(June 23): Putrajaya's continuous policy to sideline Penang, again seen in the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP), will only cause the country to lose out economically, a DAP senator told Dewan Negara today.

Party vice-chairman Datuk Dr Ariffin SM Omar said that it was obvious that Penang, which is run by federal opposition party DAP, was being treated as a stepchild as there was nothing substantial allocated for the state in the 11MP, despite Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak allocating RM260 billion for the five-year development plan.

"We have seen many plans for the four main cities which are KL (Kuala Lumpur), JB (Johor Baru), Kuching and KK (Kota Kinabalu), but why is Penang not in this list?

"We are such an important northern state and yet we have been sidelined," the newly sworn-in senator said in debating the motion on the 11MP.

Ariffin said that Penang had close to 1.7 million people while the state's gross domestic product (GDP) was RM67 billion, which was the fifth highest in the country.

He said it was also a logistics hub for the northern region, with a busy port, airport and rail line.

As such, he added that Penang's infrastructure should get a boost so that it can continue to contribute to the development of the economy in the northern region.

Ariffin also said that Penang was a popular education hub from primary school to tertiary education, including foreign education institutions, adding that Hull University would be setting up a campus in Batu Kawan soon.

"Unfortunately, this is not the first time the federal government is sidelining us.

Under the 9MP, the pledge for to build and launch a monorail system, and the Penang Outer Ring Road, still have not been fulfilled, he said

"So we are not surprised that they continue to sideline us, but this will only cause Malaysia to lose out."

The 11MP provides for development expenditure of RM260 billion and charts Malaysia's economic and development path until 2020, the deadline by when Putrajaya wants the country to achieve a high-income, developed status. – The Malaysian Insider