SHAH ALAM, Aug 7 — Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari may not have an economic background, but he has succeeded in driving Selangor to become the most advanced state and nations’ main gross domestic product (GDP) contributor since helming the administration in 2018.
Several players in the economic industry are of the view that the strict financial and economic management practiced by Amirudin has enabled him to govern the state well.
They pointed out that this is evident in Selangor’s financial performance since Pakatan Harapan took over state over about 15 years ago.
Universiti Tun Abdul Razak’s economist Prof Barjoyai Bardai said Amirudin was wise to blend the traditional economic and financial management implemented by the previous menteris besar, Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim and Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali, with fresh ideas.
This, he said, has resulted in Selangor’s GDP contribution to increase to 25.5 percent last year.
He noted that through Amirudin’s economic planning, Selangor’s GDP contribution rose from 23.7 percent to 24.3 percent in 2020, at a time when the country was threatened by the spread of Covid-19.
He said this was better than the performance of Azmin’s administration, which recorded a 23 percent GDP contribution, a drop from the 23.7 percent during Khalid’s time as the menteri besar.
“With continuous prudent financial management, fiscal discipline and good governance, we also saw the state’s reserves increasing (up to RM3.4 billion), apart from surpassing its revenue target (through other investments),” he told Bernama.
Barjoyai said thanks to vision of Amirudin and his executive council members, Selangor has remained as the preferred destination for investors in the manufacturing and service sectors.
“This, as well as its geographical advantage as the main gateway to Malaysia through two international airports, a container port and highway network connectivity, has propelled Selangor to become Asean’s key trade gateway.
“This is a privilege that other states may not enjoy and with these advantages, I see Selangor not only being attractive, but also able to choose or determine which are the sectors and industries that have high added value to be invested in the state,” he said.
Meanwhile, Invest Selangor Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Hasan Azhari Idris said in terms of investment, the state was second overall in the country last year, with approved investments of RM60.1 billion, surpassing Sarawak ‘s RM28.2 billion.
He said although Selangor was behind Johor, which recorded approved investments of RM70.6 billion the same year, the state’s achievements should be commended after it successfully attracted 1,392 projects that resulted in 89,568 job opportunities in the manufacturing sector since 2018.
Hasan Azhari is also confident that the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) 2021-2025, conceived by Amirudin, can be used as a guide to drive the state’s socioeconomic growth to a higher level for the next few years.
“RS-1 was developed based on short, medium and long-term strategies and initiatives to achieve the vision of making Selangor a smart, prosperous and habitable state by 2025,” he said.
Amirudin, who is the incumbent Sungai Tua assemblyman, was sworn in as Menteri Besar of Selangor on June 19, 2018.
In the coming August 12 state election, Amirudin is defending his seat in a three-cornered fight against Perikatan Nasional’s Muhammad Hanif Jamaluddin and independent candidate G. Suman
— Bernama
