So nice to see you: (From left) Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion restoration architect Laurence Loh and mansion conservator and co-owner Lin Lee Loh-Lim greeting Elizabeth and Chernov at the premises on Lebuh Leith, Penang. PENANG is working on strengthening ties and rekindling its old friendship with all the states in Australia.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said Penang used to be very popular with Australians long before Bali became a tourist hot spot.
“The Royal Australian Air Force was formerly based here — there were many Australian families living here.
“The state government is not only going to focus on our twin city Adelaide as we want all Australians to rediscover Penang,” he said.
During a visit to Adelaide in October last year, Lim had expressed hope that Adelaide Week would be held in Pe-nang this year after a hiatus of about 10 years.
“We were hoping to hold it during the annual George Town Festival in July but did not have enough time to pull it off.
“We would like to make it happen next year but the state government is also looking at strengthening relations with all other Australian states and ci-ties,” he told reporters after greeting the Governor of Victoria Alex Chernov and his wife Elizabeth, at the Penang International Airport on Sunday.
The couple, were in Penang for a day-long visit on the invitation of the state government, after attending the two-day World Chinese Economic Forum in Kuala Lumpur last week.
Lim said this was the first time a governor from Victoria visited Penang, adding that out of the 22,000 Malaysian students studying Down Under, 8,000 were in Victoria.
Lim and his wife Betty Chew later accompanied the couple on a tour of the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.
Speaking to reporters, Chernov said Victoria enjoyed a close relationship with Malaysia since the 1960s.
“Perhaps we can have a Victoria Week in Penang,” he added.
“This is a wonderful state with great historic and economic value.
“Penang and Victoria have a lot in common and there are definitely prospects for collaboration in the areas of technology and heritage,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment