The fifth session of the 13th Perak State Legislative Assembly was graced by Sultan Nazrin Shah and Raja Permaisuri Perak, Tuanku Zara Salim. It was held at the State Secretariat Building, Ipoh on Tuesday, April 4.
In his speech, Sultan Nazrin said the state government had collected a total of RM1.01 billion in revenue for 2016. This is an increase of 5.7 per cent compared to 2015. “Eleven departments and agencies have been accorded a five-star rating for financial management last August,” he revealed. He reminded civil servants to defend their honour and dignity by rejecting bribery and the misuse of power which could cause loss of state revenue.
Good facilities play an important role in development, as they provide accessibility to the latest information and a wider business market. Besides roads and highways, railway services have been identified as the backbone of public land transportation. The ETS, connecting Gemas, Kuala Lumpur and Padang Besar, has been operating since 2015 carrying an average of 5400 passengers per day to 8900 passengers per day in 2016.
The Sultan reminded Perakeans to protect nature’s tourism products from being destroyed by over commercialisation. The state park at Pulau Sembilan has been damaged by irresponsible developers and is now closed to tourists until more concrete measures are taken to protect the ecosystem and biodiversity of the area.
In 2013, the government initiated a campaign to plant five million trees within the span of five years. Till December last year, 12.5 million trees were planted all over the state, encompassing an area of almost 7000 hectares. The government is committed to landscape restoration programmes at the mangrove swamps and the coast to prevent or minimise erosion and reduce the risks of tsunami.
During the media conference, Menteri Besar, Dato’ Seri DiRaja Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said, “In the Sultan’s speech, he has detailed a few developmental issues, overall analysis of the future and reminders for us. The state government takes cognizance of all that. We express our utmost gratitude for his acknowledgement of our efforts and achievements over the year.”
Mei Kuan
