I refer to the malaysiakini report Poser over mega 'ghost town'

The Port Kelang Free Zone is not the first industrial zone nor will it be the last 'white elephant' project on this earth. In this country, we have already accumulated a number industrial parks that have not gone beyond the initial government-funded infrastructure development. Fat contracts were awarded to 'friends' of 'friends' and they were virtually - together with the board of directors - given the go ahead by the government to use the land to get loans from government-funded banks.

This idea of large industrial parks both in free zones and non-free zones was first encouraged by Unido (United Nations Industrial Development Organisation). All over the developing world, during the early 80s, industrial parks became the fashion. The idea was good but with assured government funding, the parks got their kiss of death.

Such an approach to industrial development or development in general is flawed. By setting up this type of industrial parks, you're trying to pass your undervalued infrastructure cost onto the investor. What is the cost of a square foot of land in the Port Kelang Free Zone? I think that it is anywhere from RM20 to RM30. Even the smallest business will require 44,000 square feet. You work out the figures and ask yourself what kind of capital outlay the investor will have to come out with for the land itself.

As far as I am concerned, land by itself only has value when it becomes developed. By itself, it has no value. The person who is going to invest his hard-earned money on the land should have the first choice to buy the land from the state and develop it. Not some organisation that spends millions of our money on infrastructure development which the investor may or may not want.

I do not have to list the underutilised industrial parks that are found in each of our states. It is time for us to look into this matter and at least find a way to correct the wrong. Then at least we would have learnt - at great cost - the difference between a wise man and a fool. The wise man does at the beginning what the fool does at the end.