JUNE 7, 2005, NST
This is the reply by Dr. Teng Hock Nan, the Penang State Local Government Chairman, in response to the article by Tan Sri Low Yow Chuan, published in the New Straits Times yesterday.
Penang is pro-business and is not home to suffocating red tape and numbing bureaucracy, said Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan.
"We regret that Tan Sri Low had come out with such a strong statement on red tape and bureaucracy," Dr. Teng said. "We have our own records to prove otherwise. We really do not understand what he is talking about."
Dr Teng said the State Government had always been business-friendly and would continue to be. Dr Teng said the approval had been for a 23-storey hotel and a two-storey basement car park and not as stated by Low. Let us set the record straight," he said. "We are not aware of the many facts mentioned in the news report but we have our own records to prove our case."
Dr Teng said Low had submitted a plan for permission on Dec 24, 1992, and obtained planning permission in June 1995. "From the time of his application until approval, it was about two years plus. So how is it that Low said it took about eight to 10 years?"
"Also, after being given the approval, he failed to build anything."
Dr Teng also said the company had then applied for an extension of the planning permission from June 1996 until 2003, and after that there was silence on the part of the company. They didn’t build anything and instead they kept applying for an extension. What is the State Government supposed to do?
"But I can give you my assurance that the State Government will continue to be sensitive to investors’ needs and we encourage them to come to us if there are any problems," said Dr. Teng.
"We have been very accommodating and helpful in many instances."
This is the reply by Dr. Teng Hock Nan, the Penang State Local Government Chairman, in response to the article by Tan Sri Low Yow Chuan, published in the New Straits Times yesterday.
Penang is pro-business and is not home to suffocating red tape and numbing bureaucracy, said Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan.
"We regret that Tan Sri Low had come out with such a strong statement on red tape and bureaucracy," Dr. Teng said. "We have our own records to prove otherwise. We really do not understand what he is talking about."
Dr Teng said the State Government had always been business-friendly and would continue to be. Dr Teng said the approval had been for a 23-storey hotel and a two-storey basement car park and not as stated by Low. Let us set the record straight," he said. "We are not aware of the many facts mentioned in the news report but we have our own records to prove our case."
Dr Teng said Low had submitted a plan for permission on Dec 24, 1992, and obtained planning permission in June 1995. "From the time of his application until approval, it was about two years plus. So how is it that Low said it took about eight to 10 years?"
"Also, after being given the approval, he failed to build anything."
Dr Teng also said the company had then applied for an extension of the planning permission from June 1996 until 2003, and after that there was silence on the part of the company. They didn’t build anything and instead they kept applying for an extension. What is the State Government supposed to do?
"But I can give you my assurance that the State Government will continue to be sensitive to investors’ needs and we encourage them to come to us if there are any problems," said Dr. Teng.
"We have been very accommodating and helpful in many instances."
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