Teh Lai Heng (DAP-Komtar) said with the 65-storey Komtar tower largely unoccupied, it would be a perfect location for all government services.

He said Komtar could have an Urban Transformation Centre (UTC), a one-stop centre created by the former federal government in almost all states in the country, except Penang and Selangor.

“For example, someone who wants to apply for a permit to install a banner might need to consult on the Bahasa Malaysia language to be used.

“While the permit for the banner is available at the city council in Komtar, he has to travel to Bukit Mertajam to consult the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka there.

“Wouldn’t it be great if all the services are under one roof?” he asked during his debate on the motion of thanks to the governor at the state assembly today.

Teh also hoped that the UTC would offer after-office hours services like certain UTCs in the country.

Started by the previous federal government in 2012, UTCs usually feature important government offices such as the National Registration Department, Immigration, Employees Provident Fund, Road Transport Department, Tabung Haji, and more.

UTCs are commonly found in many state capitals across the Peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak, but were never introduced in Penang and Selangor, which were opposition states.

In January, BorneoPost reported a finance ministry official as saying that the UTC centres for Penang and Selangor would be opened “in the first six months of 2019”.