'Penang must take measures mitigating effects of climate change'

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Yang di-Pertua Tun Dr Abdul Rahman Abbas has urged the state to take measures to mitigate the effects of climate change.
He said climate change was becoming a serious global issue which should be addressed with effective environmental protection measures.
He said the importance of preserving the environment could be seen by the impact of the haze on health and on the economy.
"There must be additional effort to be environmentally friendly and not be the enemy of the environment," he said in his speech during the investiture ceremony today on the occasion of his 77th birthday.
For the 2015 investiture, a total of 1,275 recipients will be conferred various awards by Abdul Rahman.
Headlining the recipients is Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang who receives the Darjah Panglima Pangkuan Negeri (DPPN) which carries the title "Datuk Seri".
Others granted the DPPN included Sultan Idris Teachers' University Pro-Chanecellor Tan Sri Dr Yahaya Ibrahim, Penang Cheshire founder Datuk Seri Khoo Keat Siew and Royal Malaysian Air Force chief General Tan Sri Roslan Saad
Also on the DPPN list are Jit Sin High School (Private) board president Datuk Teh Aik Lum and Penang Turf Club committee member Datuk Seri Teh Choon Beng.
Six individuals will be receiving the Darjah Gemilang Pangkuan Negeri (DGPN), which carries the title "Datuk Seri", 12 will be conferred the Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negeri (DMPN) which carries the "Datuk" title and 48 will receive the Darjah Setia Pangkuan Negeri (DSPN) which carries the title "Datuk".
A total of 68 individuals will receive the Darjah Johan Negeri (DJN), 25 will receive the Bintang Cemerlang Negeri (BCN), 152 will receive the Pingat Kelakuan Terpuji (PKT), 497 will receive the PIngat Jasa Kebaktian (PJK), 393 will receive the Pingat Jasa Masyarakat (PJM) and 68 will receive the Pingat Batkti Setia (PBS).
Earlier, a 21-gun salute broke the morning silence at Dewan Sri Pinang during the celebrations as Abdul Rahman inspected a honour guard.
The investiture ceremony today continues on Monday and ends Thusday.
In his speech, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the state was facing challenges in providing affordable housing due to the reluctance of the Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Ministry to issue Advertising Permit and Developer Licence (APDL) to housing developers in Penang.
He said the state government will follow up with the ministry on why APDL was not issued to developers in the state.
He said the state government planned to build 22,515 units of housing priced below RM72,500, and affordable housing units priced below RM400,000 in the coming five years.
He said more than 20,000 such units will also be made available by the private sector and expressed his belief the total of some 45,000 units can address the housing issues.
On economic performance, Lim said Penang received a total of RM8.2 billion investments in 2014 of which RM5.1 billion was foreign investment and RM3.1 billion was from domestic investments.
He pointed out tourism arrivals inrease by 45% with some 6.8 million arrivals in 2014 compared to some 4.7 million in 2013.
He said Penang recorded a total of RM453 million in budget surpluses from 2008 to 2013 compared to RM373 million from 1957 to 2008.
"The state government will continue to hold unto the principle that a clean government will have better governance and administration," he said.