Everyone in Perlis is a stakeholder in state’s future

He said mega projects such as the Chuping Valley Industrial Area, Perlis Inland Port and the upgrading of Padang Besar train terminal spearheaded by NCIA, in collaboration with the state government, were aimed at accelerating Perlis’s economic growth.

To ensure the projects’ success, he said, it was crucial for the Perlis government to build infrastructure within the radius of the mega projects such as public amenities, telecommunications facilities, including high-speed broadband, and new settlement areas for workforce in the new growth areas.

He said the locals should make the best of the projects to empower human capital and add value to products and services in Perlis such as BeliaKU Mahir, value chain and downstream development programmes and entrepreneurs’ capacity building schemes through MCash and Dana Mudahcara.

Expressing his gratitude for the inputs and ideas, Azlan spoke of his wish to make the Perlis 2018 Budget inclusive, reflecting the aspirations of the people and stakeholders.

“The era of government knows best is over.

“We need to consult the people to get input on their expectations and interests for future development in Perlis,” he said at the end of the session, making it clear that such dialogues would be continued.

Azlan said the project to develop Kuala Perlis to woo tourists transiting to Langkawi was in line with the aspiration of the people to put Perlis on the national tourism map.

He also pledged to help youths to equip themselves with knowledge and skills to reap the benefits of Perlis’s transformation, including nurturing them to become information and communications technology-savvy.

Azlan hit the right note by holding on to the principle that everyone in Perlis is the stakeholder of the state’s future, with the state government playing the role of facilitator.