HONOURABLE speaker of the House, praise be to Allah, and by the grace of Allah, may He be praised and exalted, we are able to hold this First Meeting in the Fifth Year of the Fourteenth Perak State Assembly.
The Covid-19 pandemic shall go down in history as the most devastating global disaster, affecting not just the world economic performances, disrupting lives, managing healthcare, and food supplies, rather leaving a trail of trauma that still tugs at the emotions of many, poets lament of omnipresent barbs of panic, tourists without destinations, wanderers without directions, explorers without borders, ships docked at ports, airplanes grounded in hangars, trains stranded at stations, flowers withered, farms unattended and livestock forsaken. More heartbreaking is the sight of millions in their death throes. More than 185 nations struggled to rein in the numbers, yet infection levels climbed, unrelenting. Besieged, man is herded into a complicated war with an unseen enemy.
The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Malaysia recorded a contraction of 5.6% in 2020. Praise be to Allah, in 2021, the Malaysian economy recorded a positive growth at 3.1%. For 2022, the International Monetary Fund projected a GDP growth of around 5.7% for Malaysia, spearheaded by a significant increase in international trade, stable commodity prices, sustained containment of the pandemic, and rising consumer and business sentiments.
Just as things were starting to look up, the skies darkened. Fragile global supply chains, weakened by the pandemic, are now battered by the economic and geopolitical uncertainty of the Russian-Ukraine conflict. Soaring crude oil and natural gas prices spell trouble for many fuel-dependent industries. The world economy will slide into recession if the conflict is prolonged, and Malaysia will not be able to avoid its negative effects. Direct and indirect effects of a protracted conflict will undermine food supplies, impact inflation and interest rates, decelerating global economic growth. Global GDP is expected to plunge by 10% to 20%.
In 2021, our government finalised its accounts with a surplus of RM22,985,877.92, against a projected deficit of RM110,078,000.00. Revenue collection exceeded the target at 108% valued at RM998,467,193.89; combined with development funds of RM29,649,077.14 received, total receipts for the year was RM1,028,110,997.03
Contrasted with 2020, the collections in 2021 improved by 1.5%; determined by a rise of 6.2% in property taxes, and an increase of 53.8% contributions from state statutory bodies and government linked corporations. The transition to Phase 4 of the National Recovery Plan on 8 November 2021, motivated higher tariff collections.
For 2022, this august House had approved a budget of RM1,105,000,000.00; RM803,000,000.00 for operating expenditure, and RM302,000,000.00 for development expenditure; a ratio of 72.7% for operational expenditure to 27.3% in development expenditure.
The 12th Malaysia Plan is focused on efforts to revitalise the economy, equitable distribution of the nation’s wealth, while securing environmental sustainability. The federal government has allocated RM1,425,654,271.66 for the first rolling plan in the 12th Malaysia Plan. A total of RM1,366,346,398.77 or 96% had been expended. Out of 304 projects that were approved, 90 has been completed with 274 still ongoing. In the second rolling plan, the federal government allocated a total of RM1,537,616,800.00 to fund 372 projects.
In 2021, in order to cushion the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the state implemented numerous initiatives through the Economic Stimulus Package at the cost of RM108,263,393.48. Public welfare and health sectors took the lion’s share of RM41,117,535.00. For this current year, the state has set aside additional funds of RM47,000,000.00 for the Economic Stimulus Package for targeted development, through the National Trust Fund.
Economic recovery efforts are intensified, and the welfare of the people are prioritised. To achieve optimal level of immunity against the Covid-19 infection, the vaccine booster dose was rolled out since 13 October 2021. As of 18 March, 2022, 66% of eligible adults in Perak had received their booster shots. Efforts will redouble to create awareness among the people on the importance of strengthening the immune system against this biological threat. Besides the Health Department, we call upon all houses of worship, schools, voluntary bodies, youth organisations and the public to help spread the word on the importance of taking this booster. We should realise by now the burden shouldered by the medical frontliners over the past two years and ought to sympathise with them by acting responsibly to help lighten the tasks of health workers by taking preventive measures to curb the spread.
