The Seri Teratai is the

official residence An official residence is the residence of a head of state, head of government, governor, religious leader, leaders of international organizations, or other senior figure. It may be the same place where they conduct their work-related functions. ...

of Penang's head of government, the

Chief Minister of Penang The Chief Minister of Penang is the head of government in the Malaysian state of Penang. According to convention, the chief minister is the leader of the majority party or largest coalition party of the Penang State Legislative Assembly. The chi ...

. It is located in the city of George Town in Penang,

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

. The colonial-era double storey mansion was constructed in the early 20th century. Despite the building's status as the official residence of Penang's head of government, the building has been left unoccupied since 2009 due to its dilapidated condition. This changed in 2019 when Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow moved into the premises on July after assuming office following the historic 14th General Election in 2018.

History

The double storey mansion, known at the time as the ''State Guest House'', was built in the early 1900s. Its architecture was believed to have been inspired by the German-born designer, Henry Alfred Neubronner. Upon the independence of the Federation of Malaya in 1957, the building was renamed in Malay as ''Rumah Tetamu''. It was inhabited by the first

, Wong Pow Nee, during his tenure between 1957 and 1969. When Koh Tsu Koon succeeded

Lim Chong Eu Tun Dr. Lim Chong Eu (; 28 May 1919 – 24 November 2010) was a Malaysian politician who served as the 2nd Chief Minister of Penang from May 1969 to October 1990. He was also the founding president of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (GERAKAN). ...

as the Chief Minister in 1990, the former opted not to move to the mansion, choosing instead to stay in his private residence. Thus the building was left vacated until 2008, when Koh, in turn, was replaced by

Lim Guan Eng Lim Guan Eng (; born 8 December 1960) is a Malaysian politician and accountant from the Democratic Action Party (DAP), a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Bagan, Member of t ...

as the Chief Minister. Although Lim initially moved into the mansion, he was then taken aback by its state of disrepair. Extensive termite infestation forced the then Chief Minister to instruct the state's

Public Works Department This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

(JKR) to conduct termite inspection and to repair the mansion, which was simultaneously renamed ''Seri Teratai.'' However, the exorbitant repair costs and the building's structural damage led to Lim eventually moving out in July 2009; Lim subsequently resided in his private residence at Pinhorn Road for the remainder of his tenure. Although the current Chief Minister,

Chow Kon Yeow Chow Kon Yeow ( zh, s=曹观友, t=曹觀友, p=Cáo Guānyǒu, c=, poj=Chô Kuan-iú; born 14 November 1957) is a Malaysian politician who has served as 5th Chief Minister of Penang since May 2018, Member of the Penang State Legislative Asse ...

, had expressed his intentions of moving into the mansion in 2018, his move has similarly been hampered by the building's repair costs, estimated at RM1.2 million.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Residency, Penang Official residences of Malaysian state leaders Buildings and structures in George Town, Penang