MELAKA, June 4 — Melaka government has announced August 24 as an occasional holiday for the state in conjunction with the birthday of the Melaka Governor Tun Mohd Ali Rustam.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh said during the occasional holiday, the state government will also offer Melaka-born residents free entry to the state’s tourist attractions.

"Hopefully this announcement can bring joy to all the people of Melaka,” he said in his speech at the swearing-in ceremony of the Melaka Governor at the Seri Negeri Complex here today.

Mohd Ali received his instrument of appointment from His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia at the Istana Negara in Kuala Lumpur on May 28.

Mohd Ali, 75, was first appointed as the seventh Governor of Melaka on June 4, 2020, replacing Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob. His reappointment is for a four-year term.

The ceremony was witnessed by Melaka High Court Judge Datuk Anselm Charles Fernandis and Melaka Financial Officer who is assuming the duties of State Secretary Datuk Salhah Salleh.

Meanwhile, Ab Rauf said landowners of 38-hectare area in Ayer Keroh have also agreed to a joint venture to develop the land as a German Technology Park industrial area through a memorandum of understanding signed last March.

He said Melaka Corporation (MCORP) has also obtained approval for an allocation amounting to RM1.3 million from the Ministry of Economy to carry out a feasibility study, which is expected to be completed by December this year.

"Ever since my appointment to lead the state government, I am determined to make Melaka an investor-friendly state. For 2023 alone, Melaka has received domestic and foreign direct investments of approximately RM6 billion.

"In order to lure more investors, the state government has also established the Melaka Industrial Booster (MIB) under Invest Melaka Berhad which is spearheaded by the Hang Tuah Jaya Municipal Council (MPHTJ) to enable the application process for developer plan approval at the local authority level to be expedited from 180 days to 30 days only,” he said.

On another development, Ab Rauf said that the government’s efforts to continue strengthening the state’s economic growth showed a very encouraging impact where the Melaka economy was projected to grow by about 4.0 to 5.0 per cent in line with the national Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

He said based on current performance, the service and manufacturing sectors still remain the main contributors, contributing 50.5 per cent and 37.2 per cent respectively to the state’s GDP.

"Meanwhile, Melaka’s unemployment rate for the first quarter of 2024 is 2.2 per cent lower than the national rate which is at 3.3 per cent.

"This clearly proves that Melaka has succeeded in lowering the unemployment rate from 2.9 per cent in 2023 in line with increasing job opportunities in the state,” he said. — Bernama