By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, May 18: The federal government will narrow the development gap between East and West Malaysia through the implementation of critical infrastructure projects in Sabah and Sarawak.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said the federal government has taken steps to implement critical infrastructure projects in both states which are aimed at enhancing the welfare of their people and narrow the development gap.
“I hope the people in Sabah and Sarawak will enjoy better network connectivity and high quality facilities.
“The federal government will work hard to narrow the development gaps and economy (sic) between states and federal.
“This include efforts to provide better mobility to the people through enhancing connectivity and basic infrastructure as well as transportation including public transport that supports the logistics industry,” the King said during his royal address in Parliament today.
He added the federal government will also focus on development in rural areas in Peninsular Malaysia, especially Orang Asli settlements.
He noted that more that two thirds of Malaysia’s population are city dwellers and that the federal government will formulate affordable housing policies and create house ownership through rental schemes to enable the B40 and M40 groups to obtain home ownership.
The King asserted that the federal government has taken steps to tackle the increasing cost of living, including creating a competitive environment in the private sector to prevent monopolies, raising the production of high quality products and enhancing strategic partnerships between public and private sectors.
The King noted initiatives such as controlling the price of essential goods, buying Malaysian product campaign and targeted subsidies will be enhanced to assist the people in addressing cost of living challenges. — DayakDaily
