KUALA LUMPUR – Poverty in Malaysia’s villages can be resolved by looking east, argued Datuk Seri Tajuddin Abdul Rahman (Pasir Salak-BN), who suggested that villagers can produce components for large factories such as what is being done in Japan.
“In Japan, large manufacturers such as Mitsubishi have their components supplied by vendors in rural areas.
“Here, if a factory opens in Selangor, their vendors would be from Selangor. Why can’t we give incentives to factories to bring opportunities to rural areas and create jobs?
“Why didn’t the government reach this decision while planning out the economy?” Tajuddin asked in Parliament today.
In his reply during the Budget 2022 winding-up speech, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Economy) Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed spoke on ecotourism at a village in Johor.
He cited Kg Sg Melayu in Johor Baru where the residents comprising poor fishermen had their living conditions and incomes increased with the introduction of ecotourism activities, where fishermen offer boat rides to fishing hobbyists.
“This was a successful model. Besides vendors, let’s not trivialise traditional approaches to solving rural poverty,” Mustapa added. – The Vibes, November 15, 2021
