Kedah needs to be compensated for maintaining Malaysia’s rice bowl at the expense of its own development

SHAH ALAM – Ahead of a looming state poll, former Kedah menteri besar Datuk Seri Mukhriz Mahathir moots for government compensations for the state, for having to stifle development due to it being tasked to safeguard Malaysia’s food security.

The Pejuang president argued that it was unfair for Kedah, for not being able to utilise its 270,000 hectares of land for development because it needs to reserve it for national padi cultivation – in which a third of Malaysia’s rice comes from the state.

“These lands which could have been developed for industrial estates and the likes, are reserved lakes, dams and paddy land which could not be developed purely so that we could produce rice for Malaysians to eat.

“At the same time, the population is growing. Kedah used to produce 70 per cent of the rice consumed in the country. Now that figure only stands between 35 – 40 per cent. We are now a net importer of rice,” Mukhriz said during the Sinar Daily’s TopNews podcast.

The present system, the Pejuang president stressed, must be revamped.

“Kedah has proven that it can successfully move from being an agrarian state to a high-tech one. We did that in Kulim High Tech Park which was considered the best industrial park in Malaysia.

“The average salary [of jobs in Kulim High Tech Park] was RM5,600 and 80 per cent of the workers there were Kedahans. So, it was a good thing.

“Why are we not doing more of that so that Kedah can be richer?” Mukhriz asked.

Kedah is among the six states – namely; Penang, Kelantan, Terengganu, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan – which will go to the polls on August 12 where a total of 36 state seats will be up for contest.