Bashah said a lot of thought had gone into planning Kedah’s drive to strengthen the state’s economy through industrialisation and it was not something plucked out from thin air.
He said the agricultural sector had only contributed 18.1% to Kedah’s GDP over the past 10 years while the services sector yielded more than 50%.
“My objective is to develop the state’s economy. So, what is wrong with this planning (towards boosting industries)? Is this crazy?
“Kedah will remain as the rice bowl of the country, although we aspire to develop more industrial areas,” he said in response to criticisms at the recent PAS muktamar in Alor Setar by the opposition party’s central committee member Muhamad Sanusi Md Nor.
Sanusi had described Bashah as “crazy” for proposing to reclaim rice fields to build factories.
Bashah said the rice fields Sanusi spoke of were sited close to urban areas and were taken over with a strict condition that the land must be replaced in another area.
“I am also very aware that 125,000 acres of agricultural land in Kedah must remain earmarked for agriculture since we are the nation’s rice bowl, to ensure that we continue to contribute 38% of the country’s rice needs.
“We are not ‘gila’ to find excuses to turn swathes of land into industrial zones.
“We are also not the type to allow logging for the sake of rearing ‘ikan keli’ where the benefits of doing so have yet to be seen until today,” he said in a scornful reference to the previous Kedah PAS government’s project.
In remarks laced heavily with sarcasm targeting Sanusi, who was a political secretary to former Kedah PAS MB Azizan Abdul Razak, Bashah said “a highly educated person who called me crazy” should know industrialisation has been part of the state government’s plans since the 1990s.
“I feel educated people should know the Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah Science and Technology Park, and the Rubber City project are part of the state’s way of improving the economy.”
Bashah did not spare other PAS leaders, “praising” them for electing Sanusi as a central committee member at the recent PAS muktamar.
“Congratulations for being sane and not crazy to choose such a highly educated person as a central committee member. It looks like PAS really knows his leadership qualities.”