By Yasmin Ramlan
SHAH ALAM, Sept 25 — Selangor’s open-door approach and the collective effort of everyone in the state administration has resulted in its success in contributing to the national economic growth, said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
Speaking at a forum in Jakarta today, Amirudin shared how Selangor is a melting pot that welcomes everyone from other states to study and start their careers in the state, which then contributed to the state’s economic growth and development.
“I think most of them are from Selangor, maybe some of them are not originally, including myself. I’m not from Selangor. I am a Johorean.
“But when I studied, started my career there (in Selangor) and got into politics, no issues arose. They (the people of Selangor) accepted outsiders and non-locals to become the Menteri Besar,” he said during ‘Meet The Business Leaders’ forum at Universiti Paramadina, which was also streamed live on his Facebook page.
Amirudin was replying to a question from the audience on the disparity between Selangor and other states in Malaysia.
However, he said those aspects alone are not the primary criteria for producing a rich and prosperous state as the most crucial components to ensure prosperity in Selangor are the quality of its services, integrity and stability.
Earlier, Amirudin cited several of the state’s achievements, including its continuing to position itself as the largest contributor to Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP), accounting for 25.5 per cent of the total in 2022.
He acknowledged that the state’s economic success was also due to the migration of workers into the state, highlighting some of its popular business hubs including the world’s 12th busiest port, Port Klang, and major airports Kuala Lumpur International Airport 1 and 2, located in Sepang.
He said Selangor is also home to over 150 universities, including public and private higher learning institutions and international universities, including three that are administered by the state government.
“And this has become among the factors that has drawn people to come to Selangor,” he said.
Amid the achievements, Amirudin said Selangor was not spared from several unprecedented crises, particularly the global Covid-19 outbreak and the devastating flood in December 2021.
However, he said the state administration was quick on its feet and introduced a series of economic stimulus packages to tackle the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said is a part of the state government’s initiative to help the people and business operators who were hit by the global outbreak.
“One of the aspects that I always emphasise is the importance of Selangor in becoming an agile state. Flexible and ready for any transitions or changes,” he said, citing the adjustments made during the pandemic.
“We need to be ready with such transitions.”
During the pandemic, the state government spent RM260 million for the benefit of 3.5 million people in Selangor through two initial economic stimulus packages, from a total allocation of RM413.9 million.
