A total of 249 new projects worth more than RM7 billion in investments were approved in Selangor since Pakatan Rakyat took over the state government last year.

Chairperson of the Permanent State Committee for Investments, Industrialisation and Trade, Teresa Kok, said out of the investments between March 2008 and July this year, about RM2.667 billion were local investments and RM4.336 billion foreign investments.

eli wong back to work160409 teresa kok 01 "The new projects, approved by the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority (Mida) and the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (Miti), have the capacity to provide some 18,166 job opportunities for the locals in Selangor," she said during the Selangor State Assembly in Shah Alam today.

She said this in reply to a question from M Manoharan (DAP-Kota Alam Shah) who wanted to know the amount of new investments in Selangor since Pakatan took over the state control from Barisan Nasional in March last year.

Among the areas of focus for foreign investors in the state are Shah Alam where 4,870 employment opportunities were created, Klang (4,082), Port Klang (1,404), Pulau Lumut and Pulau Indah (655), Subang (783), Puchong (956), Semenyih (363), Banting (121), Kapar (477), Balakong (187) and Kajang (340).

Klang port and KLIA major contributors

Kok said Selangor was among the major contributors to Malaysia's trade through its Klang port project and the KL International Airport (KLIA).

Replying to a question from Subahan Kamal (BN-Taman Templer), Kok, who is the state assemblyperson for Kinrara, said the state government had implemented several strategies this year to increase trade in Selangor.

These include the promotion of specific areas such as Pulau Indah as a trade activity centre, as well as business networking and business matching programmes, trade and investment missions overseas and the participation of Selangor in local and overseas exhibitions.

- Bernama