TAKING the lead in being the first Malaysian state to provide an area where the public could air its views freely, Penang has unveiled its Speaker’s Square. Located at the Millennium Square on the seafront side of the Esplanade, it was launched on May 4, 2010, in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day. Read here

Penang Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the state government hopes the square would serve as a new avenue for communication besides the use of SMSes, blogs, social networking sites and e-mail.

Meanwhile, Suara Rakyat Malaysia Penang branch coordinator Ong Jing Cheng, described the square as the “hardware” and hoped the state government would go one step further by providing the “software” – freedom of information. “We need information to analyse before we can comment.” Read here

The state government has expressed that it is intent on emulating Selangor's efforts to enact the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, despite there being legal obstacles. "In Penang, the state legal adviser has objected to the state government's intention to enact an FOI on the grounds that it is unconstitutional.”  Read here

To further express their respect for the press and to uphold the principles of press freedom, several state assemblymen, including the Chief Minister and his deputies, wore yellow ribbons during the opening of the first sitting of the 12th Penang Legislative Asse­mbly’s third session. Read here

Other news

• Penang Economy Expected To Grow 4.7 Per Cent: The Penang economy is expected to grow 4.7 per cent this year compared to negative 3.2 per cent last year. Read here
• Valiram gears to bring Coach store to Penang: Luxury goods retailer Valiram Group is set to open a Coach leather goods and accessories outlet in Penang by the year-end. Read here
• Penang seeks RM58m from fed govt to boost security: The Penang state government will seek an allocation of RM58.45 million from the federal government under the 10th Malaysia Plan to enhance security measures and for crime prevention efforts in the state. Read here
• Let federal court decide third vote issue, panel says: The three-man legal panel set up by Penang government to look into restoring the third vote in its report said the Election Commission (EC) was wrong in its response to the state government's request to hold local government elections (LGE). Read here
• Chinese no longer majority race in Penang: The Chinese no longer make up the majority in Penang, having been overtaken by the Malay community, reported Nanyang Siang Pau. The daily quoted Penang Statistics Department director Wan Mohamad Noor Wan Mahmood as saying that there were 18,000 more Malays this year compared to the number of Chinese. Read here
• Khazanah unit gives George Town 18 grants: Khazanah Nasional Bhd's wholly-owned unit Think City Sdn Bhd has approved 18 grants worth RM1.84 million under its George Town Grants Programme (GTGP) for Penang. Read here
• MPPP records RM49mil surplus: The Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP) recorded a surplus of RM49 million in 2009, a record for the authority and which Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has attributed to prudent expenditure and tightening of budget. Read here

For more news on Penang from April 26 to May 2, 2010 , please click here

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