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By Opalyn Mok

GEORGE TOWN, Jan 21 Organisers must get approval from the state first if they plan to use the word Penang in their events, said Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng.

This applies to any event organised by private organisations that are held in Penang, he said.

This is to avoid any confusion by the public as it is always assumed that any event with the word Penang is organised by the state government, he said.

Lim (picture) was denying the state governments involvement in a Penang Run event that has drawn criticism from the Hindu community as it would be held on Thaipusam day, which is celebrated on a grand scale in the state.

The event organiser did not get the states sanction to use the word Penang and the event is misleading as the public assumed it was organised by the state government, he said.

He claimed the state had received a deluge of complaints from the public and Hindu community over the sporting event being held on Thaipusam, a day that is considered sacred by the Hindus.

We are not discouraging sporting events but in view of the complaints we have received, we have to deny that the state government has anything to do with it at all, he told a press conference today.

Lim said that while it was acceptable for years-old events to use Penang in their names, new events such as the Penang Run must first gain approval before applying the word.

Lim, who said the flyer for the event showed that it was supported by the federal governments Penang Youth and Sports Department, then called on Putrajaya to be more sensitive to the Hindu community.

The rest is here:
Event organisers must get state approval to use ‘Penang’