SG4 Growth Targets Must Be Supported By Implementation Capacity -- Akmal Nasrullah
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 27 (Bernama) -- The economic growth target of up to seven per cent per year for Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, and Perlis states (SG4) must be supported by implementation capacity, said Economy Minister Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir.
In a Facebook post today, he said one of the gross domestic product (GDP) targets proposed for SG4, based on findings from the SG4 Business & Economic Forum 2026, is set at RM723.75 billion for all four states combined by 2050.
“This means that the SG4 states have set a growth target of up to seven per cent per year.
“Certainly, to achieve this major goal, all parties involved in making it a success cannot simply carry on with a ‘business as usual’ attitude,” he said.
Akmal Nasrullah said this requires viable planning, increased productivity, and effective project implementation and investment.
“I do not wish to comment on the growth targets that have been set; however, we need to examine the efforts of the federal government that should rightfully be highlighted in discussions regarding the development of these regions.
“Without highlighting these efforts, I am confident it would be difficult for us to assess the implementation capacity in developing these states,” he said.
“First, there is the development expenditure (DE) allocation from the federal government, amounting to RM7.70 billion for 2025, compared to the combined estimated state development budgets of approximately RM1.13 billion.
“In other words, the scale of the federal development allocation is about 6.8 times larger,” he said.
He said this commitment is further reinforced under the 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) for 2026-2030, with 1,487 development projects approved for the four SG4 states, costing RM71.52 billion in total.
The development ceiling allocation for these states under the Second Rolling Plan (RP2) for 2027 has also increased to RM8.11 billion, up from RM7.98 billion under the First Rolling Plan (RP1) for 2026, representing an increase of RM130 million, or 1.6 per cent.
“This increase reflects the federal government’s ongoing commitment to ensure the effective implementation of development projects, particularly in strengthening the provision of infrastructure and basic amenities for the well-being of the rakyat in these states,” he said.
Akmal Nasrullah said among the strategic projects that support the development of this region, which also involve federal agencies, are Kedah Rubber City, East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), Tok Bali Industrial Park, Kertih Biopolymer Park, Perlis Inland Port and Chuping Valley Industrial Area,
He said this is reinforced by regional economic growth and cooperation between the government and the private sector.
He said planning our economy through to 2050 is challenged by existing basic infrastructure, such as clean water supply and other essential services.
“That is why I am deeply concerned about the water supply issue in Kedah, which has recorded a zero-per cent reserve margin. The same applies to the water supply problem in Kelantan.
“How can the local economy be developed and investment attracted more vigorously without basic infrastructure facilities like these?” he said.
In this regard, he said that while federal development allocations and federal-funded development projects are being actively implemented to support economic growth in Kedah, Perlis, Kelantan, and Terengganu, all relevant parties should give fundamental infrastructure issues, such as water supply, due attention.
-- BERNAMA