GEORGE TOWN – Penang has gazetted the former leper colony of Pulau Jerejak as part of the island’s green lung. It will also play a key role as a carbon sink.
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said with the gazetting of Pulau Jerejak, its protected forest reserves of 285.84ha have grown by 5.5%.
Together with the permanent forest reserve of Pulau Jerejak, Penang’s total forest reserves have increased to 5,386.77ha this year compared to 5,100.93ha last year.
“The forests not only cultivate our green lung, but it also increases our oxygen bar and helps with the absorption of carbon dioxide in Penang,” Chow said in a statement today.
Chow, who is also the Padang Kota assemblyman said that despite the prevailing threat from Covid-19, Penang has managed to maintain its political stability and increased its capacity to bring in investments.
He said that for this year, the state has allocated up to RM155.5 million under its stimulus package to assist small and medium enterprises, help tourism players and lend a hand to those in need, helping them cope with the adverse conditions caused by the global pandemic.
“Although we are in the recovery stage, the fight against Covid-19 is far from over even with news reports of more vaccines being formulated to combat the infection."
As for foreign direct investments (FDIs), Chow revealed that Penang is number two in terms of attracting in FDIs, of which RM10.6 billion was approved in the manufacturing sector between January and September, this year creating a total of 9,137 job opportunities.
Although the state faced numerous setbacks in its quest to realise the Penang Transport Master Plan, it still viewed the issue of transport and connectivity seriously.
Chew hoped that the Transport Ministry will also retain the iconic cross-channel ferries which have been in existence for the past 126 years – The Vibes, December 24, 2020.
