GEORGE TOWN: Penang has, for the first time, beaten Kuala Lumpur for two consecutive years as the country’s most liveable city, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said.

Quoting the annual ECA International Location Ratings research, Lim said Penang had maintained its position as Asia’s eighth most liveable city, while Kuala Lumpur had dropped from ninth to the 10th spot.

“We should feel proud — for the first time in history, we are number one in Malaysia for two years running.

“It’s not a fluke, it’s a fact,” Lim told a press conference in Komtar.

He said listed criteria for the ranking included quality of living, climate, health services, isolation, social network and leisure facilities, infrastructure and political tensions.

According to the survey, Singapore maintained its grip on the top spot and also retained its global ranking as the number one most liveable city in the world.

Kobe, Japan stayed at the second spot of Asia’s most liveable cities, followed by Hong Kong, Tokyo and Yokohama (tied at fourth), Taipei and Macau.

Seoul, that was ranked as Asia’s 10th most liveable city in 2011, edged Kuala Lumpur to tie with George Town in this year’s ranking.

ECA International, which carries out the location rating annually, is an international consulting firm that specialises in providing and developing solutions for the management and assignment of employees around the world.

Lim said Penang’s ranking as the nation’s most liveable city showed that protests against the state government that had taken place since the last general election were done by only a “small group of troublemakers.”

Source: The Star