New agenda: Sultan Sallehuddin giving the royal address at the opening of the Kedah Legislative Assembly sitting. — Bernama
ALOR SETAR: The Sultan of Kedah, Al-Aminul Karim Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, wants the state to boost revenue to implement planned development initiatives.
He emphasised the importance of minimising revenue leakage, saying such losses weakened the state’s financial position.
“Continuous enforcement must be carried out and strict penalties imposed for every offence committed,” Sultan Sallehuddin stated in his royal address when opening the Kedah Legislative Assembly sitting, here yesterday.
The Ruler also called for the strengthening of existing industrial areas and the exploration of new zones with development potential, and specifically encouraged the planning of new industrial zones in Bandar Baru district to tap spillover growth from neighbouring states.
Sultan Sallehuddin also called on state and federal governments to prioritise the development of comprehensive infrastructure.
“If a conducive investment ecosystem can be created, it will significantly increase investor interest in Kedah.”
The Ruler highlighted Kedah’s strategic location bordering Thailand, which he said should be leveraged through the development of border towns to promote economic activities and cross-border trade, especially in the logistics and industrial sectors.
“I hope the state government and relevant agencies will take proactive and more aggressive steps to attract investors to the Bukit Kayu Hitam Special Border Economic Zone.”
Sultan Sallehuddin also reminded the state government to be proactive in reviewing and updating policies and regulations to ensure it was relevant to current needs.
“This includes matters related to the rights enshrined in both the Kedah State Constitution and Federal Constitution,” His Royal Highness added.
In conjunction with Visit Kedah 2025 and Visit Malaysia 2026, the Sultan also wanted existing tourism products to be enhanced and upgraded.
