BN candidate has big plans for Rantau Panjang

PASIR MAS: Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate for Rantau Panjang Zulkarnain Yusoff is planning to develop the constituency, which is famous for its duty-free zone, with new commercial centres as an added value to the area if elected in the 15th general election (GE15).

The 60-year-old candidate, who is also the former rector (academic) of Universiti Teknologi Mara in Machang, said the vast potential of Rantau Panjang should be fully explored, hence the idea of developing new commercial centres capable of luring foreign investors.

“I have been deluged with complaints from the locals as they were hoping for a better future for Rantau Panjang. Yes, the area is famous as a dutyfree zone, but there is also a need to have commercial centres with international brands.

“Rantau Panjang is already a famous spot among visitors who want to buy products from Thailand, so the creation of new commercial centres will give added value to the area,” he said.

Zulkarnain, better known as Ustaz Zul among locals, said the mission to rebrand Rantau Panjang could be achieved with cooperation from the private sector.

“If we can control the government, we can deal with the private sector to bring popular international brands to Rantau Panjang. Most importantly, there must be a good network and government support and cooperation,” he added.

Zulkarnain is contesting for the Rantau Panjang seat against incumbent Datuk Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff from PAS, who won the seat in GE14 with a 6,150 majority.

Also vying for the seat are Putra president Datuk Ibrahim Ali, Wan Shah Jihan Wan Din (Pakatan Harapan) and Datuk Mohd Zain Ismail (Parti Rakyat Malaysia).