SHAH ALAM - Caretaker Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari says the upcoming mega port on Carey Island will generate income for the state government.
"The proposal for Port Carey came from a private initiative, but we hope to not repeat the same mistake as before, as the state government should have some equity for the port," he said at a press conference at Dewan Raja Muda Musa here.
Amirudin said that they will be requesting 20 to 30 per cent equity from the mega port.
"As well as appointing representatives from Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated (MBI) or Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) to hold the equity and represent the state. "We do not want the same scenario as in Port Klang to happen again," he added.
Port Klang is the 12th most advanced port in the world, but the Selangor state government only collects land tax from it, Amirudin said.
"We do not generate any profit from the operations running at Port Klang," he said when speaking about the mega port.
The Selangor coalition chairman said that it was decided by the Malaysian National Security Council to participate in the development of Port Carey.
"PKNS has also been appointed to deal with its proposal, and the Transport Ministry will materialise the plan moving forward," he added.
Port Carey is the main agenda item of the proposed Special Economic Zone in Pulau Carey, Kuala Langat.
It is expected to boast an impressive 16 km of wharf length and a handling capacity of 35.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) of containers.
The port in Pulau Carey will be the third mega port in Selangor, alongside the North Port and West Port, which are both located in Klang.