and terrestrial ecosystems in the north-western part of Penang Island will be counted among a distinguished global network of 714 Biosphere Reserves across 129 countries. Biosphere Reserves around the world are celebrated for their exceptional biodiversity and distinct social landscapes as well as for their potential to demonstrate innovative ways of living in harmony with nature.

True to our Penang2030 vision of “A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation”, our achievements are commendable as proven by the accolades that recognize our green efforts. We are now the only State in Malaysia with two UNESCO heritage status (George Town Heritage and Penang Hill Biological Reserve) which have greatly enhanced the conservation and education value of natural heritage to assist and guide us towards having a sustainable development.

And there’s still more which will be done by the state government for us to realise the full potential of what we can achieve especially in Balik Pulau and what Art can do in Penang.

As our economy gradually regains normalcy this year, the whole year-long “Experience Penang” campaign which have been allocated RM50 million in the 2022 State Budget will be a great boost to our tourism and creative economy with Art playing a fundamental role.

To achieve this goal, the state government is in the process of realizing the Butterworth Creative Centre. At the same time, the state government is well aware of the vast potential of Balik Pulau and will be more than happy to engage with all the artists and art lovers here to bring out the best of what this place could offer.

Honourable guests and fellow art lovers,

Similar to the preservation of our cultural heritage and knowledge transmission to benefit the next generation, in order to succeed in our "Art for Wildlife and Environmental Conservation”, it is important that we do not lose sight of our final objective despite the challenges along the way. It is an ongoing process and the awareness, to be far-reaching and sustainable, will require continuous effort and dedication.

However, I strongly believe that if we were to utilize art language to educate our next generation, we will be able to protect our priceless Wildlife and at the same time, allow us to enjoy a safe and comfortable coexistence with them just like how Mother Nature has always wanted!

Thank you.