Malaysia, Indonesia To Cooperate In Developing Border Area

Jakarta - Malaysia is prepared to share its experience with Indonesia in developing impoverished villages at the common borders of both countries, Rural and Regional Development Minister Tan Sri Muhammad Muhd Taib said.

He said Malaysia had put in place a systematic development programme covering infrastructural development since the start of its First Malaysia Plan (1956-1960).

Malaysia was also willing to share its experience in bringing economic development to the rural areas through agencies like Felda and Risda, he added.

"On the other hand we can also learn from Indonesia especially in terms of the diligence and the strong will among its people in developing their areas," he told Malaysian journalists here Monday.

He said Malaysia had been striving to enhance its human capital qualities, not only among graduates of higher learning institutions but also among the young generation in rural areas.

For this purpose, the government had launched the Rural Action Plan to encourage village leaders to set the development direction of their villages, he said.

The government, he said, provided the necessary support, including organising courses and visits to successful villages including those in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, when delivering a keynote address at a one-day seminar on border village development, he said, Malaysia had been successful in its social engineering efforts through its five-year development programme.

"Felda, formed in 1956, Felcra (1966) and Risda (1973) are agencies tasked to eradicate poverty and restructure the society," he said.

Felda is how holding half-a-million hectares of land which benefited 112 families, with the loan from World Bank, totalling US$273 million, had long been repaid, he said.

"Risda is involved in rubber replanting scheme on 1.2 million hectares, benefiting 630,000 people and oil palm plantation totalling half-a-million hectares, benefiting 230,000 participants," he said.

Felcra had opened 220,000 hectares of oil palm plantation and paddy field for the benefit of over 95,000 participants, he added.

Source: Bernama.com
Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org

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