Anwar denies claims of not wanting Kulim Airport

PERMATANG PAUH - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has denied claims that the Federal Government is oppressing any state in terms of the distribution of allocations or development, including the issue surrounding the approval of the proposed Kulim International Airport (KXP), in Kedah.

Anwar said any proposal to build an airport required careful study before it could be implemented as it involved several important aspects, especially national security, in addition to having to go through certain procedures and regulations.

"You need to ask the RMAF (Royal Malaysian Air Force), whether or not (can get clearance) for the flight zone... Someone said Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar (Albukhary) would pay for (the KXP construction project) and I asked him (Syed Mokhtar) if he wanted to do it, why didn't he tell me? Syed Mokhtar replied: Brother, I have no proposal to build an airport, there is already a lot of work.

"An airport cannot just be built so easily..it touches on the issue of national security, if you want to be a leader, you have to study a little, you have to study more than others," said Anwar during a tea reception with the residents of Kampung Sama Gagah, near here today.

Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor was previously reported to have said that Anwar should set aside his 'personal interests’ and speed up the approval to build KXP.

According to Muhammad Sanusi, he has made every effort to realise the project located within the Kedah Aerotropolis. - Bernama