SHAH ALAM, March 5 — Selangor Opposition chief Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said today that he had a tougher term when serving as a menteri besar compared to his successor Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
Azmin, who is also Hulu Kelang assemblyman, said he had not received any cooperation from the federal government during his tenure as the Selangor menteri besar.
“At that time, I became menteri besar without any cooperation with the federal government. That’s the difference. The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (Mida) and the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Matrade) did not cooperate with me.
“Right now, today’s menteri besar is the same and compatible with his leader in Putrajaya. Of course, there are many new spaces and opportunities. I’m not complaining. Good for Selangor. But as good as Selangor is, it still can’t overcome Penang and Johor [in bringing investment]. Even fell down the ranks,” he said.
Azmin was responding to state investment, trade, and mobility committee chairman Ng Sze Han in the latter’s wind-up speech after the debate of the speech of Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj.
Ng, who is also the Kinrara assemblyman, suggested that Amirudin is the better menteri besar as the latter brought in a larger sum of investments into the state as compared to Azmin.
“During Hulu Kelang’s tenure as menteri besar from 2014 to 2018, a total of 1,136 projects were approved and incoming investors amounted to only RM 7.43 billion. That is a pretty good achievement.
“But compared to the year 2018 until September 2023, Amirudin, when he was menteri besar, the number of approved projects was 1,549 with a total investment of RM91.1 billion. So, which investment period is superior? I don’t think this figure can be deceiving,” said Ng during his wind-up speech.
“Who is the better MB?” he later asked.
Azmin then replied to Ng, claimed that during Amirudin’s first term as menteri besar, Selangor state government officers came to him and sought support.
“Another thing I want to remind Kinrara, even though the menteri besar sat there before, I was in the federal government, despite ideological differences, I still helped him. When I was at the economic affairs, Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry, Selangor investment officers came to see me and I gave them support.
“Exco members also met me at that time. But I didn’t get this opportunity when I was a menteri besar. So don’t compare the situation of 2016 and 2017 with today’s situation where the existing menteri besar got a lot of favours from my close relationship with him throughout this year,” said Azmin.
Last Thursday, Mida announced that Penang, Kuala Lumpur, and Selangor recorded the most investments in the country. Penang recorded RM71.8 billion, Kuala Lumpur recorded RM58.3 billion and Selangor recorded RM55.3 billion.
On March 1, Ng said the Selangor government is focusing on attracting industries that will have a spillover effect in the state such as investments that can create job opportunities with higher wages rather than the amount of investments brought in.
