Najib woos Kelantan with ‘development’

“Ambo Perdana Menteri untuk semua” (I am the Prime Minister for all),” said Najib Razak, seen to give a clear message to the Kelantanese that they can rely on the federal government to safeguard their welfare.

Najib, who was on one day visit to Kelantan today, expressed his commitment to continue to develop Kelantan to compete with other states.

Giving the example of RM572 million worth of the Sungai Kelantan Integrated River Basin Development Project (PLSB), which was launched yesterday, Najib said it would help erase the nightmare of 2014 big flood, and benefited about 100,000 residents along the river.

The PLSB project will commence tomorrow and expected to be completed by May 2021.

Another development project to be implemented in the state is the expansion of the Sultan Ismail Petra Airport in Pengkalan Chepa to accommodate four million passengers from the current capacity of 1.3 million people and the East Coast Railways (ECRL) construction project that will spur the state's economy.

During the visit, he also expressed the willingness of the federal government to implement a flood mitigation project along the Sungai Golok as well as to build a new stadium as an encouragement for youths in the state to be involved in sports.

While attending a gathering with more than 10,000 civil servants of the federal and state governments at the Wisma Persekutuan, Najib reiterated his stance not to treat the state as a stepchild due to political differences.

He said it was proven through an allocation of RM14.6 billion for the development of Kelantan, since he led the country in 2009.

The numbers were significantly different from the RM12 billion allocation given to Kelantan by the previous leadership for more than two decades since 1981, he said.

With various developments brought by the federal government to the state, Ketereh Umno division chief Annuar Musa wanted the Kelantan people to think about the future that the state will be able to enjoy with the capability of the BN government.

He said, Kelantan should not remain in the polemic as a backward and poor state.

“The development implemented by the federal government, particularly ECRL, which is not a regular project, but capable of bringing significant changes to Kelantan,” he said.

Najib said the projects that have been and will be implemented will enable the state to become more competitive, especially in terms of direct investment, given the facilities provided by the government.

Meanwhile, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan’s deputy vice-chancellor (research and innovation) Ibrahim Che Omar perceived the prime minister as upholding his slogan ‘People First, Performance Now’ through various development projects in Kelantan.

“Despite the fact that the state is being governed by PAS, he is fair and has never used it as an excuse not to extend his help,” he said.

He said that the people of Kelantan craved not only for physical development but also in terms of education and the economy.

“The problem is that the Kelantanese living outside the state and enjoying various facilities, are influencing political scenarios in the state with sentiments of not wanting to change Kelantan,” he said.

- Bernama