GEORGE TOWN, Oct 20 — Penang’s manufacturing sector saw zero growth between 2008 and 2013 while under the Pakatan Rakyat administration, Penang Gerakan claimed today.
Its state chairman Teng Chang Yeow referred to statistics obtained from the Department of Statistics Malaysia that showed the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) value of the manufacturing sector recording near-negative growth.
“Statistics show that from 2008 to 2013, which is the period under the DAP administration, the GDP value of manufacturing recorded a negative RM47 million in five years, posting a growth of zero, if not near-negative growth annually,” he said in a press conference today.
He listed the GDP value for the manufacturing sector as RM26,348 million for 2008, RM21,239 million (2009), RM24,264 million (2010), RM24,567 million (2011,) RM25,411 million (2012) and RM26,301 million (2013).
Teng derived the negative RM47 million by taking the difference in GDP between 2008 and 2013.
Comparatively, he pointed out that between the two-year period of 2005 and 2007, during the Barisan Nasional (BN) administration, manufacturing GDP grew by RM4,125 million.
“The sector recorded a GDP value of RM21,249 million in 2005, RM24,429 million (2006) and RM25,374 million in 2007, posting a 19 per cent growth rate or 10 per cent annual average rate,” he said.
He said the current Penang chief minister should stop bragging about their so-called track record.
“The State Government led by him has performed badly since 2008. Step by step and year by year, he has failed to manage the manufacturing sector as one of the main economy pillars of Penang, bringing down the growth of the sector from 10 per cent annually under BN to zero growth under DAP,” he said.
Teng said the press conference today is the start of Penang Gerakan’s series to expose the chief minister’s “temberang” (lies) and misleading achievements the state has claimed credit for.
“We will call another press conference to reveal another lie by him this weekend,” he said.
