Kuantan is not ready for a city status although the state capital has fulfilled all the criteria required to become a city since 2008, Menteri Besar Adnan Yaakob said.

He said Kuantan people themselves were not ready and that there were also other problems such as rubbish, clogged drains and damaged public amenities, which should be dealt with first.

As such, the state government would not rush into elevating Kuantan’s status from a municipality into a city, he said when replying to a question from Chang Hong Seong (BN-Teruntum) at the state legislative assembly sitting today.

He called on elected representatives and local authorities to deal with the problems, saying these were among issues the people often complained about.

“Let’s solve these problems first because elevating the status of the state capital into a city.

“We want Kuantan to be a clean municipality and providing comfort to the people even without becoming a city,” he said.

- Bernama