By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, Aug 6 — The First Selangor Plan (RS-1) is not just a development plan for Selangor but also a catalyst for the country’s economic growth, says Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said this is because Selangor is the largest contributor to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) or one-fourth of Malaysia’s revenue.
He is optimistic that the state’s five-year plan would become a supporting factor to the Federal government in formulating the 2023 Budget which will be tabled soon.
“We (state and Federal government) must have the right mind and thinking, which is that trying to fail each other is not an option at all. Because if Selangor failed, that would bring a serious economic impact on the country.
“Therefore, failure is not an option for any state administration, instead we need to focus on expanding our effectiveness to achieve success,” he said on the Bicara Bernama TV talk show last night.
Amirudin also admitted that the relationship between the state government and the Federal government has vastly improved, even better than before, especially after the country was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In the last two and a half years, we have formed a closer relationship and the situation has made it easier for officers from both governments to share their ideas. We have gotten rid of perceptions such as political differences and who is better and focuses on resolving the pandemic issue as well as its economic impact.
“I hope this situation could be maintained at the ministry or state government level. Also, hopefully, there will no longer be extreme political sentiments such as the issues that affected Air Selangor’s restructuring exercise which had taken up to 10 years to be resolved,” he said.
