By V. Sivaji
Penang had the honour of hosting the 11th Annual Global Organization of Tamil Origin (GOTO) conference at the Dewan Sri Pinang over this weekend (Jan 4 & 5, 2025).
Penang Chief Minister YAB Chow Kon Yeow himself was on hand to attend and officiate the opening ceremony.
He was joined by Penang Deputy Chief Minister 11 YB Jagdeep Singh Deo, State Exco for Housing and Environment Dato Seri Sundarajoo Somu and State Exco for Tourism and Creative Economy YB Wong Hon Wai too.
The delegates were from the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu along with delegates from Tamil diaspora communities from 40 countries.
Among them were from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Singapore to name a few.
Three Tamil Nadu ministers from India also attended the meeting along with GOTO president J Selvakumar and his committee.
In his speech Chow commended Penang’s vibrant Tamil community for their rich cultural heritage and contributions in the fields of commerce, agriculture, medicine and education.
Meanwhile, various programmes to promote culture and tradition of the community were also showcased in the meet.
Local representatives from as far as Kuala Lumpur, Perak, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Johor and Malacca also made their presence.