Pahang must ensure investments do not pollute state: regent

KUANTAN – The Pahang government should ensure that development and investments are fully monitored so that they benefit the people and are not detrimental to the environment, said Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

Tengku Hassanal, who expressed pride in the state government’s achievements in finalising seven international investment projects – including from Singapore, China, and South Korea – amounting to RM11 billion last year, added that he did not want the investments to be simply “based on the numbers”.

“Let people also benefit from the abundance of jobs that will be created, and above all, all investments (must) not pollute the environment in my state.

“The projects implemented must have a balance between development and support towards net-zero carbon emissions,” he said at the opening ceremony of the Pahang assembly sitting here today.

The opening ceremony this time was the last officiated by the state regent, as his father Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah who is currently Yang di-Pertuan Agong will return to Pahang next year.

According to Tengku Hassanal, the need to protect the environment is crucial because Pahang is a state rich in natural resources and valuable natural treasures, which will not last long without organised management and planning.

Although natural resources in the state are expected to last for 150 years, the regent wants them to last for more than 300 years or even longer.

“We have no choice. We need to draw up strategies to shift from traditional economic resources such as mineral products and timber to alternative economy resources,” said the royal.

Tengku Hassanal also urged that enforcement against land encroachment, theft of mineral products, and illegal forest exploration be intensified, with the agencies involved being more firm, courageous, and professional regardless of the offender’s background.

In a separate development, the regent also wants the crime rate in Pahang to drop yearly, in addition to empowerment programmes being implemented for women, disabled people, and the Orang Asli community. – Bernama, May 8, 2023