Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu was the second Chief Minister of Penang. He is acknowledged as the person who did more to develop Penang than anyone else, living or dead. Dr Lim served Penang for twenty-one years, from 1969 to 1990, during which time he oversaw the transformation of an aging tourist island into a booming state that enjoys one of the highest standard of living in the country.

You could easily read his biography in Wikipedia and other sources. On this page, I will provide you my take on this man, as a Penangite.

Dr Lim Chong Eu was born on 28 May 1919. He went to the same school as my father, who was ten years older, but died thirty years earlier than him. As with Dr Lim, my father was involved in politics, and he had much admiration for Dr Lim. Although I have no interest whatsoever in politics, I admire and esteem Dr Lim for all the good things he has done.

It was Dr Lim who dared the people of Penang to think big and stand proud. Without Dr Lim, the people of Penang would not have jobs in many of the world-famous multinational companies today. Without Dr Lim, Penang would have become a backwater state. Without Dr Lim, there is no Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone. Without Dr Lim, there is no Penang Bridge. Without Dr Lim, there is no Komtar. Without Dr Lim, Penangites would not have "free trade zone" and "foreign direct investment" added to their vocabulary. Indeed, without Dr Lim, I would have so much fewer pages to write in Penang Travel Tips, because the state will be so much poorer with much fewer sights to document. Directly for a few and indirectly for all, everyone in Penang has been blessed, from the jobs they hold, the money they keep in the bank, and the malls they visit, because Dr Lim created the environment to make it all possible.

It is not just the people of Penang that have been blessed, it includes many Malaysians who are working in Penang, and the whole Malaysia. It was Dr Lim who brought the electronic factories to Penang, so that today people from other states are working here, buying properties here. Because of Dr Lim, the people of Penang can enjoy prices of real estate that are some of the highest in the country - for better or otherwise - due to his making the island such a choice location to be called home.

Throughout his tenure as the Chief Minister of Penang, Dr Lim has shunned all awards and titles, only to accept the highest title of Tun, upon his retirement. His defeat in the 1990 general election is a black day for Penangites. Although I respect the person who brought Dr Lim's political career to an end, and his son who is now the Penang Chief Minister, I can't say the same of the wimp who took over the Chief Ministership in 1990, and under whose helm the state was set adrift. That's the case of, when elephants went to war, it's the mousedeer that won. But, the mousedeer has not yet won my respect.

Upon his retirement, Dr Lim disappeared from the political radar. Although his name crops up here and there in relation to education and horse breeding, he practically receded from public view. Intensely private, he refused to give any interviews to journalists.

I was devastated by the news of his passing on Wednesday, 24 November, 2010 at 9:07 pm. It feels like I have lost a member of my own family. Up until his death there is no road named after him, no monument named in his honour. And I hope none is ever erected, for none can be as big as the one in the heart.

In recognition of Dr Lim's contribution to Penang, the entire length of the Jelutong Expressway and Bayan Lepas Expressway is from 26 November 2010 renamed the Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway - finally, an instance when he cannot refuse.

List of Penang's Who's Who

 Buy, rent or sell properties in Penang

Do you have a property for sale or to rent out? Are you looking to buy or rent a property? Get in touch with me. WhatsApp me (Timothy Tye) at 012 429 9844, and I will assign one of my property agents to serve you. I will choose the agent for you, according to your property needs. So when you message me, provide me some details of what you need, whether to sell, to buy, to rent or to rent out, and what type of property, is it condo, apartment, house, shop, office or land.

 New Properties in Penang

Looking to buy property in Penang? Get the e-brochures right here without having to visit or contact individual developers.

  1. Anggun Residences E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  2. Aston Acacia E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam
  3. Beacon Executive Suites E-Brochure, George Town
  4. Beverly Heights @ Bukit Gambir E-Brochure, Gelugor
  5. BM Highland E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam
  6. Cypress Villa E-Brochure, Sungai Ara
  7. D'Zone Condominium E-Brochure, Teluk Kumbar
  8. Elements Garden E-Brochure, Butterworth
  9. Ferringhi Residence 2 E-Brochure, Batu Ferringhi
  10. GEM Residences E-Brochure, Prai
  11. Golden Triangle 2 E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  12. Grace Residence E-Brochure, Jelutong
  13. Granito @ Permai E-Brochure, Tanjong Bungah
  14. Green City Residence E-Brochure, Jelutong
  15. Havana Beach Residences E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  16. Imperial Residences E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  17. Imperial Grande E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  18. Lucerne Residence E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  19. Mezzo @ The Light City E-Brochure, Gelugor
  20. Middleton E-Brochure, Gelugor
  21. Orchard Villa 3 E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat
  22. Primero Heights E-Brochure, Permatang Pauh
  23. Queens Waterfront Q2 E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  24. Royale Heights @ Tambun Royale City E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat
  25. Royale Infinity @ Tambun Royale City E-Brochure, Simpang Ampat
  26. Rubica @ Harbour Place E-Brochure, Butterworth
  27. Sensasi Commercial Suites E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  28. Setia Sky Ville E-Brochure, Jelutong
  29. Setia Sky Vista E-Brochure, Sungai Ara/Relau
  30. Setia V Residence E-Brochure, Gurney Drive
  31. Sinaran Residence E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  32. Sky @ TriPark E-Brochure, Bukit Mertajam
  33. Skyridge Garden E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong
  34. Starhill Luxury Residences E-Brochure, Gelugor
  35. Straits Residences E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong
  36. Taman Nuri Emas E-Brochure, Nibong Tebal
  37. The Light Collection IV E-Brochure, Gelugor
  38. The Loft @ Southbay E-Brochure, Batu Maung
  39. The Terraces Condominium E-Brochure, Bukit Jambul
  40. Trehaus Condo Villas E-Brochure, Bukit Jambul
  41. Triuni Residences E-Brochure, Batu Uban
  42. Urban Suites E-Brochure, Tanjong Tokong
  43. Valencia Residence E-Brochure, Bayan Lepas
  44. Vertu Resort E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  45. Vivo Executive Apartment E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  46. Viluxe E-Brochure, Batu Kawan
  47. Waterside Residence E-Brochure, Gelugor

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Map of Roads in Penang

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Let me take you to explore and discover Penang through my series of walking tours on YouTube. You may use these videos as your virtual tour guide. At the beginning of each video, I provide the starting point coordinates which you may key into your GPS, Google Maps or Waze, to be navigated to where I start the walk, and use the video as your virtual tour guide.

Disclaimer

Please use the information on this page as guidance only. The author endeavours to update the information on this page from time to time, but regrets any inaccuracies if there be any.

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About this website



Hello and thanks for reading this page. My name is Timothy and my hobby is in describing places so that I can share the information with the general public. My website has become the go to site for a lot of people including students, teachers, journalists, etc. whenever they seek information on places, particularly those in Malaysia and Singapore. I have been doing this since 5 January 2003, for over twenty years already. You can read about me at Discover Timothy. By now I have compiled information on thousands of places, mostly in Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore, and I continue to add more almost every day. My goal is to describe every street in every town in Malaysia and Singapore.

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