PAS is not comfortable facing the Kedah state election despite winning the majority of parliamentary seats in the state during the recent general elections, the Kedah Consumers’ Association (Cake) said.

According to Cake, the state’s economic growth is slow and there is no transparency on planned mega projects.

Cake president Mohamad Yusrizal Yusoff said Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor announced that Kedah had received billions of ringgit in investment but the future of high-impact projects that should trigger development is still a question mark because there is no transparency.

Yusrizal said the state’s economy has not recovered from the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, he expects Kedah to face difficulties in getting help from the government because the state is in opposition hands.

“We know that Kedah is the second poorest state in Malaysia and the economic situation after the pandemic has actually deteriorated. Kedah is indeed one of the worst affected.

“After the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions, it was expected that Kedah would bounce back, but the situation is still difficult. We see small traders, farmers or producers being the most affected.

“These people really need help,” he said, estimating that the majority are from the B40 group, who earn between RM1,500 and RM2,000 a month.

Assessing the situation in Kedah, Yusrizal also accused PAS of poor administration.

“Even though all kinds of investments and profits are announced, it does not affect the people,” he said.

He touched on the Kulim Technology Park, which houses dozens of foreign companies and factories that do not provide economic spill-over to the local population.

“We don’t even see any benefit to the local people because the local economy is still the same, which is at a low level and job opportunities are still scarce.

“It’s not easy for the locals to look for a job. Usually there will be indirect development, which means there will be many restaurants, laundromats but it is not visible. Kulim is still the same,” he said.

Yusrizal, the Gerakan Tanah Air candidate for Kulim in the election was referring to Sanusi’s announcement of RM9.7 billion in investment brought in after the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sanusi, also in his new year’s speech, urged the people to be frugal in spending due to the expected challenges of a tougher economic situation this year.

He attributed the challenge to the government’s decision to increase electricity tariffs, which will increase the cost of private sector operations by 40%.

Sanusi also claimed that the Kedah mega project, Aetropolis, had to be developed with private funds because it did not get the support of the federal government.

The project in question involves the construction of Kulim International Airport and requires federal government approval.

Yusrizal said the state government’s decision to opt for private investment had its shortcomings, despite not using the people’s money.

“Usually, if it’s a consortium agreement, it involves a period of 20 to 30 years. That’s why there has to be an agreement that the government can still profit from the implementation of this project.

“The downside is that the government will be bonded. If it’s a local company it’s still fine, but if it’s a foreign company we fear the state land could be mortgaged or forfeited,” he said, adding this was why it was important for the state government to disclose the details of the agreement to ensure a more transparent process.

On the other hand, Ilham Centre executive director Hisommudin Bakar sees Sanusi’s announcement as merely as an effort to highlight the ability of his administration to attract large investments.

“Of course, when the state elections are approaching, he wants to show off his leadership and convince investors to invest in Kedah – even though the number of the projects is actually still not clear.

“Was it already agreed, was there a memorandum of understanding or was this all just a show?

Hisomuddin also said PAS’s confidence would be buoyed by its performance in the general election, but warned the party not to rest on its laurels because it may face the challenge of synergistic opposition from Barisan Nasional (BN) and Pakatan Harapan (PH).

“For me, Perikatan Nasional (PN) needs to take note of this synergy between BN and PH because this new mapping has not yet been tested, so PN needs to look at this potential challenge,” he said. – January 12, 2023.