Priority to projects that benefit the nation
KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has sought to unwind legacy policies which were not beneficial to the people, such as by reducing billions of ringgit spent on fuel subsidies annually and axing the cost-intensive Formula One races, said MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Seri Shahril Mokhtar.
In an article which appeared in Asia Today, he said they were being replaced with a more comprehensive public transport network that would bring greater connectivity for those in the interior with the urban centres.
Echoing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's sentiments on this matter, he said these infrastructure projects would be catalysts for greater development for the people, as incomes of those in the interior would rise in tandem with urban development, thereby further bridging the poverty gap between the interior and urban areas.
"Malaysia has been far-sighted to recalibrate the strategy to ensure that only infrastructure projects that can enable faster economic growth and development and bring great benefit to the people are pushed forward.
"This is important to the country's national goals of becoming a developed nation with a high quality of life for its people," Shahril said.
In the article, Shahril contended that nations could not develop and progress if their infrastructure was poorly developed, something that the Malaysian government was acutely aware of.
"The implementation of key infrastructure projects is seen as key to raising the economic status of the people, especially those in the rural areas," he said.
He cited as an example the RM27 billion Pan Borneo Highway spanning over 2,000 km across Sabah and Sarawak, scheduled for completion in 2022.
"The on-going construction of the project has already generated some 400,000 jobs in the two states," Shahril said, adding that it would accelerate social and economic growth, including boosting tourism and bringing much-needed goods and services to hard-to-reach places.
The proposed high-speed rail (HSR) project linking Malaysia and Singapore, he said, would cut down travel time to just 90 minutes.
Shahril also noted that the Mass Rapid Transit Line, a rail network that brings expanded connectivity within Greater Kuala Lumpur, would significantly elevate the country's public transportation system.
"The expansion of the transportation network in Malaysia will certainly trigger more economic multipliers alongside the project. In the short term, the construction works...would provide employment opportunities.
"In the long term, the development of new townships and commercial centres alongside the connected areas will spur economic activities," he said.
-- BERNAMA
