By Ida Nadirah Ibrahim
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari has today expressed his appreciation to the state investment arm Invest Selangor Bhd (Invest Selangor) and the decision-makers in the local councils and state government for their hard work in pushing Selangor to be the preferred choice for investors.
He said apart from job creation, the efforts had connected foreign investors with small and medium enterprises in the state to be included in the global supply chain.
“We have already put in the hard work to attract foreign investors to set up shop in Selangor.
“And a crucial cog which keeps this machine going is the tireless efforts every morning of the team here at Invest Selangor, heads of department in the local councils and state government, with one goal in mind, showcasing Selangor as the first choice for investors, and attracting jobs from abroad into Selangor,” said Amirudin in his opening speech at the launching ceremony of the 7th Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) 2023, here today.
Reiterating a caution against complacency, Amirudin said the state government must identify ways to optimise government operations to boost its service efficiency through digitalisation to a commitment that the services must be both people-centric and business-friendly.
The Menteri Besar also emphasised on the state government’s ambition to attract high-quality investment, in line with several identified industries, such as higher-quality manufacturing in automation and new fields in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, in preparation for future epidemics or pandemics.
“It is clear that the business of investment isn’t solely based on the past. That is why I made it crystal clear to my whole team in Selangor (that) while we have done well, we cannot take things for granted or be complacent by hoping that our past successes can guarantee success in future.
“That was the driving force behind the First Selangor Plan that I launched in August last year, a plan which had sustainability at its heart and core because we cannot take the threats of climate change lightly.
“But we also have to find ways to meet the growing demand for a growing economy to offer higher-paying jobs to Selangorians in the fields of cutting-edge technology,” he said.
With the state and Federal governments now governed by the same ruling party after 15 years, Amirudin said this is the best time for investors to invest in the state as the administrations share the true spirit of institutional and economic reforms.
“Under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership, especially after four important documents were announced in the past two months, beginning with the Madani
Economic Framework, followed by the National Energy Transformation Roadmap, the New Industrial Master Plan, and last week’s Federal Budget, there has been no time in Malaysia’s history in the 21st century with a clearer road towards the future than this moment,” he added.
The four-day trade summit starts today until October 22 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, featuring six core components with the participation of 1,006 booths.
The seventh edition of the annual event is anticipating some 50,000 trade and public visitors, with a target of RM1.5 billion of potential negotiated sales.
