Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng is disappointed that the state’s involvement in its very own project - a joint collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and several others to seek Unesco status for Penang Hill - was not highlighted in the media.

While saying he did not blame the media, Lim said certain quarters had given the wrong impression that the project - The Habitat Penang Hill - was the project of USM.

“This is a false impression and completely untrue,” Lim said at a press conference today.

“It was the Penang government that issued a open tender, a Request For Proposal (RFP, in 2010), and currently, the project is being financed by Creative Quest Sdn Bhd. This is a public-private partnership,” Lim added.

Creative Quest was awarded the project - to be implemented on 10.04ha of land on Penang Hill - in 2010, with a 30-year concession starting Feb 22, 2013.

“If we did not call for an RFP, the project will not take place. It happened due to the initiative of the state government, and is driven by the private sector,” Lim said.

He further expressed regret that USM representatives did not attend today’s meeting to brief and clarify its position to the state government on the matter, although “they are paid by Creative Quest Sdn Bhd” to attend meetings.

Yesterday, Malay Mail Online in a report titled “USM seeks Unesco reserve recognition for Penang Hill”, said the project was a joint effort by the university and American biological expert and eco-tourism site, The Habitat.

The Star, in its report headed “Biosphere Reserve Pitch for Penang Hill”, said a major collaborative effort is underway to have Penang declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve.

The report said the initiative is being spearheaded by Penang Hill Corporation and undertaken by Habitat Penang Hill, the Penang Forestry Department and the Wildlife and Parks Department.

“There is no mention at all that this project is part of the state government’s effort,” Lim said.

He then went on to say that a Penang Hill Rainforest Research Centre is being planned on top of the hill to facilitate the Unesco Biosphere Reserve Programme.

The project costs about RM206,000, and a memorandum of understanding will be signed between Penang Hill Corporation, the Habitat Penang Hill management and USM.

The state government will be calling for another tender for the building of the research centre, and state-owned bungalows would be converted for research use, to turn Penang Hill into a “Centre of excellence for rainforest, conservation and academia”.

Well-known American biologist and canopy ecologist Prof Margaret D Lowman will lead a team of researchers from USM to conduct an extensive study for the Unesco reserve application.