Summary
- Penang Chief Minister says the state must work within its limited land constraints.
- He says existing land should be optimised for uses that bring the highest development impact.
- Seberang Perai still has more land available for development.
- The state is looking at land acquisition, opening land for different uses and rezoning.
- Rafizi Ramli had raised concerns about Penang’s limited land and its implications for state revenue.
- The Chief Minister did not directly address Rafizi’s specific claim that Penang’s revenue would decline because of limited land.
GEORGE TOWN, August 17 — Penang must make better use of its limited land as it plans for future development, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said on Monday, responding to concerns raised by former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli.
Penang is one of Malaysia’s smaller states by land area. It consists of Penang Island and Seberang Perai on the mainland. Rafizi had raised concerns that Penang’s limited land could become a longer-term financial challenge.
Because land-related payments are one source of state revenue. Asked how Penang planned to deal with the issue, Chow pointed to the state’s Draft Penang Structure Plan 2040.
He said the government was looking at land acquisition and opening land for industrial and other uses. Existing land could also be rezoned for different purposes.
Chow said Penang must “optimise and maximise” the land it already has for uses that bring the greatest impact to the state’s development.
“We have to work within the constraint of the state,” he said. Chow also said Seberang Perai still has considerable land available, making the mainland important for Penang’s future development.
He did not directly address whether limited land would cause state revenue to decline or provide figures on how much revenue the land strategies could generate.
