IPOH, Sept 11 — The Perak state government has confirmed that the laid-back Sungkai town will be transformed into a defence and security hub in this region through the Malaysia Defence and Security Technology Park.
Chief Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said the park in the northwest peninsular state would be developed at the end of this year.
He said the park would be built under a public-private partnership initiative between the Defence Ministry and a local company, Masterplan Consulting Sdn Bhd.
Besides developing the area, Zambry said the defence industry project could woo investments from within and outside in bolstering the silver state towards attaining advanced state status by 2015.
“Any investment for the defence industry is still in the planning stage.
They (Defence Ministry and other parties involved) have submitted to the state government on the plans to be implemented.
“Several rounds of discussions have been held between the state government and the ministry. The decision will be announced after approval has been given,” he told Bernama in an exclusive interview.
On December 27, 2011, former Defence Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi announced the plan to develop the massive defence industry project in Sungkai.
The announcement drew keen interest from local and foreign companies, including from Europe and the United States, to invest in this ambitious project.
The park will emerge as a major defence technology park with the state-of-the-art infrastructures and sophisticated services to expedite human capital development, research and development, science, technology and innovation for the advancement of internal security and enforcement agencies.
The plan will open up vast opportunities for new businesses in the area besides serving as a catalyst for the growth of the national and state economy.
The targeted sectors for this mega project are aerospace and avionics, automotive, maritime, defence weaponry and information and communications technology and supportive industries that complement the defence and security industries.
As at July 12, 2012, a total of 12 memorandums of understanding worth about RM5.2 billion (US$1.59 billion) have been signed with the major players in the defence and security industries from throughout the world.
Last year, Perak received about RM1.5 billion (US$458.36 million) foreign investments and RM688 million (US$210.22 million) in domestic investments. — Bernama
