New chief: Maimunah shaking hands with Yew after taking her oath of office.

GEORGE TOWN: The objective of creating a smart and intelligent city is possible with the right vision and manpower to carry out the plans, said new Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Datuk Maimunah Mohd Sharif.

“The focus is to increase the quality of services provided by the city council and the amenities for the people,” she said at a press conference after being sworn in as the second mayor of MBPP at City Hall yesterday.

Maimunah said the Penang island needs to be cleaner, greener, healthier and also a happier place for all to be in.

“I will strive for the vision of sustainable development goals which have been adopted globally,” she said.

Maimunah said she would be meeting the council’s department heads to get an update on the present situation.

“I would be able to tell you more after the meeting with the department heads,” she said.

Earlier in the morning, she took the oath of office before Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and Local Government Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow.

Maimunah started as the town and country planning officer at the then Penang Municipal Council from 1985 to 2003.

Later, she was the director of the Planning and Development Department from 2003 to 2009.

She was then the general manager of George Town World Heritage Incorporated until March 16, 2011, when she became the Seberang Prai Municipal Council president.

Maimunah is taking over from Datuk Patahiyah Ismail who served as the first mayor of MBPP since 2010.

Also present at the swearing-in ceremony were Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon, Deputy Chief Minister II Dr P. Ramasamy, council secretary Yew Tung Seang, state assemblymen and councillors.