The right honourable chief minister has set out five main agenda to focus on for 2022. Firstly, to improve state revenue; secondly, instilling a culture of service excellence; thirdly, improving the well-being of the people; fourthly, strengthening digital services and infrastructure; and finally, addressing the impact of climate change. These five main thrusts shall be the guiding principles not only for all departments, agencies and statutory bodies but also applicable to the private sector and non-government organisations. The agenda must be translated into action plans and implementation programmes. To this end, it is necessary to take active steps, explore innovation and think outside the box to sire a new work culture.
Since the dawn of man, one of the main social issues affecting the world is poverty. Poverty does not discriminate between developed or emerging nations. In 2019, the World Bank reported that 9.2% or 689 million global citizens fall within the category of the hardcore poor. It has been estimated that in 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic added almost 115 million people worldwide to this group of the impoverished.
Our country is still struggling to attain zero-hardcore poor. Guided by this aspiration to eradicate poverty when tabling the 2022 Budget, the federal government focused on three initiatives; firstly, rural development; secondly, fortify social security; and thirdly, empowering government machinery to manage social welfare.
As at 16 March 2022, the poor in Perak who have registered with the eKasih database totaled 162,177 households, where 97,656 are listed as poor, while 64,521 households are hardcore poor, accounting for 6.1% of the state population.
The federal government aims to realise its objective of zero hardcore poor by 2025 by joining efforts with the state government, private sectors and community base non-governmental organisations plus other relevant organisations, to focus on education and health. Five localities, in the districts of Hulu Perak, Kerian, Manjung and Batang Padang have been identified for this pioneer poverty eradication programme.
Shelter, after food and clothing, is the next vital basic need. The people’s housing programme for the lower income group will lead the poverty eradication journey in the right direction. Ensuring affordable and safe housing is one of the major responsibilities of the government. The state has set a target to build fifty thousand affordable homes from 2018 to 2023. Praise be to God, we managed to achieve this target in 2021. 56,292 units have been completed; 20,820 were under the purview of the Perak Property and Housing Board and relevant state and federal agencies, while 35,472 units were built by private enterprise.
Allah, may He be praised and exalted, blessed this land with abundance to be managed and distributed and savoured by all. Provision of affordable housing to the people should intensify. Ownership of property by the poor should be the yardstick to prove that national resources have been wisely, justly and equitably distributed. The state has taken the right stand in being firm to housing developers on its conviction to have more affordable housing available to its low-income citizens.
Global warming and rising planetary temperature threaten all lifeforms. There is evidence of places, which are too hot for habitation, there will soon be areas that will become parched lands. Even in our country, more and more houses of worship and buildings had to be air-conditioned. The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 26 held in Glasgow, Scotland in late 2021 made averting the effects of global climate change its main agenda. The state has taken proactive steps in dealing with the effects of climate change by gazetting 986,848.26ha or 47% of total state land as permanent forest reserves to be administered based on the Principles of Sustainable Forest Management.
According to Sustainable Forest Management Principles, a permanent forest reserve is classified in two functional classes namely, production forest and protection forest. As of December 2021, 501,235.70ha or 51% are classified as production forest, while 485,612.56ha or 49% are protected forest; this means that Perak is fully compliant with the sustainable forest management practices evidenced by having successfully retained the Certificate for Forest Management since 2010.
The state will implement the state-level Greening Malaysia Programme with the campaign to plant ten million trees in five years beginning 2021. As of December 2021, 2,175,659 trees have been successfully planted.
Recycling practices, which can have a positive impact in the rehabilitation of the environment, has not been fully appreciated to be embedded into our way of life. To encourage this good habit, the Environment Department and local authorities have implemented the e-Waste Collection Programme. Perak was ranked first place by successfully collecting 313 metric tons against the target of 40 metric tons set by the Environment and Water Ministry. Such e-waste will be recycled to sift out valuable metals and to prevent hazardous materials from polluting the environment.
