Kuala Lumpur must be prepared to face future challenges - PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The city of Kuala Lumpur must be better prepared to face future challenges as well as ensure that no group is marginalised in line with the principle of the Malaysian Family, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

He said the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) as the local governing authority needed to be dynamic and productive in managing municipal issues as well as empowering its delivery services.

Using a Malay adage that advocates fairness and equality, the prime minister said this principle is applied in the way Kuala Lumpur is managed and administered, adding that the B40 group, for example, must be given due attention to ensure their basic needs are addressed.

Ismail Sabri said this in his speech when launching the 50th-anniversary celebration of Kuala Lumpur's city status at the Perdana Botanical Gardens here tonight.

The formation of a sustainable city for all must take into account the economic needs of a city and the real attraction of a city is its ability to create jobs, he said.

"With this factor of attraction, the city can continue to grow holistically for the long term," he said.

Apart from that, Ismail Sabri said city folk were the backbone of Kuala Lumpur's integrity and the existence of the new media had brought them closer to the administrators to voice their views in the development of the federal capital.

"It is their voices and views that will drive the government's efforts, in particular, on the objectives and focus in the administration of the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur today. This is in line with my commitment," he said.

Recalling the history of the first city in Malaysia, Ismail Sabri said Kuala Lumpur, which was once a small and quiet tin mining town with nipah roof houses, was now bustling with skyscrapers and rapid housing development.

Kuala Lumpur is known for its great landmarks such as the Petronas Twin Towers which once made history as the tallest building in the world and now, the Merdeka 118 is the second tallest tower in the world after Burj Khalifa.

Also present at the ceremony were Federal Territories Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim and Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Mahadi Che Ngah.

Meanwhile, Shahidan said the Golden Jubilee celebration today was aimed at instilling the spirit of love for the city and the region as well as strengthening racial harmony, in line with the spirit of the Malaysian Family.

He said the spirit of the Malaysian Family introduced by the prime minister should also be revived as a symbol of strength of the multi-racial and multi-religious nation.

He added that the function of Kuala Lumpur had changed in line with economic and physical development, from a major city to a conurbation region on par with the world's urban and economic regions.

Apart from that, he said efforts to promote Kuala Lumpur as a premier tourism choice, for domestic and international tourists also needed to be stepped up, especially when the international borders began to reopen post-COVID-19.

The Golden Jubilee celebration is to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the declaration of Kuala Lumpur as the first city in Malaysia in 1972.

-- BERNAMA