Screenshots

Err...why no photos this time?

How about moving your family to Penang?

Well, whatever it is, may you and your family, have blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I think Penang is very fortunate to have you representing them. I'm sure you'll make great impact on Penang with time. Penang truly has very great potential for tourism, what with the UNESCO Heritage Site.

I pray that you will help Penang become a vibrant tourism destination again.

Cheers!
The Malaysian Explorer

A TIME for a good break...

to take stock... especially in view of the tension-filled fires stoked by upstarts who have no qualms in stirring up racial disunity!!!

to take stock...
and strategize how best to tackle these proponents of hate who are blinded by their objective alone which is to preserve their gravy train***

to take stock...
and realize that there is still hope for a change in our country... for the better...

Enjoy your holiday downunder!

As Penang teeters, a race to retrain
By Debra Chong
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — Penang's economy is wobbling.

One by one, the factories in Penang are extending their year-end shutdown period from one week to two, triggered by the slowdown in sales orders.

Salaries have been slashed. Work hours have been halved.

And some, like Vincent Lim, have been laid off.

The 34-year-old was the Penang branch manager for German company Siemens until he was given his marching orders in October.

It could not have come at a worst time. Lim's wife is expecting their third child and his eldest will be starting primary schooling next month.

"At this rate, I only can last until Chinese New Year," he said of the festival barely one month away.

Datuk Lee Kah Choon, the man handpicked by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to head Penang's investment arm, told The Malaysian Insider that action is being taken to counter the state's wobbling industrial economy brought on by the global slowdown.

Guan Eng himself is leading the pack to woo new investors to open up shop in Penang and create more jobs for locals.

Several major players have already signed on.

Among them are the Nasdaq-listed National Instruments and NYSE-listed Honeywell International. Both have committed over RM400 million together to open R&D plants in Penang.

But Lee knows as well as anyone else that Penang is a land-scarce state and that its real assets are its people.

The state has set aside RM10 million of its own money to help people like Vincent Lim widen and sharpen their skills and migrate into other sectors where work is more readily available.

"I know it's peanuts, but we don't have enough money," said Lee, adding that the state revenue is not enough to cover the amount needed to carry out the retraining project.

"To give a perspective on the situation, the state revenue last year was RM300 million. That's the same amount the Penang General Hospital spends in a year," he said.

That is why, like US President-elect Barack Obama, Penang is asking the federal government for a RM500 million stimulus, spread out over the next five years, to carry out its planned economic reforms.

"Now is a good time for people to get retrained," remarked Lee, who is also director of the Penang Development Corporation.

He explained that during the slump, the programme was both a safety net to stop companies from retrenching their workers, as well as a booster shot.

Armed with extra know-how and skills, workers will be able to bounce back instantly once the economy recovers, he said.

He added that the retraining would also involve those in the service sector, which includes retraining hotel staff, tourism personnel and real estate agents to sell Penang as a destination of choice for holidays and as a second home for expatriates.

Lee is optimistic about the programme's success.

He is in talks with PDC's partners, including apex university Universiti Sains Malaysia and Khazanah Nasional, which is also the federal government's investment arm, to fund the retraining programme as part of their key performance index.

Lee said the state is also focusing on making Penang a environment conducive for investors to run their business by improving the infrastructure.

Despite the uncertainty over their future, the DAP-led government's efforts have helped reassure Penang folk.

"People say Penang will be hit hard, that this crisis will be worse than the previous one," said a worker from Agilent Technologies who asked not to be named.

"I'm happy Lim Guan Eng is our CM now. He is kind of transparent. He seems to be doing things for Penang. He certainly has helped boost our morale," she added.

Enjoy your holiday downunder!

As Penang teeters, a race to retrain
By Debra Chong
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 — Penang's economy is wobbling.

One by one, the factories in Penang are extending their year-end shutdown period from one week to two, triggered by the slowdown in sales orders.

Salaries have been slashed. Work hours have been halved.

And some, like Vincent Lim, have been laid off.

The 34-year-old was the Penang branch manager for German company Siemens until he was given his marching orders in October.

It could not have come at a worst time. Lim's wife is expecting their third child and his eldest will be starting primary schooling next month.

"At this rate, I only can last until Chinese New Year," he said of the festival barely one month away.

