DATUK Seri Chet Singh, a key figure in Penang’s industrial development who played a pivotal role in transforming the state into the nation’s primary electronics manufacturing hub, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 90.
Chet was the right-hand man of Penang's second chief minister, the late Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu and together they helped develop the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone.
His demise was confirmed by his daughter, Surita Amreeth Karamsingh.
Born in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, in 1936, Chet began his civil service career at the Defence Ministry before being appointed Penang Financial Officer in 1967.
Following the establishment of the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) after Penang lost its free port status, Chet was seconded to lead the corporation.
He served as PDC general manager for 20 years, from 1971 until his retirement in 1991, just a year after Lim left office after the latter lost in the 1990 general election to DAP founding member Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
Lim attracted the "eight samurai" (global multinationals) to Penang shores such as Intel and Robert Bosch, but it was Chet who ensured they got a home and stayed comfortably in the state.
The eight were Intel, AMD, Hewlett Packard, National Semiconductor, Litronix, Bosch, Clarion and Hitachi.
Chet in previous interviews, spoke of the need to constantly evolve as the only surety in life is change.
He described Chong Eu as a strict disciplinarian, who wanted nothing better than to see Penang thrive after it lost the duty-free status of the port.
Penang Port was the country's oldest, even superseding Singapore, but it lost its significance to the latter due to a more strategic location at the tip of the South China Sea. - November 11, 2026.
