Toyota urged to set up assembly plant in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal wants Japan’s Toyota Motor Corporation to open a motor vehicle assembly plant in Sabah in view of the pending opportunities with the planned move of Indonesia’s capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.

He feels Sabah will also directly benefit from greater job opportunities and the economic spillover from the Indonesia move.

Mohd Shafie made the proposal when he met several automotive industry leaders after attending the Business Opportunities in Malaysia seminar in conjunction with his investment mission in Nagoya, Japan, on Dec 2.

He noted that as Sabah uses the motor vehicles they make, “we have to look at how else we can benefit from this.”

“Hence, to ensure that the proposal is sustainable, we are proposing a joint venture with them whether through assembly or manufacture. For instance, four-wheel-drive vehicles are needed for the road conditions in Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan,” he said in a statement released here.

Mohd Shafie also held a closed door meeting with WADA Aircraft Technology Co Ltd, a Japanese international company involved in the aerospace industry, on Dec 2.

The seminar, where Mohd Shafie delivered his keynote address, was  attended by 142 business people and investors.

Replying to a question from the floor, he said other sectors selected by Sabah for cooperation with Japanese companies include furniture production as the state has sufficient timber resources.

As Sabah no longer exports logs, Japanese companies can set up factories in the state with a government guarantee of ample supply of timber resources to meet their demand, he assured.

“I believe Japan imports rubber wood from Malaysia, particularly Sabah … we have 72,843ha planted with rubber trees and you can produce furniture using this wood. Obviously, we are very close to your industry but I hope (you) can set up a plant in Sabah … we can work closely and we have workers readily available,” he told the seminar participants.

Mohd Shafie gave another assurance, that the state government will provide all the facilities including expediting approvals within 24 hours to Japanese companies that invest in Sabah as long as they comply with the conditions which include environmental impact assessment. – Bernama

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