Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow is looking forward to the Federal government's approval an allocation of RM10 billion for its Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP).

He is also hopeful that Budget 2020 which will be announced later today will allocate another RM1 billion for the state's infrastructure projects, notably for flood mitigation projects and road upgrading works, according to the Malay Mail.

He said six public hospitals in the state are in need to be upgraded.

“For example, the Sungai Bakap Hospital in South Seberang Perai is over 100 years old so it is time to be given an upgrade.

“It is time for the federal government to upgrade and expand all of these hospitals,” he said.

Meanwhile, the flood mitigation projects involve North Seberang Perai (RM35 million), Central Seberang Perai (RM165 million) and the Free Industrial Zone in Perai (RM50 million), he added.

Other than that, other infrastructure projects were a traffic dispersal system for three locations namely Juru, Seberang Jaya, and Sungai Dua.

The Penang PWD has also applied for a RM24.1 million allocation to upgrade roads and repair government buildings in five districts in the state.

The state is also planning to switch all street lights in Seberang Perai to LED-type lights. That will cost around RM40 million, said Chow.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng is scheduled to table Budget 2020 at the Dewan Rakyat at 4 pm today.

It will be the second time that he is tabling the country’s annual budget as Pakatan Harapan's finance minister.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad addressed his concern on the people's expectation to have more subsidies and at the same time lower taxes, which he deemed as "not possible."

"What the people want is lower taxes and increased subsidies. That is not possible. You can't have lower taxes and an increase in subsidies.

"We will try to lower taxes, but the government must have money if we are going to give subsidies," he told the media in Kuala Lumpur.

He also said that the government would tax the high-income group and only give out subsidies to deserving groups.