GEORGE TOWN: Datuk Seri Chet Singh Karam Singh, a key figure in Penang’s industrial transformation, will be remembered for his contributions and leadership, says Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Extending his condolences to Chet Singh’s family, Anwar said the former Penang Development Corporation (PDC) general manager played a pivotal role in the state’s industrial development.
“As the first general manager of the Penang Development Corporation, he played a key role in spearheading the development of industrial areas, attracting international investments and turning Penang into a world-class electrical and electronics (E&E) hub.
“His contributions created job opportunities, boosted the economy and laid a strong foundation for the country’s industrial growth.
“His services and legacy in the development of Penang’s industrial sector and the national economy will be remembered,” Anwar said in a post on his official social media page on Wednesday (Nov 11).
Chet Singh, 90, died on Tuesday morning, his daughter Surita Karamsingh confirmed.
Tan Sri Nazir Razak also extended his condolences to the family, sharing a photograph of Chet Singh watching a documentary about Nazir’s father, former prime minister the late Tun Abdul Razak Hussein.
“He was a founding father of the ‘Silicon Valley of the East’. We owe him a huge debt of gratitude. He was a legend,” Nazir said in a social media post.
Penang Institute executive director Datuk Dr Ooi Kee Beng described Chet Singh as Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu’s trusted right-hand man who helped lay the foundation for Penang’s industrialisation.
Ooi said he was told that Chet Singh had spent the evening before his death watching videos about Penang with his family, including the new documentary on Tun Abdul Razak.
“He had appeared in it, in snippets explaining in precise terms the beginnings of Penang’s industrialisation in the early 1970s.
“No one was more qualified than Chet to give details about that process,” he said.
“He was generous with his insights and memories about Penang’s steady progress out of economic crisis,” he said.
Born in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, in 1936, Chet Singh began his civil service career at the Defence Ministry before being appointed Penang State Financial Officer in late 1967.
Following the establishment of PDC after Penang lost its free port status, he was seconded to lead the corporation.
He served as PDC general manager for 20 years, from 1971 until his retirement in 1991.
