GEORGE TOWN, April 30 — The Penang state government is working well with its coalition partners, said Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said it is still status quo in Penang at the moment.

“But we must always take cognisance of the changing environment but it is still too early although it is still not too early to start preparing and thinking,” he said after launching the Penang Autoshow 2026.

He said the state legislative assembly will still be held as scheduled on May 8.

Chow was commenting on the political crisis in Negeri Sembilan following the withdrawal of support from 14 Umno assemblymen.

He said in today’s political scenario in Malaysia, every party needs to look at their coalition partners.

“And coalition partners here are not so rigid that it must be the same nationwide and every state,” he said.

He said every state may have its own alignment.

“So it is getting the reliable coalition partners to contest as a team in the respective state,” he said.

He believed that each state will try their level best to choose a coalition of like-minded political parties with the same political agenda, development plan and trajectory to the state and country in the coming election.

“As to what will be the eventuality, it all depends on state and national election, whether they are held together and all that,” he said.

In Penang, one of the Umno assemblymen, Datuk Rashidi Zinol, is a state exco in charge of the rural development, agrotechnology and food security and entrepreneurship.

GEORGE TOWN, April 30 — Water levels in Sungai Muda have risen back above the critical threshold after previously dipping to a dangerous level, raising Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today amid continued concern over raw water stability for the state.

He said the river level, which had fallen below the 1.5-metre critical mark last week, has shown an upward trend in recent days.

“The water level at Sungai Muda is at 1.64 metres today, it was 1.56m on April 28 and 1.6m yesterday,” he told reporters after officially launching the renaming of Jalan Persiaran Pantai Sinaran to Persiaran Chin Fung Kee here this morning.

He added that further details on the water level conditions in Penang will be released by the Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) later today.

Last week, the Sungai Muda level dropped to a danger level of 1.27 metre at Lahar Tiang.

PBAPP chief executive officer Datuk K. Pathmanathan said the safe level is two metre and under normal conditions, PBAPP abstracts about 1,300 million litres per day of raw water from Sungai Muda for use at the Sungai Dua Water Treatment Plant (WTP).

To mitigate the drop in water levels, PBAPP immediately began to draw down water from the Expanded Mengkuang Dam to supplement raw water supply to the Sungai Dua WTP.

GEORGE TOWN, April 30 — Penang’s financial position is still healthy so there is no need for a supplementary budget at this time, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.

He said the state government is currently maintaining a surplus position despite concerns over rising costs affecting project implementation.

“If spending increases, that is what becomes worrying, but so far we are still in a surplus position,” he told reporters after officially launching the renaming of Jalan Persiaran Pantai Sinaran to Persiaran Chin Fung Kee here this morning.

Chow said the state is focusing on cost-control measures to ensure expenditure remains manageable while avoiding unnecessary financial strain.

He said one of the steps being considered is rescheduling projects that have yet to be awarded.

“So implementation will be delayed until market conditions improve,” he said.

Therefore, he said it is necessary for the state to review the timing of project rollouts.

“This is a step to observe the situation until it stabilises, after which works can be awarded,” he said.

Chow added that projects that are already underway will continue as planned and will not be affected by any scheduling adjustments.

“This is because contractors are also facing difficulties in submitting bids during this period due to rising costs,” he added.

He said there may also be requests from contractors regarding fuel prices.

“For Penang Development Corporation specifically, we will negotiate with contractors who are seeking claims related to diesel price increases affecting project costs,” he said.

He said the state has already decided to share the burden with contractors.

“This is to ease the pressure, even though PDC will have to absorb part of the increased costs,” he said.

He said the state need not introduce a supplementary budget as long as costs can be controlled and revenue collection meets projections.

Yesterday, government spokesman Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said all ministries, agencies and government departments have been instructed to spend moderately as a measure to reduce financial pressure following global economic uncertainty that has also affected Malaysia.

The directive was issued by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to ensure government spending is carried out more responsibly and prudently.

GEORGE TOWN, April 28 — The owner of the landmark Waterfall Cafe in Penang today claimed the demolition of the long-standing eatery has destroyed a family business he says dates back more than a century.

S. Ananth Raj said the restaurant was first started by his grandfather within the Penang Botanic Gardens during the British colonial era, where rent was paid to the authorities at the time.

He said the family was later relocated outside the gardens to a roundabout area before being moved again in 2010 to its current location when the entrance road was widened.

“Later, we were relocated outside the Botanic Gardens, to the roundabout area that has since been built there,” he said in a statement.

He added that the family has remained at the site ever since and maintained that they were not trespassers.

“We have remained here ever since. We were not trespassers, but had been paying rent to the government throughout that period,” he said.

Ananth Raj said discussions had taken place with the District and Land Office when plans were made for a research centre at the Botanic Gardens.

“During those discussions, the District and Land Office mentioned the possibility of relocating us to a future parking building,” he said.

Waterfall Cafe owner S. Ananth Raj said the demolition has destroyed the family’s livelihood. — Picture courtesy of Urimai

However, he said the proposal was not accepted as it would have forced the business to shut down during construction.

“However, the matter was only discussed briefly. I never received any verbal or written offer from any party regarding this matter,” he claimed.

He also said rental payments stopped being collected in 2017 and alleged the situation was later used to classify the cafe as an encroacher.

“When my lawyer wrote to the District Office in April 2024, no response was given by the authorities,” he said.

He said the authorities only replied on April 15 this year, stating that all settlement offers had been rejected.

“In that letter, it was stated that ‘all settlement offers were rejected’ even though no offers had ever been made before,” he said.

Ananth Raj said he was given 10 days to vacate the premises and had repeatedly sought assistance from the Penang chief minister since 2024 without success.