Datuk Lee Kah Choon, the man handpicked by Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng to head Penang's investment arm, told The Malaysian Insider that action is being taken to counter the state's wobbling industrial economy brought on by the global slowdown.

Guan Eng himself is leading the pack to woo new investors to open up shop in Penang and create more jobs for locals.

Several major players have already signed on.

Among them are the Nasdaq-listed National Instruments and NYSE-listed Honeywell International. Both have committed over RM400 million together to open R&D plants in Penang.

But Lee knows as well as anyone else that Penang is a land-scarce state and that its real assets are its people.

The state has set aside RM10 million of its own money to help people like Vincent Lim widen and sharpen their skills and migrate into other sectors where work is more readily available.

"I know it's peanuts, but we don't have enough money," said Lee, adding that the state revenue is not enough to cover the amount needed to carry out the retraining project.

"To give a perspective on the situation, the state revenue last year was RM300 million. That's the same amount the Penang General Hospital spends in a year," he said.

That is why, like US President-elect Barack Obama, Penang is asking the federal government for a RM500 million stimulus, spread out over the next five years, to carry out its planned economic reforms.

"Now is a good time for people to get retrained," remarked Lee, who is also director of the Penang Development Corporation.

He explained that during the slump, the programme was both a safety net to stop companies from retrenching their workers, as well as a booster shot.

Armed with extra know-how and skills, workers will be able to bounce back instantly once the economy recovers, he said.

He added that the retraining would also involve those in the service sector, which includes retraining hotel staff, tourism personnel and real estate agents to sell Penang as a destination of choice for holidays and as a second home for expatriates.

Lee is optimistic about the programme's success.

He is in talks with PDC's partners, including apex university Universiti Sains Malaysia and Khazanah Nasional, which is also the federal government's investment arm, to fund the retraining programme as part of their key performance index.

Lee said the state is also focusing on making Penang a environment conducive for investors to run their business by improving the infrastructure.

Despite the uncertainty over their future, the DAP-led government's efforts have helped reassure Penang folk.

"People say Penang will be hit hard, that this crisis will be worse than the previous one," said a worker from Agilent Technologies who asked not to be named.

"I'm happy Lim Guan Eng is our CM now. He is kind of transparent. He seems to be doing things for Penang. He certainly has helped boost our morale," she added.

Dear YB Jeff,

This is the first time I am writing to you, and to any political leader in Malaysia. 2009 is looking to be a year fraught with challenges, whether economic, social, spiritual or political, and the atmosphere of despair is slowly, but surely, forming like a miasma in our beloved country and all around the world. It's up to the new breed of leaders like yourself to take up swords (and in many cases, ploughshares) and the man on the street like me to heed the call to arms to stem the coming tide. This, however, is not me being portentous of doom, rather it is a reminder from one Malaysian to another that we ALL are responsible for the well-being of the country and its people. I hope in the year to come that you will continue to be a beacon of hope for those who have voted for change, and guide us with the truth of your words and the strength of your conviction towards a future where all of us stand with compassion, with empathy and with responsibility, to make our country strong again.

Have a Merry Christmas and an exhilirating New Year.

The Penang government should seriously look into inclusive/accessible tourism as this is virtually an untapped market in Malaysia. This industry will be a win-win situation for everyone concerned. Apart from attracting disabled travellers, inclusive tourism will pull in senior citizens, people who have limited or reduced mobility and their family members as this category of travellers usually travel in groups.

At the same time, local disabled people will benefit from the accessibility which is like killing two birds with a stone. We also need to understand that accessible facilities will not only benefit disabled people but senior citizens, people with temporary disability, pregnant women, adults with prams and children.

This entails creating a built environment and public transport infrastructure that complies with international standards of accessibility. Apart from that, the local governments must strictly enforce the Uniform Building By-Law 34A in all new and old buildings and at the same time ensure that accessible facilities such as walkways and parking spaces are not abused by indiscriminate parking of cars and trishaws.

The state government can start by making the Inner City fully accessible, which parts of it already are. The stretch of Upper Penang Road from E&O Hotel right up to the junction of Penang Road and Chulia Street is a good example of accessibility. This will not only allow disabled people to move around freely but also provides an opportunity for them to go out to get an education and employment thereafter. As I see it, inclusive tourism will bring in more benefit than we can ever think of for many parties.

happy new year mate ...