People in Indera Mahkota are hoping that greater things will be in store for them following the appointment of their Member of Parliament, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah, as the new Communications and Multimedia Minister yesterday.

Saifuddin, who won the Indera Mahkota seat in the 14th general election, was also a minister under the previous government where he held the foreign ministry portfolio.

Trader Lau Kiong Nam, 54, said Saifuddin was known for frequently going to the ground to meet the people although his role as foreign minister then required him to be away from the country quite often.

"I hope his latest appointment will bring more value to his constituency, and as a resident I am looking forward to an improvement in terms of cost of living.

"Although not directly involved in economic matters, I hope he can raise at the higher level any issues affecting us," he told Bernama here today.

For Zulkifli Daud, 62, he is confident that Saifuddin would continue with his efforts to strengthen the tourism industry in Pantai Balok and Pantai Batu Hitam as this was among his favourite subjects when meeting the people.

He said that after being elected the MP, Saifuddin had spoken of his plans to develop the coastal area, which is somewhat overshadowed by Teluk Cempedak despite boasting beautiful beaches with various activities.

"The presence of more tourists would boost local economic activities, especially the operation of hotels and home-stays and sale of marine products including keropok.

"Apart from this, we are also hoping for new attractions to draw more visitors and make this place better known to people outside of Pahang," he said.

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Meanwhile, fisherman Mahari Tahir, 51, is hopeful that Saifuddin would do more for the fishing community as they are close to his heart.

He recalled that Saifuddin had met the fishing community here several times and had been told of their problems, including encroachment by foreign fishermen which affected their source of income.

"As the Communications and Multimedia Minister he might be able to come up with new initiatives to help promote the fishermen's catch as tourism products.

"There are many traditional fishermen in Beserah, so an influx of tourists will make it easier for us to sell our catch without going through middlemen as there is a fishermen's market here," he said.

-- BERNAMA