Head of government

The Chief Minister is the head of government in Penang. He is officially appointed by the Governor, Penang's head of state, on the basis of the latter's judgement that the former commands the confidence of the majority of the State Assemblymen in the Penang State Legislative Assembly.^[4] The Chief Minister and his Executive Council shall be collectively responsible to Legislative Assembly. The Office of the Chief Minister is situated inside Komtar in George Town.

The current Chief Minister of Penang is Chow Kon Yeow of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), which controls the most seats in the State Legislative Assembly among the Pakatan Harapan (PH) component parties. Chow was sworn in on 14 May 2018, after the 2018 State Election that saw the PH coalition retaining power in Penang.^[5] To this day, Penang remains the only Malaysian state where the position of the head of government has been continuously held by an ethnic Chinese since the nation's independence in 1957.^[6]

Notably, Penang is also the only Malaysian state which appoints two Deputy Chief Ministers - one representing the Malay community and the other an ethnic Indian.^[7] This serves to shape a top leadership consisting of various backgrounds, representing the diverse ethnicities of the state.

Cabinet

The Penang State Executive Council forms the executive branch of the Penang state government and is analogous in function to the Malaysian federal Cabinet. The Executive Council comprises the Chief Minister, and between four and 10 other State Assemblymen from the Penang State Legislative Assembly.^[4] Aside from these, three other ex officio members of the Executive Council are the State Secretary, the State Legal Adviser and the State Financial Officer.

Following the 2018 State Election, the members of the Executive Council are as follows.^[8]

Departments

• Penang State Government Secretariat Office^[9]
• Penang State Treasury Department^[10]
• Penang State Mufti Department^[11]
• Penang Syariah Judiciary Department^[12]
• Office of Lands and Mines Penang^[13]
• Penang Town and Country Planning Department (PLANMalaysia Pulau Pinang) ^[14]
• Penang Islamic Religious Affairs Department^[15]
• Penang Irrigation and Drainage Department^[16]
• Penang Public Works Department^[17]
• Penang Social Welfare Department^[18]
• Penang State Agriculture Department^[19]
• Penang Veterinary Services Department^[20]
• Penang State Forestry Department^[21]
• Penang Botanic Gardens Department^[22]

Agencies

• Penang Development Corporation^[23]
• Penang Public Library Corporation^[24]
• Penang State Museum Board^[25]
• Penang State Islamic Religious Council^[26]
• Penang Hill Corporation^[27]

Statutory bodies

• George Town World Heritage Incorporated^[28]
• investPenang^[29]
• Penang Career Assistance & Talent Centre^[30]
• Penang Global Tourism^[31]
• Penang Green Council^[32]
• Penang Hindu Endowment Board^[33]
• Penang Institute of Integrity^[34]
• Penang International Halal Hub^[35]
• Penang Water Supply Corporation