Exco: Initiative aims to turn settlements into tourism, economic and community assets
Selangor is looking to strengthen the identity and branding of 77 new villages, with plans to highlight their heritage, culture, food, traditional industries and community products as tourism and economic assets.
State local government and tourism committee chairman Datuk Ng Suee Lim said the state would allocate RM4mil annually for new village development projects.
This includes upgrading basic facilities, beautifying surroundings and creating a more conducive environment for economic activities, tourism and community development, he said.
“The first step is to identify each village’s unique characteristics, from its heritage and culture to its gastronomy, traditional industries and community products.
“This approach will help ensure every new village develops a distinct identity that can be showcased as a tourism attraction, economic opportunity and community asset.
“Next is branding. This will be done through state-level programmes such as the New Village Festival, which is proposed to be held once every two years,” he said during the Selangor State Assembly sitting at Bangunan Dewan Negeri Selangor in Shah Alam yesterday.
Ng was replying to Wong Siew Ki (PH-Seri Kembangan) who asked on the branding and identity of new villages initiative.
He said the plan would cover all new villages in the state, along with fishing villages and planned settlements.
Under the second Selangor Plan, the “Kampung Baru Maju 2030” initiative would focus on empowering entrepreneurs, digitalisation, heritage preservation, strengthening local identity and developing communities in a more structured and sustainable manner, he said.
“Through these approaches, the state government aims to ensure that new villages are not seen merely as historic residential areas, but are developed as communities with their own identity, economic value and distinctive character.
“However, development must also go hand in hand with preserving their original character.”
Ng said the ultimate goal was to make Selangor’s new villages more organised, competitive and relevant to current development without losing their heritage or original identity.
In response to Wong’s follow-up question on whether the state government was open to creating mascots for each of Selangor’s nine districts as part of its identity-building efforts, Ng said such mascots already existed.
Seri Kembangan, Ng said, was associated with starfruit, while Sepang was known for dragon fruit with a large dragon fruit-themed attraction recognised by Guinness World Records.
Sekinchan, meanwhile, had a padi-themed mascot, reflecting its identity as a major rice-growing area, he added.
“State assembly representatives and industry players in each district are encouraged to develop their own mascots to reflect the unique identity and character of their respective areas,” said Ng.
The Selangor State Assembly was adjourned sine die.