In the first decade of this century, the world has witnessed an unprecedented production of plastic, even exceeding the total production in the 20th century. Malaysia is second highest in Asia for usage of plastic, at 69.54kg per capita. On average, Malaysians use 300 plastic bags per annum and discard more than 30,000 tons of plastic into the seas every year. This earned Malaysia a place on the global list of ocean plastic polluters. Plastic debris that end up in the water or on land take up to four hundred years to decompose. Malaysians are sorely lacking in awareness, indifferent to the pollution hazards of plastic that can poison food and the environment. The public needs to be made aware of plastic pollution. Houses of worship, schools, non-governmental organisations and the youth should assist in educating the public to refrain from or reduce the use of plastic and avoid discarding plastic waste into surrounding water bodies or be left to decompose on the ground.
The world now faces numerous catastrophes, suffering loss of life and property. Lately, natural disasters that have been occurring with increasing frequency, should be regarded as a divine censure of our misbehaviour, turning nature against us. The obsession for infrastructure developments and the obsession for business profits cannot justify our greed to wreck the environment. By the word of Allah, may He be praised and exalted, in Verse 41, Surah Ar-Rum states: “Damage has appeared throughout the land and sea because of the doings of the people’s actions, that He may let them taste part of (the consequence of) what they have done that perhaps they may return (to righteousness).”
Technological advancement alone cannot rein in disasters resulting from environmental devastation in the hands of man. National growth and development must be tempered with respect and love for the environment to cultivate awareness so that man and nature can co-exist to attain a balance between growth and regeneration.
The survival of the Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) must be earnestly addressed. Based on research, the forest reserves of Perak are an important habitat of this animal whose numbers have dwindled to a frighteningly low figure of 37 (30 adult tigers with seven cubs) still living in the wild. This count is extremely small when compared with available acreage capable of sustaining around two hundred tigers. To assist in reinforcing the habitat for the Malayan Tiger, the state has gazetted 18,866ha as the Amanjaya Permanent Forest Reserve.
In November 2021, the big tide phenomenon coupled with unusually heavy rains have resulted in several districts being inundated by floods causing damage to four hundred homes. The Irrigation and Drainage Department took the initiative to install the stick gauge and 33 warning sirens at flood hotspots throughout the state, to monitor water levels. Rainfall gauges are also installed to monitor the amount of rainfall. These installations will be used as an early warning so that relief and rescue operations can be mobilised immediately in the event of a flood occurring.
Flood mitigation measures and mechanisms set out in the National Security Council directive states that in the event of natural disasters such as floods, storms, landslides, and such, the Disaster Operations Control Centre and the On-Scene Command Post must be mobilised systematically and in an orderly fashion. Perak has a disaster mitigation force that is 5,494 strong comprising members of the police force, the rmy, fire & rescue department, and the Malaysian Civil Defence Force, together with 386 units of land assets and 140 units of water assets ready to be deployed.
The Covid-19 pandemic, natural disasters, inflation and lately, war, have threatened global food supply. The 2020 global report on food crises reported that the pandemic is capable of triggering a food crisis of critical levels. Rising food prices will affect lives and create distress. The government is undertaking several integrated action plans to secure food safety through efforts to modernise the food subsector in the Industrial Revolution 4.0, identifying access to new markets and attracting the young to participate in agriculture, fishery and livestock farming.
The state-level Food Security Policy Committee was established to boost the robustness of the food chain to ensure the sustainability and continuity of food supplies, focusing on various aspects of supply, production, price, consumer purchasing power, eating habits and environmental resilience.
Food wastage is a daily occurrence. Global data has shown that the value of food wastage has reached 2.4% of the world’s GDP. In this country, it is reported that seventeen thousand tons of leftovers, which can feed three million citizens are disposed of daily. 4,080 tons of the disposed food are edible food that has been wasted. These figures rise by 10% during Ramadan. The numbers reflect the gravity of food wastage happening today. Man must be educated to value food and adopt a no-wastage culture. The state should take meaningful steps to put a stop to such wastage. State departments should play the role model, starting with the amount of food ordered for events and functions, and during gatherings and meetings. Every household, school, institution of higher learning, place of worship, food operator, restaurant and hotel should refrain from excessive provision of food that can only end up in the bin.