“I had sought the Penang chief minister’s assistance since 2024 to save our business but there was no response from him,” he said.

He said the cafe was demolished today despite his appeal for an extension.

“Today, our family’s livelihood has been destroyed by an agency of the state government,” he said.

He also accused Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow of misrepresenting the situation.

“I do not know whether the chief minister fully understands this issue, or whether he has been misled by government officials who wish to see Waterfall Cafe disappear from the Botanic Gardens area,” he said.

Earlier today, Chow said negotiations over the site had been ongoing since 1990 but failed to reach a resolution despite repeated discussions with stakeholders.

He said multiple eviction notices had been issued, including one on January 4, 2024, which were not complied with.

Chow said the final notice was issued on April 15 this year before enforcement action was carried out today.

GEORGE TOWN, April 28 — Talks between the Penang government and Waterfall Cafe have failed to produce a settlement, bringing to an end a decades-long dispute that has persisted since 1990, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said today.

He said the state had repeatedly engaged all relevant parties in an effort to reach a fair and practical solution, but all negotiation channels had ultimately failed.

“In principle, all active negotiation channels that were opened failed to reach a resolution,” he said in a statement.

He said all notices directing the premises to be vacated, issued by the Northeast district land administrator, including an eviction notice on January 4, 2024 were not complied with.

“Despite outstanding rental arrears, the state government through the Northeast District and Land Office (PDTTL) offered several reasonable options to Waterfall Cafe to relocate and continue operations,” he said.

He said the relocation offer included two units at the multi-storey car park building, the commercial plaza, for the future Penang Hill cable car project, as well as a temporary site throughout the construction period.

He said the cafe owners rejected the offers without clear justification.

“It should also be noted that during a coordination meeting on June 19 in 2023 chaired by the then Deputy Chief Minister II P. Ramasamy, it was agreed that Waterfall Cafe would relocate and settle its outstanding rental arrears,” he pointed out.

He said the commitment was not fulfilled.

Chow said the first eviction notice was issued on January 4 in 2024 and is followed by several rounds of discussions from February 19 in 2024.

“The final notice was issued on April 15 this year before enforcement action was carried out today,” he said.

The cafe, located near the entrance of the Botanic Gardens, was demolished by the authorities earlier today.

GEORGE TOWN, April 27 — Penang launched a new Climate Mitigation Fund (CM Fund) with an initial RM20 million to help manufacturers implement sustainable solutions and reduce carbon emissions.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the fund is a collaboration between Alliance Bank Malaysia Berhad and the Penang state government under the Penang Green Industry Programme (PGIP).

“So as a show of our commitment to collaborate, we are putting in RM5 million and the understanding is that Alliance will put in three times the amount, so we have a total RM20 million to start,” he told reporters after launching the Penang Green Industry Forum 2026 at The Olive Tree Hotel here today.

He said Alliance has also committed RM100 million to the fund.

The CM Fund is open to all small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to apply for low-interest financial support to adopt greener operations.

He said this is important for local SMEs as global supply chains increasingly demand stronger environmental, social and governance (ESG) compliance.

Chow added that there are also grants under the programme for industries.

“Sustainability is no longer optional. It is a business imperative,” he said in his opening speech earlier.

Chow said Penang remains one of Malaysia’s key industrial drivers, especially in the electrical and electronics sector, but future competitiveness will depend on how quickly industries adapt to sustainability requirements.

Alongside the fund, the state also launched SHIFT @ PGIP, Sustainable & Holistic Industry Forward Transformation, a platform aimed at helping manufacturers, especially SMEs, strengthen sustainability readiness.

Chow said manufacturers will have access to the Consumer Sustainability Industry Readiness Index (Cosiri) under the programme.

Cosiri is an internationally recognised assessment framework that allows companies to evaluate sustainability maturity and identify areas for improvement.

He said the framework will be useful for SMEs to remain competitive in international markets where sustainability standards are becoming increasingly stringent.

He said the Penang Green Council has certified Cosiri assessors to guide manufacturers through sustainability assessments and implementation strategies.

Chow said global geopolitical tensions and recent energy disruptions have reinforced the urgency for industries to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources.

GEORGE TOWN, April 27 — Penang is on track to implement a full ban on single-use plastics from September 1 while introducing biodegradable plastics as replacement materials.

Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said the state government is already looking into alternative materials that resemble plastic but are biodegradable.

“The state government is targeting the use of these alternative materials to begin as early as August 31, depending on supply readiness and industry preparedness,” he told reporters in a press conference after launching the Penang Green Industry Forum 2026 in The Olive Tree Hotel here today.

He said the proposed replacement materials must possess characteristics similar to conventional plastic to ensure they remain practical for everyday use.

“We will look for alternatives that look like plastic, feel like plastic and are used like plastic, but are actually not plastic because they are made from biodegradable materials,” he said.

It was previously reported that Penang would become the first state to fully enforce a ban on the use of plastic bags, including single-use plastic bags, beginning September 1 this year.

Chow said such biodegradable plastic products are already available in the market.

“We are currently holding discussions with relevant industry players on this,” he said.

He said the discussions also involve plastic manufacturing industry associations to ensure the transition to new materials can be implemented effectively.

“The state government is targeting the use of these alternative materials to begin as early as August 31, depending on supply readiness and industry preparedness,” he said.

Chow added that implementation of the policy would not disrupt business operations, particularly among hawkers and small traders.

“We do not want this move to disrupt businesses. We will ensure replacement materials are sufficient before full implementation takes place,” he said.

Meanwhile, state Housing and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo said the cost of the alternative materials may be slightly higher during the initial stage.

“However, the cost is expected to stabilise in the long term as production and usage increase,” he said.

He said the state will continue to balance industry needs with environmental responsibility.