Perlis focuses on thinking outside the box to be on par with other states
By Kamarul Ariffin Md Yasin dan Shuhaida Mohd Said
KANGAR, April 12 (Bernama) -- Being small in size and having limited natural resources are the two factors that have forced the Perlis state government to be creative and to think outside the box in its bid to develop the state.
In fact, over the past five years after the 13th general election (GE13), under the leadership of Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man and with the help from the federal government, Perlis has succeeded in planning four high-impact projects to be on par with other states.
The four high-impact projects - Chuping Valley Industrial Area (CVIA) in Padang Besar, integrated jetty in Sanglang, the mega tourism project in Kuala Perlis and the Kangar City Centre (KCC) - will definitely be the catalyst for the state economic growth.
"Perlis has limited natural resources... but, with its leapfrog strategy and creativity, Perlis is able to move forward faster to be on par with other states," Azlan said in an interview with Bernama here recently.
He said Perlis was currently focused on the high impact projects, as they were capable of raising the socio-economic level of the people in shorter period of time, but have long lifespan.
He said, one of the state government's initiatives was to exploit the Perlis geographical location at the Malaysia-Thailand border, while using Perlis' competitive and comparative service sector as the main driver of the state's economy.
"The CVIA project in Padang Besar is capable of attracting many investors in various industries and creating many job opportunities. Besides, the impact of the project will indirectly boost economic activities in the immediate vicinity.
"It is a sustainable project and will be supported by the construction of the Perlis Inland Port (PIP) that will provide an efficient cargo transport system with greater handling capacity," he said.
Costing RM1.2 billion, the CVIA is expected to attract RM4.5 billion in investment and creating over 12,500 jobs, said Azlan.
He said that CVIA involved three industry clusters, namely, renewable energy, green manufacturing and halal industry, and expected to be fully operational by 2025.
Meanwhile, Azlan said the integrated jetty project in Sanglang, costing about RM1.8 billion, would complement the cargo handling network to be more efficient.
"By 2020, the jetty will not only able to accommodate the merchant vessels, but the deep sea fishing, gas and oil landings, as well as yachts and luxury cruises docking. Maintenance, repair and overhauling services for these ships will open up job opportunities for the locals," he said.
There is also a possibility of the jetty to serve the roll-on, roll-off (RORO) ships or ferries carrying vehicles, not just from Perlis to Langkawi, but also crossing the border to Aceh, Indonesia and Phuket, Thailand.
To complement the rapid expansion of the services sector, the state government is also committed to undertake another mega project costing RM311.4 million, on 6.9 hectares of land near the Kuala Perlis Ferry Terminal, that would commence in a week time, he said.
Azlan said the tourism-based joint venture between TH Properties Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Lembaga Tabung Haji and the Perlis State Economic Development Corporation (PKNEPs), would involve the construction of a shopping complex, service apartments, three-star hotel and shophouses.
To highlight Kangar as the capital of Perlis, the KCC project on the 1.6 hectare land in the heart of the city, involving the construction of a 36-storey hotel and two apartment blocks (21-storey and 27-storey respectively) worth RM368 million, would commence later this year to complement the master plan to turn Perlis into a city state by 2030, he added.
-- BERNAMA
