GEORGE TOWN: A frail looking Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Abdul Rahman Abbas declared the Penang State Legislative Assembly open on Monday with a brief address.

Unlike the usual practice where his speech sets the tone for the debate by the 40 state assemblymen, Abdul Rahman, who is recovering from a chest infection, only proclaimed the commencement of the first sitting of the third session of the assembly.

In a two-minute speech, he told the state assemblymen that the text of his 30-page speech would be handed out to them to be debated on during the four-day sitting.

In his written address, Abdul Rahman said that Penang’s economy is expected to grow 4.7% this year compared to last year which shrank 3.2%.

He said signs of the economic recovery could be seen from the reduction in the number of workers retrenched to 3,565 in 2009 from 5,776 the previous year. "In addition, there were 2,319 vacancies created in the agriculture, services, hotels, quarrying, manufacturing, transport and social services sectors in 2009."

Abdul Rahman said the government had submitted an application for a RM12.56 billion allocation under the 10th Malaysia Plan (10MP) to the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department.

On tourism, he said the state government targeted tourist arrivals to exceed six million this year with a revenue of RM10.8 billion.

He said the state government would also attract private sector investment in new products like the Auto City Theme Park in the Sungai Juru coastal area costing RM10 million and the Eco-Fun Theme Park in Teluk Bahang besides focusing on medical tourism. "In 2009, RM162 million was contributed by medical tourism. The state government aims at increasing the revenue to RM190 million in 2010."

The sitting was to have been held on April 19 but was postponed when Abdul Rahman was admitted to the Penang Hospital for bronchopneumonia.

This sitting also sees the return of Opposition Leader Datuk Azhar Ibrahim (Penaga-BN), who was suspended by the House during the previous sitting when he refused to apologise for an offensive gesture.

In conjunction with World Press Freedom Day, Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng led his team of executive councillors, assemblymen and other state officials in donning a yellow ribbon to commemmorate the day.

Journalists covering the state assembly were given yellow ribbons to mark the World Press Freedom Day.

Lim reiterated his call for the abolishment of the Internal Security Act and enactment of the Freedom of Information Act.

"We will uphold the principles of freedom of the press," Lim said.