GEORGE TOWN, Mar 12 – A strong crowd of 10,000 participants took part in 6KM I Love Penang Run, who was flagged off by Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, at Beach Street, Penang here this early morning. Lim said the run was not just a casual fun run , but also to show the people the right to speak in defence of a minister who wants to turn the country into a federal territory.
“We know some people do not love Penang as a state under the Federal Government, because they may not believe can restore the people’s mandate in this State through elections. Although less than a month, the run was participated over 10,000 people. Therefore, we will organised another I Love Penang Run in Butterworth on April 9, 2017,” Lim explained.
Also present were all state executive councilors (EXCO) and members of City Council of Penang Island (MBPP). According to organizers, the youngest participant registered is age 7 years old and the oldest was 77 years old. The run was separated into 2 waves executed by Lim, starting at 7:25 am and 7:40 am.
The “I Love Penang” campaign was launched last month in response to federal minister Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor’s wish to make Penang a federal territory. During an interview with a radio station on February 1, Tengku Adnan suggested the idea of turning Malacca, Langkawi, Tioman and Penang into federal territories.
The minister later explained his suggestion for Penang was because he believed the Malays in the state were marginalised by the Pakatan Harapan state government and turning the state into a federal territory will help the Malays. However, he has not responded to the vocal opposition by the state government since then.
