BN man: Selangor taking credit for Putrajaya's work

A BN lawmaker has accused Mohamed Azmin Ali of taking credit for FDI secured by federal government agencies and ideas mooted by BN in the Budget 2018 speech for Selangor today.

According to Batang Kali state assemblyperson Mat Nadzari Ahmad Dahlan, Azmin wrongfully claimed credit for furniture maker Ikea's investment in Pulau Indah.

"This was part of Malaysian Investment Development Authority's (MIDA) effort, but the state government is claiming credit," he said.

On Azmin's announcement of the state's promotion of the aerospace industry, Mat Nadzari said such projects have been mooted since BN was still running the state.

"There are not many new things in the budget. Many of the initiatives were a repetition of policies mentioned in previous budgets," he said.

As an example, Mat Nadzari cited how the state government had allocated a large sum for upgrading roads, but not building new ones.

"So, there is nothing much we can be proud of this budget," he said.

In his speech this evening, Azmin said his administration was proud that it had attracted major brands and foreign investors.

"The latest was Ikea Supply (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, a Delft-based company which will build a regional and supply chain centre in Pulau Indah with a development cost of RM1 billion.

"This will be the third biggest (of its kind) following Chicago and Dusseldorf.

"Unlike Putrajaya, the state government does not need to travel to the White House to kneel down before foreign powers. In this matter, a Boston-based (company) came to Shah Alam, because of its confidence in our ability and integrity," he said.

Healthcare scheme impresses PAS man

Meanwhile, PAS lawmaker Khairuddin Othman said he was confident that the state budget will help Pakatan Harapan and PAS retain power in Selangor.

Khairuddin (photo), who represents Paya Jaras, said Selangorians will have the confidence that it can be carried out.

"The people will hope the state government can remain strong," he added.

However, he claimed this is not an election budget.

"You can only say this is an election budget when the previous budgets tabled by us were not consistent," he said.

For Khairuddin, the most impressive part of the budget was the healthcare scheme, which is not available in any other state.

The "integrated healthcare scheme" will provide basic healthcare benefits, subsidised pneumococcal vaccinations, subsidised treatment for cardiovascular diseases, subsidised palliative care and the establishment of a new unit to deal with mental illnesses.- Mkini