PM Najib states commitment to continue to help Kedah raise economy
PENDANG, April 22 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today stated his determination to assist Kedah so that the state would not continue to be left out of the mainstream of development in the country.
He said that Kedah should receive aid from the Federal government to continue to grow as the state had limited resources and was depending merely on the agricultural sector.
"If the mandate is given to us (Barisan Nasional), we will continue to assist the state of Kedah.
"Many other projects we will give including to elevate the state's economy such as the Bukit Kayu Hitam Special Border Economic Zone, upgrade the airport in Alor Setar including additional water treatment plant,"he said when launching the Pendang Hospital Construction Project and the Gathering With the People, here today.
Also present were Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya and Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid.
The Prime Minister said the state would also benefit from the country's strengthened economy.
"This year the country's economy is expected further grow, in line with the recognition of international bodies such as the World Bank," he said.
Najib said the Federal government was committed to implement inclusive-based development, to ensure no one was left out.
"This is BN's politics, which is to help the people, unlike the politics of the Opposition which is to come (to help the people) only occasionally," he said.
On the RM210 million Pendang Hospital project, Najib said construction would begin May 7.
Najib said he had consulted with Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam and Public Works Department director-general Datuk Seri Dr Roslan Md Taha to ensure that the appointment of the contractor could be expedited.
"I didn't want to come to Pendang empty handed, because I know the residents want a new hospital.
"I wanted to find the best possible way to appoint a contractor in a short period of time so that we can launch the hospital project," he said.
The prime minister said he did not want the launch of the hospital's construction to be merely a political move.
In this regard, he said he wanted the Pendang parliament seat to remain under the control of BN in the 14th General Election to ensure more development projects could be implemented.
--BERNAMA
