ALOR SETAR: Barisan Nasional (BN) candidate Tan Chee Hiong (pix) is promising electorates in Alor Setar to generate more economic activities in the parliamentary constituency.
The reason, he said, was because Alor Setar is still lagging in economic activities compared with other cities or major towns in the country.
He said Alor Setar has the potential to be turned into a hub for tourism and agricultural products that can be used to increase the income of its residents.
“We need to make tourism an important industry in Alor Setar. This is a historic city. We have various products such as Chinese Town, Malay Town, we have the Zahir Mosque, which is the most beautiful and very historic mosque.
“The location of Alor Setar, which is surrounded by padi fields, also makes it suitable to be turned into a hub for agricultural products. We need to find a way to sell our agricultural products,“ he said when met recently.
One of his competitors, Simon Ooi Tze Min, of Pakatan Harapan (PH), said economic development in Alor Setar has been one of the issues often raised by residents in Alor Setar and they want action to be taken to boost economic activities there.
The city would not develop economically by only relying on the development of one particular industry, he said, adding that there are five development cores that he would focus on in the plan to stimulate the economy in Alor Setar.
“They are tourism, education, small traders, housing and agriculture,” he added.
Meanwhile, Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang) candidate Datuk Mohamad Nuhairi Rahmat said Alor Setar has its own uniqueness, including old buildings, that have the potential to become tourist attractions.
“My main mission is to make Alor Setar a centre for tourists. Currently, tourists travel through Alor Setar on their way to Kuala Kedah to board the ferry to Langkawi, but they don’t stop or stay in the city.
“We want to make these tourist stop or transit in Alor Setar before going to their next destination. If this can be done, it can bring good income to traders, especially small traders and hawkers in the city,“ he said.
The contest for the Alor Setar parliamentary seat with witness a seven-cornered fight between Tan, Ooi Mohamad Nuhairi, Perikatan Nasional candidate Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden, Datuk Fadzil Hanafi, of Warisan, and two independent candidates - Datuk Nordin Yunus and Sofan Feroza Md Yusup.-Bernama