THERE were smiles all round as Perlis village heads and Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) committee members arrived at Dewan Warisan in Kangar.
The community leaders mingled and chatted warmly. There was an air of excitement as they waited for the arrival of first-term Perlis Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azlan Man.
It was a historic moment because for the first time in the history of Perlis, community leaders were invited to share their views and ideas to shape the state’s 2018 Budget. It meant sharing the platform with representatives from the federal and state agencies, industry players, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.
Their enthusiasm was evident as they took turns to voice their viewpoints directly to Azlan, seated in the middle of the stage, accompanied by state secretary Ahmad Zamri Khairuddin and state financial officer Nasaruddin Abdul Muttalib.
Azlan paid careful attention to the points raised by the speakers and jotted down notes.
The speakers spoke on issues close to their heart and wish list — what should be prioritised by the Barisan Nasional government in crafting the next state budget.
They wanted infrastructure projects for villages and a high speed Internet connection for the community to keep up with the digital world.
Apart from industrialisation, they urged the state government to develop Kuala Perlis into a tourism destination and restore Gua Kelam as a state tourism attraction.
There was a sense of relief among the participants at the end of the session, having expressed their aspirations to the menteri besar.
Northern Corridor Implementation Authority (NCIA) chief executive Datuk Redza Rafiq, who was present, said it was paramount for the people in Perlis to work together to take advantage of jobs and business opportunities that would be created through key initiatives rolled out by the federal and state governments.
Commending Azlan’s administration for organising the dialogue, Redza said the 2018 Budget would be a turning point for Perlis government in crafting a plan to move in line with large scale projects rolled out by the Federal Government under the 11th Malaysia Plan 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.
ADIE SURI ZULKEFLI is Kedah NST’s bureau chief