KEDAH Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has refuted Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s statement that the Kedah government never submitted an application to develop the Kedah Aerotropolis aviation hub project.

Sanusi said that since taking over the administration of the state government, he had presented proposals for the project at the National Physical Planning Council (MPFN) meeting in August and October of 2020.

He added that the official applications to two Prime Ministers previously had been submitted to be brought to the cabinet, in addition to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Economy) for scrutiny by the Public and Private Cooperation Unit.

“The Federal government, through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, in a media statement on March 19, 2019 had announced the approval for the project, including the Kulim International Airport (KXP).

“The state government’s engagement session with the Transport Ministry, headed by me and Wee Ka Siong (the then Transport Minister), was held on August 21, 2020 at the Transport Ministry and succeeded in obtaining approval for the project,” he said in a statement today.

At the Dewan Rakyat sitting  yesterday, Loke was reported to have denied that the federal government had cancelled the project as Kedah never submitted an application for the project.

Sanusi said, so far, two application letters to present proposals for the project had been sent to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim but neither had received a reply.

He said the state government was very serious about implementing the project and had spent almost RM30 million to prepare technical studies and all the required documents.

“There is no need for any party, especially the federal government, to have any doubts because this Kedah government project is through a private finance initiative,” he said.

The Kedah Aerotropolis Project, which was designed to drive the state’s economic transformation, was to be developed on a 3,965-hectare area at Mukim Sidam Kiri in the Kuala Muda district covering the construction of KXP as well as supporting industries including the Sidam Logistics, Aerospace and Manufacturing Hub. – Bernama, March 9, 2023.