ALOR STAR: The Sultan of Kedah, Al Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, has expressed appreciation to Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for the Prime Minister's commitment to eradicating hardcore poverty in the state.
His Royal Highness said the programme has significantly reduced the number of hardcore poor families in Kedah by 77 per cent.
"I appreciate the Prime Minister's concern in swiftly assisting the 1,750 hardcore poor families. I was informed that, to date, the number has been reduced by 77 per cent, with just 404 families remaining," Sultan Sallehuddin decreed at the awards and medals investiture ceremony in conjunction with his 82nd birthday celebration held at Istana Anak Bukit here today.
The Sultanah of Kedah, Sultanah Maliha Tengku Ariff, the Raja Muda of Kedah, Tengku Sarafudin Badlishah Sultan Sallehuddin, and the Raja Puan Muda of Kedah, Che Puan Muda Zaheeda Mohamad Ariff, also graced the ceremony.
Sultan Sallehuddin commended the efforts made by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and the state leadership to strengthen ties between the Kedah government and the federal government.
"I am confident that the effort by the menteri besar and state leadership to further strengthen the ties between the state government and the federal government is a very wise move. I was informed that the menteri besar had presented a wishlist of development projects in Kedah to the prime minister in a special meeting on Kedah's development on May 4," he said.
Sultan Sallehuddin expressed his wish for the federal government to respond swiftly to the state's development wishlist.
"I really hope for the prime minister and the federal government to approve the request for a RM200 million fiscal incentive for the Kedah government. This is a reciprocating mechanism, where my government has to retain 113,000 hectares of padi cultivation area to contribute 43 per cent towards the nation's rice self-sustainability. This represents a lost opportunity for other developments and agricultural activities that could generate much higher revenue for the state. Therefore, the fiscal incentives will balance future revenue and expenditure for Kedah's socio-economic development," he decreed.
Sultan Sallehuddin aligned this with the state government's vision to uplift the state economy and spread prosperity to Kedahans, such as providing housing for the needy.
"Additionally, the fiscal incentive may also be used to expand economic activities, such as developing more commercial areas for small-scale entrepreneurs," he said.
Sultan Sallehuddin acknowledged the state's achievement in attracting over RM100 billion in investments since 2020 under the 12th Malaysia Plan and Kedah Development Plan 2035. He said this demonstrated Kedah's potential to attract investors and expand businesses in the state, while commending the state's ease of doing business principle.
"From a regional economic perspective, I was informed about the rapid development at the Malaysia-Thailand border involving the Kubang Pasu and Padang Terap districts, such as the road construction to link Bukit Kayu Hitam ICQS Complex and Sadao ICQ Complex. As such, I wish the federal government to enhance the border's development nodes.
"This is because almost 50 per cent of the area in the Bukit Kayu Hitam Special Border Economic Zone and Kedah Rubber City is led by NGX, a subsidiary of the Finance Ministry Incorporated and the Northern Corridor Implementation Authority," he said.