Penang to boost Georgetown brand, starting with city status on Jan 1

Penang is pushing to boost its economy further by turning its state capital into an iconic global city, banking on its new status as a Unesco World Heritage Site.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng told The Malaysian Insider the state will start by reviving the long-forgotten tradition to mark George Town’s City Day on Jan 1.

It is relying on a 1957 conferment of city status from Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, as the federal government has not officially proclaimed it a city.

This celebration is likely to give the state government another headache, similar to the recent row over its multilingual road signs.

But the real pain is how to make Georgetown into a city worth living in again. And by extension, a brand worth investing in.

In his speeches around the world, Lim has made clear he wants Georgetown to be “an international city that is a location of choice for investors, a destination of choice for tourists and a habitat of choice for those who desire sustainable living.”

Recently, he convinced two major players in the communications sector to aid the state in setting up Internet connection throughout Penang for free.

While REDtone has started with free wi-fi hotspots at Komtar in the city centre, Packet One Network will be setting up its WiMax service next year, providing faster Internet connectivity.

Lim is on the right track, says former Penang councillor Dr Goh Ban Lee.

He notes that governments in developed countries use cities as branding tools to further drive their economies forward.

Many people choose to live and work in cities because they believe they gain a better quality of life there, he observes.

“Cities are the new engines of growth,” says Goh, now a consultant with the Socio-Economic Research Institute (Seri), a think-tank.

“We have a city called Georgetown which nobody uses,” he says, adding that “Penang is not a city. It is a state.”

Goh believes that Georgetown has many attractive features to draw in investment from outside Malaysia as well as from within.

He points out its fair weather all year round and its nearness to the beaches, the sea and the hills.

It is about time the state realises George Town’s economic potential, says Goh.

-TMI