The new secretary general of MITI Datuk Jayasiri Jayasena was in Sarawak for the Malaysia Day celebrations and took the opportunity to lead a small but high powered delegation to Samalaju and see the progress for himself.
Chief Executive Officer of RECODA, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot personally briefed the delegation that included Dato’ Dzulkifli Mahmud, CEO of MATRADE, Griffith Jones Goba, Director for MITI Sarawak, Redzuan Abd Rahman, Director for MIDA Sarawak, Leany Mokhtar, Director for Matrade Sarawak, as well as Helmi Hasan Basri, assistant director for MIDA Sarawak.
After the briefing, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson led the delegation through the area pointing out development to date and highlighting the achievements and benefits of the investment in Samalaju.
“Samalaju represents one of the five growth nodes of SCORE and what you see here today is an area in Samalaju that was a green field site only five years ago. Since then, we’ve seen a transformation that even I did not anticipate. This remarkable transformation owes a great deal to the close relationships we have with agencies such as the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA),” he said.
“In the same breath, we wouldn’t have got so far, so quickly without the incentives and support from MITI, MIDA and MATRADE.”
The visit to Samalaju was a first for both Datuk Jayasiri and Dato’ Dzulkifli. Both were visibly impressed with the scale of development in the area and the important role played by RECODA and multiple agencies.
The delegation ended the visit by visiting the Samalaju Port where Samalaju Industrial Port Sdn Bhd’s representative gave a briefing on the port’s progress to date.