It is heartening to note the efforts of 40 mosques and several religious schools here in Perak using the vacant land around their mosques and institutions to produce food. The Islamic Religious Council and several government linked corporations fulfilled their corporate social responsibility by funding youth farming projects, assisting in the establishment of agricultural clubs to pique the interest in agriculture in the young. This praiseworthy effort should be expanded to encompass and include more places of worship, schools, youth movements, the private sector and should also be introduced to government quarters, including army camps and police barracks.
Several local authorities have made us proud. The Manjung Municipal Council successfully launched their app, myManjung, to make online services more accessible to their community. Businesses can now apply online for the Digital Business Premises Licence (myPatil) and obtain status updates directly from this mobile application. Enforcement checks on the validity of business registration is now at the tip of the finger, and license renewal reminders are communicated via smart phone messaging.
The Ipoh City Council, which introduced the System Innovation Project MyNoRisk@MBI, won the Gold Award in the Regional Innovation Showcase on Team Excellence 2021, Northern Region. The Taiping Municipal Council received recognition at the Malaysian Tourism Council Gold Awards 2021 for having the Best Sustainable Tourism Programme; while the Kampar District Council won the Gold Class 1 Award in the Public Sector and Statutory Bodies category and the Workplace Health Promotion Award in the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health Awards, and at the same time, was declared the winner of the Green Neighbourhood Award in the National District Council organised by PlanMalaysia. These achievements should be a source of inspiration to other departments and agencies.
The state has commenced a new initiative, which is the rural waste disposal services through services of the local authorities. RM2.2 million has been allocated in 2021 to bear the cost of preparing the landfill, purchase of garbage bins and operational costs for 110 villages. This programme garnered positive feedback and cooperation from villagers who took part, and this has helped reduce indiscriminate garbage disposal and uncontrolled open burning.
Beginning July 2021, Perak will be adopting the policy on communication services as a public utility (after water and electricity). Various relevant agencies, especially the Malaysian Commission for Communications and Multimedia are working diligently and in cooperation with this state to realise the initiatives and targets under the National Digital Infrastructure Plan. Work has begun to upgrade the copper-based internet network to fibre optics, upgrading transmission stations from 2G and 3G to 4G, increasing the number of towers for 4G cellular coverage to improve the average bandwidth speeds from 25Mbps to 35Mbps so that high speed bandwidth services can be made available to all.
The young are an important national asset. 28% of the Malaysian population are the youth. 7.8 million youth will be eligible voters in the 15th general election. They need to be fostered, guided, educated and be given the trust to take on greater responsibility to build a nation-state that is close knit and united, progressive and prosperous. Groundbreaking steps undertaken by the Perak Islamic Religious Council and Malay Customs to directly involve the young to participate in the council, at various levels in the Baitulmal and mosque committees, should be expanded to various state committees and local authorities, in statutory bodies, institutions and foundations. Active youth involvement will revitalise jaded policies, refresh decrepit structures and inject young blood into aging souls. The approach taken by the state to include the young by giving them a platform to broach ideas and vocalise their thoughts is a wise and constructive move. Issues that are objective and ideas that are constructive, voiced at the youth assembly sitting, should be given appropriate attention.
Every vision, idea, aspiration and plan can only be realised if administered by a trustworthy, sincere, honest and transparent machinery; an administration that observes a very high level of integrity, an administration that is transparent, an administration that is free from corruption and abuse of power and an administration that is accountable to the people, more so accountable to Allah, may He be praised and exalted. May He bless Perak Darul Ridzuan with an assembly of righteous scholars and exemplary statesmen; leaders, administrators and managers who are trustworthy, sincere, honest, and truthful. May Perak Darul Ridzuan have peace and prosperity in abundance, may her people continue to be blessed with opportunities, divine guidance and always be favoured by Allah, may He be praised and exalted.
With this proclamation, we hereby declare this First Meeting, in the Fifth Year of the Fourteenth Perak State Assembly be called to order. – The Vibes, March 28, 2022
Royal address by His Royal Highness, Sultan Of Perak Darul Ridzuan Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfur-Lah for the Inauguration of the First Meeting in the Fifth Year of the Fourteenth State Assembly of Perak Darul Ridzuan
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