MMC seeks continued supportive govt policy for ports

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s leading utilities and infrastructure group, MMC Corp Bhd, is hoping for the government to continue its supportive policy in growing Malaysian ports.

This, said MMC, was necessary as Malaysia was expected to grow more rapidly due to stronger exports.

The positive trade outlook reflects improved confidence, higher investment and the recovery in global trade, leveraging Malaysia’s strategic location, the most important shipping routes in Asia, the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea.

The World Bank recently revised upwards its gross domestic product forecast for Malaysia to 5.2 per cent this year from

4.9 per cent previously, supported by stronger investments and the recovery in global trade.

In a statement, MMC said it was optimistic that Malaysia had all the right ingredients to become a logistics hub for the region.

Trade has been the engine of growth in the last four decades in Malaysia, with 40 per cent of jobs linked to export activities. In addition to growing the ports industry, MMC also hoped that the government would continue to fast track infrastructure projects for Malaysians. Successful completion of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Sungai Buloh-Kajang line project within the pre-determined target cost and date has proven the capabilities of local companies and workforce.

“To date, the project has trained almost 90 per cent of local skilled workers. We believe that Malaysia’s continuous plans to build even larger scale projects will benefit the local workforce, reducing our dependencies on expatriates.

“Apart from upgrading local talent and providing greater mobility within the city, the infrastructure project should also benefit the people in rural districts,” MMC added.

According to recent reports, the MRT project is expected to create employment opportunities for an estimated 130,000 people, which in turn will generate a gross national income of between RM3 billion and RM4 billion per annum from construction and operations alone between 2011 and 2020.

Meanwhile, projects like the 706km Pan-Borneo highway were expected to become economic catalysts to new townships in Sabah and Sarawak, it said.

“We look forward to more people-first projects from the government to ensure improvement in the life and well-being of the Rakyat at large,” MMC added.