PONGGAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS ORGANISED BY MICCI
SPEECH BY THE CHIEF MINISTER OF PENANG,
YAB TUAN CHOW KON YEOW FOR THE PONGGAL FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS ORGANISED BY MICCI
18 January 2023
YB Dato’ Ir Hj Ahmad Zakiyuddin,
Deputy Chief Minister I
YB Prof. Dr P. Ramasamy,
Deputy Chief Minister II
YB Teh Lai Heng,
Adun Komtar
Dato’ N. Gobalakrishnan
President of the Malaysian Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MICCI)
Dato’ S. Partiban
MICCI Deputy President
Dato’ SST. Muniandy
MICCI Vice President
Dato’ N. Vasantharajan
MICCI Immediate Past President
Dato’ V. Munusamy
MICCI Honorary Secretary
Mr. Patmanathen
MICCI Honorary Assistant Secretary
Dato’ M. Chandra Kumar
Honorary Treasurer
Distinguished guests,
All members of the Chamber and Management Council
Members of the Media
Ladies and Gentlemen
A very good evening and Happy Ponggal!
It is indeed a pleasure to meet all of you once again after the last year’s MICCI Penang Deepavali Open House on 29th October 2022, for yet another significant and popular Tamil festival.
Ponggal, as many of us are aware, is an important end-of-season harvest festival celebrated by Tamil people all over the world. The festival is primarily observed to express gratitude and appreciation to the Sun as the primary source of energy for agriculture and good harvests.
This festival heralds the start of everything good, not just for farmers, but for everyone in the world. It is expected that whatever we start during this time will lead to a fruitful and prosperous future. We are therefore grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this meaningful event as we mark the beginning of year 2023.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As a melting pot, Penang regards religious freedom as a fundamental tenet of our society's cohesiveness and economic prosperity. As such, I am pleased to see that the celebration today organised by MICCI Penang, which is expected to attract approximately 100 people from various walks of life, demonstrates that they are a part of the unified community at Little India.
Additionally, every year during Hari Raya, Deepavali, and Christmas, the Penang Indian Chamber has also been actively organising celebrations and programmes to assist the needy from all communities, regardless of ethnicity, culture, or religion. I hope that MICCI Penang will continue its commendable efforts to promote community unity and solidarity over the many years to come.
Apart from that, I was informed that the Penang Indian Chamber will also be hosting a number of other events, including the Women Development Program, the Youth Development Program, and the SME Guidance and Awareness Program for the Indian Business Community, as part of their efforts to ensure that the Indian Community grows in line with the current economic trend.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to reassure you that the Penang State Government will continue to work closely with MICCI Penang to ensure that the Indian community, as well as all Penangites, are at the forefront of growth and advancement, while we continue to celebrate our diversity as a multi-racial family, as embodied in the Penang2030 vision of ‘A Family-focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In addition to attending the Ponggal Festival today, I am equally delighted to be here to officiate the Launching of the Arch Monument in Little India. This arch building project has been initiated back in 2018 under the proposal of MICCI Penang, and with the assistance from the Penang State Government and Penang Island City Council, the said arch monument was finally completed on 30th November 2022 at a cost of RM 588,226.40. Prior to that, the roadwork upgrade at Market Street was also completed at a cost of RM 405,555.00.
It is hoped that such efforts will increase the attractiveness of George Town's UNESCO World Heritage Site to local visitors and international travellers, bringing more prosperity to all, especially to all traders in the vicinity.
With that said, I hereby with great pleasure, officiate the Launching of the Arch Monument in Little India, and thank the Malaysian Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Penang for organizing and inviting me to your Ponggal celebration.
Thank you.