As a Penang-born Malaysian, I feel very deeply about the death of the former chief minister of Penang, Dr Lim Chong Eu.

Lim's meritorious deeds will be remembered by us forever.

He was indeed one of the outstanding political leaders in Malaysia, who did not talk very much but worked very hard. He contributed a lot towards the industrialisation of our country.

Lim showed his unparalleled farsightness as political party leader when the Gerakan Party wrested Penang from the Alliance in 1969.

He was not afraid of hard work and tirelessly went overseas to invite foreign investors to set up electronic factories in Penang.

These factories in Penang brought new life to the state which had lost its free port status.

Beside providing ample job opportunities to Penangites, the factories contributed to the growth of downstream industries in the country. Apart from that we also benefited in terms of transfer of technologies.

I am one of the people who have benefited from the industrialisation programme initiated by Tun Lim.

In 1980, there was not much chance for young people to further their study in tertiary education.

However for us who worked in the multinational electronic factories in Penang, ample training and educational opportunities were available for those of us with initiative.

In the course of work at National Semiconductor, I earned a City and Guilds diploma in electronic engineering conducted by the company.

After graduation, I was given an opportunity to go to Japan for special technical skills training under the Association for Technical Overseas Scholarship scheme.

I will also always remember Lim, not only as Father of Industrialisation of Penang , but also as the person who has played an important role in fostering the early Open University programme in Malaysia.

I had only met Lim once in Penang and was very impressed by his words. He said industrialisation was very important to our country because of its multiplier effect.

For instance when a factory of 1,000 workers is set up, it will create another 6,000 additional job opportunities because it will also simulate the demand for food, housing, clothing, education and entertainment.

One important thing that we that we can learn from Lim is that courage is a dominating factor in initiating positive change.

He also displayed his wisdom as political leader by joining the BN because he knew the importance of unity and stability in fostering the economy of our country.