THE six state polls on Aug 12 will determine whether Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan want to be as poor and backward as Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, or if the three PAS-led states want to be as developed as Penang, Selangor and Negri Sembilan, said Tan Sri Lim Kit Siang.
Lim said this in response to incumbent Kelantan deputy menteri besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah who said on Sunday (July 23) that it is unfair to compare the development of Kelantan with that of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Selangor, and Penang.
Mohd Amar also said if a comparison is to be made, it should be to Pahang and Negri Sembilan.
“Even when compared with Negri Sembilan and Pahang, the disparity in the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of Kelantan with the two other states have both widened rather than narrowed in the six decades since Independence in 1957,” Lim said in a statement today (July 25).
“For Selangor whose 2022 GDP per capita is RM59,908, it is 3.6 times that of Kelantan, which has a GDP per capita of RM16,567. This is the lowest in all of the states in the country and lower than Perlis’ RM23,126, Kedah’s RM25,957 or Terengganu’s RM32,199.”
Lim further pointed out that Penang’s GDP per capita stands at RM69,886, which is 4.2 times that of Kelantan.
Meanwhile, the 2022 GDP per capita for Negri Sembilan stands at RM49,804 and Pahang, at RM47,177.
“This is why I say that the six states polls on Aug 12 will determine whether a start can be made to lift Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah from their position among the poorest states to be among the most developed states in Malaysia,” Lim asserted.
“This is so the country can rise again and become a world-class great nation punching above its weight.”
Speaking on Kelantan TV’s YouTube live streaming titled Kelantan Maju 2028 on July 23, Mohd Amar who is also the incumbent Panchor assemblyman, also said Selangor is located close to KL, the country’s capital, whereas Penang has been developed for a long time, and that the three states already have adequate infrastructure in place, such as ports, proper roads, and highways.
The PAS vice president’s statement came following allegations made by other parties that Kelantan, which has been ruled by PAS for 33 years, is underdeveloped compared to KL, Selangor, and Penang. – July 25, 2023
Main pic credit: Utusan Malaysia
