Johor polls: Muszaide pledges agro-tech expansion, palm oil mill to spur Sedili growth

Johor polls: Muszaide pledges agro-tech expansion, palm oil mill to spur Sedili growth

KOTA TINGGI: Muszaide Makmor, the incumbent for the Sedili state seat from Barisan Nasional (BN), plans to expand agro-technology projects, in collaboration with public universities, into Felda areas as the main agenda of his manifesto in a bid to secure a second-term mandate.

He said the initiative is part of his continued commitment to strengthening the rural community’s economy and increasing residents’ income, including that of Felda’s second-generation settlers.

He added that the modern agricultural projects, utilising the expertise of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), such as giant freshwater prawn farming, mud crab breeding and ginger cultivation, are expected to boost the income of local participants.

“The giant freshwater prawn hatchery and mud crab breeding projects, carried out in Sungai Sedili Kecil and Sungai Sedili Besar respectively, are among the initiatives that can create new income opportunities for the local community.

“I recently visited Aping Timur, and they also hope that such projects can be expanded into Felda areas to provide second-generation settlers with opportunities to earn additional income,” Muszaide told Bernama.

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He said the opening of an integrated palm oil mill in the area is expected to create more than 200 new job opportunities for local youths, thereby further stimulating the domestic economy.

“The opening of this large-scale palm oil mill is specifically designed to prevent unemployment and the migration of young people out of the district, thereby allowing the local economic cycle to grow more vigorously and dynamically,” he said

Asked about the competition in the Johor polls this time, he said he would leave it entirely to voters’ wisdom to evaluate his track record in ensuring the continuity of development in Sedili.

In the July 11 Johor polls, Muszaide faces a three-cornered fight against former Sedili assemblyman Rasman Ithnain, who is representing Perikatan Nasional (PN), and Pakatan Harapan (PH) candidate Amirul Husni Onn.

Meanwhile, Rasman claimed that although nearly 3,000 second-generation Felda lot recipients in the area had successfully obtained land titles through his past efforts, they have still yet to build or occupy their own homes.

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He said the situation has had a profound impact, with some owners having to bear monthly loan repayments of RM300 to Syarikat Perumahan Negara Bhd (SPNB), while the houses remain abandoned due to the lack of basic infrastructure.

He alleged that approvals for the development of basic infrastructure had been deliberately delayed due to political issues.

Rasman also raised the issue of disruptions to clean water supply, which he described as the most critical problem affecting residents in traditional villages and Felda settlements in the Sedili constituency, especially during festive seasons.

“If I regain the mandate, I will urge the Johor government to take bold steps by securing a special loan from the federal government to resolve the utility crisis, considering that the state’s water debt account has already been fully settled,” he said.

A total of 172 candidates are vying for 56 state seats in the Johor election, with polling day set for July 11 and early voting on July 7.

N36: SEDILI – 29,090 voters

1. Amirul Huzni Onn (PH-Amanah)

2. Muszaide Makmor (BN-Umno)

3. Rasman Ithnain (PN-Bersatu)

(2022: Muszaide Makmor: BN-Umno: Majority: 5,679) – BERNAMA