Mini Putrajaya?

Way back in 2001, our beloved ex-CM announced that the State Government will now start plans to vacate Komtar and "move" to another proposed Mini Putrajaya in Bayan Baru. I am glad that with the Political Tsunami on March 8, this plan is no longer viable. Credit must be given to the present state government for doing away with this plan. It will cost us RM30million for the mini putrajaya. Seriously, with Komtar all ready to be revived, the money is better spent to revive Komtar that will benefit thousands of traders and do away with cronies who could be doing the Mini Putrajaya project. Again - a plus for the new Penang Government!

Penang to scrap ‘Mini Putrajaya’ project

PENANG: The new state government will scrap the proposed centralised
state government administration centre nicknamed “Mini Putrajaya”,
which was mooted by the Barisan Nasional government in 2001.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state would not pursue any
project that was “too expensive”.

“We are not going to go on the heavy expenditure projects,” he said in
an interview.

Lim, however, said the state had other plans for the 20ha reclaimed
land north of the Bayan Bay project near the Penang Bridge on the
island.

“We have other plans to bring development to that area, which would
benefit the state and people. The plans would be announced at the
right time,” he said.

Former Penang chief minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon had announced the
RM30mil mini Putrajaya project in 2001 as the new government’s
administration centre.

He had said the site on the reclaimed land belonging to the Penang
Development Corporation (PDC) was chosen because its location was more
central to the state’s population distribution.

The project, known as Bayan Mutiara, was expected to house the offices
of the Chief Minister, his deputy, state exco members, state
assemblymen, state secretary and state financial officer as well as
the new state assembly hall and Speaker’s office.

Dr Koh had also said that once the government administration offices
were relocated, there were plans to turn the 65-storey Komtar tower
into a hotel or commercial centre.

The state government then had also announced plans of converting the
state assembly building in Light Street into an art gallery.

However, the Bayan Mutiara project drew flak from ratepayers and
public interest groups who felt that it was a waste of taxpayers’
money.

In May 2003, Dr Koh said the project would be deferred indefinitely
due to economic slowdown.

In an interview early this month, Lim said there was a need to
“rejuvenate” Komtar, which was opened to the public in 1974, in view
of its strategic position as the “heart” of the state government.

Komtar assemblyman Ng Wei Aik in a recent interview carried in the
StarMetro North said that the Komtar restructuring committee would
work on a new “Komtar concept”, which may include ideas of
transforming Komtar into a digital or IT centre.