SG PETANI – Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor further fuelled the interstate rivalry with Penang when he declared that some quarters were jealous of the success Kedah has attained in the past few years in creating more jobs.
The Kedah menteri besar claimed this when he launched the groundbreaking ceremony for a new township in Sg Petani here, called Bandar Saujana Putra.
“Nowadays people are saying all kinds of things about Kedah. It is okay as it is envy which is driving it. It is good for Kedah to be in the limelight often. The state has done well in terms of luring investors and creating more jobs.”
Sanusi, who had just returned from Mecca for an umrah pilgrimage, said that to conduct good marketing and promotion, one needs to be featured at all times.
“And it is good for Kedah if the state is constantly in the spotlight. We can promote our advantages compared to our neighbours.”
Addressing the crowd here, Sanusi said that any project that the state government approves must offer job openings for Kedahans here.
“If the investors cannot do it, they can go elsewhere such as to Penang.”
Earlier this week, Penang assembly passed a historic motion when it overwhelmingly supported a call to censure Sanusi and seek an apology from him. This was after his alleged remark that Penang was loaned from Kedah and that the state must pay more than the present annual RM10 million compensation that the federal government is paying Kedah now.
Since then, Sanusi has brushed off the censure and apology notice, except to speculate last night that Kedah was singled out because people are jealous of it.
The interstate rivalry has dragged on since 2020 when Sanusi took over leading Kedah from Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir, who was ousted after several members of his then party Bersatu defected to join Sanusi’s PAS in forming a Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition in the state.
The other partner was Umno through Barisan Nasional.
Besides the different interpretation of history from Penang, Sanusi has sparked a feud with Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow over the supply of water from the shared boundary of Sg Muda.
Sanusi, who is PAS elections director, led PN to an impressive performance in Kedah in the last general election, sweeping 14 of the state’s 15 federal constituencies.
On the Bandar Saujana Putra project, Sanusi said the township will be developed in a few phases over the next 10 years on 1,400ac (566ha) of prime land.
With a gross development value of RM2.5 billion, construction will start next year and it will be fully completed by 2032.
It will have 5,400 units of housing, including affordable ones, while 230 industrial lots as well as 40 units of commercial shop houses will also be created.
The industrial lots will cater for cottage industries, while Sanusi has also said that Kedah is keen to tap the renewable energy market, besides the electrical and electronics market.
Most importantly, Sanusi said that up to 20,000 jobs would be created in 10 years.
The project is jointly developed by public-listed OIB Bhd and Kedah’s economic development agency.
Sanusi also disclosed that Kuala Muda district which borders Penang’s Kepala Batas is the state’s most populous district with 620,000 registered residents.
This augurs well for the district as the state would be paying it more attention with infrastructure investments expected for water supply and additional housing. – The Vibes, March 10, 2023
