PUTRAJAYA, 29 April – Kota Baharu, which is the capital of Kelantan will be transformed into a comfortable town to live in, as well as a conducive business centre, if Barisan Nasional (BN) is returned to power in the state, the BN candidate for the Kota Baharu parliamentary seat, Dato Mohamad Fatmi Che Salleh said.
He said since Kelantan came under PAS, there was not many development and economic activities carried out in Kota Baharu to provide employment opportunities for the people.
Mohamad Fatmi, who is the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s political secretary, said the situation had lead to many people in Kota Baharu, and in Kelantan generally, to migrate to other states to earn a living.
He was speaking at a forum organised by the association of the people of Kota Bharu (POKB) here yesterday, which was attended by about 400 members. Mohamad Fatmi said he was not worried about the Kelantan people outside the state who had made it big and were successful in their respective endeavours, including those holding high post in the government.
“What worries me is the young Kelantan people living outside the state, like those in Kuala Lumpur, whose income is small and having problems making ends meet,” he added.
He said the PAS Kelantan government had not only failed to create employment opportunities for the people, but also to generate economic activities, as well as attract investors, to the state.
He said there were also complaints among the business community of lack of
facilities for them to carry out their business, adding that the shop lots provided by the state government for traders to carry out their business were not only small, but the rent was very high.
“A Chinese businessman complained to me that a shop he bought in Kota Baharu was about the same price as per sq ft with that at Pavilion,” he added.
He said that if BN was returned to power in Kelantan, the government would bring in more investors to stimulate economic activities in the state, as well as get its people to return home to work.
BERNAMA
