Penang to boost Georgetown with city status starting from 1 Jan 2009
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 convin...