He said it was surprising that the governor had made such a request while delivering the usual policy speech, but appreciated his candour and his personal input on the matter.

Yesterday, Governor Abdul Rahman Abbas had proposed that a new state administrative centre and state assembly be built on reclaimed land, given the larger state civil service staff pool and the present small state assembly hall on Light Street.

“Although the governor is supposed to deliver a policy speech, with inputs from the government, it appears that our governor has his own views. We see this as a request to the government.

“I was personally taken by surprise by his suggestion, especially on the new state administrative complex.

“As for a new state assembly, it is a call the governor has made since 2015.

“I think it (the new administrative complex) is a new and visionary view. And for us to fulfil the view, we have to work hard to find the money and land to carry out his wish.

“We will go back to the state executive council to discuss how we can achieve this,” Chow said at a press conference here today.

Rahman had said Komtar, the current state administrative complex, has “obvious weaknesses”, citing the panic that arose following an incident which required the evacuation of the entire building earlier this month.

He said a new complex should be built to replace Komtar, in tandem with current developments. He said, ideally, the state assembly should be incorporated into the same building as the state administrative centre.

Separately, Chow launched the Penang2030 Guidebook, in which the state government explains in detail on how it aims to improve the state in terms of liveability, economy, people and the built environment over the next 11 years.

He said particular focus would be paid to a built environment as this will translate to better standards of living, such as the building of roads, better internet connectivity through fibre networks and reliable water supply to support a growing population.