Mega projects must incorporate local culture, civilisation and new technology for the benefit of the nation and people, says Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
He said in the pursuit of development, developers sometimes merely copy ideas from abroad, despite knowing such concepts do not align with local societal values and culture.
“Our new developments must take into account these aspects as well as the needs of the people.
“There are grand buildings and mega projects that bring no real benefit other than impressing people, and we can no longer defend such developments,” Bernama reported him as saying at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Ipoh Sentral development project in Perak today.
Anwar said “mega complexes” must take into account current needs and ensure that their benefits are felt by all segments of society.
“Will these mega projects provide buildings that meet the needs of everyone? If it is a housing project, comfortable housing must be provided for those with sufficient means, the middle-income group and the poor.
“In the end, these complexes will require thousands of workers, and these workers should not be pushed away to remote areas tens of miles from where they work. All of this must be considered,” he said.
Anwar also criticised the tendency of some developers to focus on luxury developments for the wealthy while neglecting affordable housing.
He said many mega developments in Kuala Lumpur are built as exclusive areas for high-income earners, while public housing projects are relegated to the outskirts and less strategic locations.
Anwar said schools must be part of the plan in every mega development project.
He referred to a recent incident in Kuala Lumpur, where he had to firmly rebuke developers and officials for failing to plan adequately for educational needs.
“I had to reprimand them quite sternly because when asked, the developers and officials said there was already a school nearby. But that school had 50 pupils per class – it was overcrowded.
“Surely we cannot simply cram these primary-level pupils from lower-income families in, without any sense of concern or empathy. That is why I rebuked them,” he said.
