Malaysian Construction & Development Agendas

If ever there was a time that Malaysia was put to the test, it would most certainly be the present times. One of the most successful economies in the South East Asian region, Malaysia is a model nation for progress despite the changes in the political landscape and multiracial societal fabric. The nation already boasts some incredible architectural feat with its once tallest in the world Twin Towers, the revolving restaurant atop of the KL Tower and the Penang Bridge which connects the Pearl of the Orient to mainland Malaysia. The country is two years away from being considered as a fully developed nation and a glance at the Kuala Lumpur, Johor Baharu, Ipoh or Penang skyline at night would speak volumes of the nation’s progress. The skyline, dotted with illuminated tower crane signage in Kuala Lumpur amongst a myriad of skyscrapers, show that the country is not just on track to its Vision 2020 agenda, but has surpassed it on most accounts.

The cancellation of a few major construction projects with China due to the lopsided contracts that the previous corrupt government Barisan National lead by Najib Tun Razak and his cronies, has not dampened the spirit of the nation which continues towards its agenda under the new government, Pakatan Harapan lead by Tun Dr Mahathir, who was also the previous prime minister that lead the nation to its economic success prior to stepping down after 21 years in power. Now that he is back, Malaysia is back on track and it looks like the construction sector will be propped up again and it will be ‘full steam ahead’ again once more under the 93 year old premier who has not lost the knack for leading.

Construction projects have always been an attraction for Tun Dr Mahathir simply because construction attracts visitors and investors apart from the fact that it also provides employment for the citizens of the country. The new government is maintaining a steady course towards the development of the nation and this new found energy is rippling through the construction industry and the ‘ripple effect’ that it has on everything has already raised the eyebrows of investors both large and small. The fact that the new government has cancelled a two mega projects (KL-Singapore HSR or High Speed Rail and the MRT 3) that caused some of the stocks tumbling down the hill to multi-year lows, the spirit of the industry seems to be only getting stronger.

As a matter of fact, most other building projects have taken on a new lease in life mainly due to the scrapping of the GST which not just puts more money in the hands of the people, but also lowers the cost of buildings. Now that the previous corrupt government of Najib Tun Razak has been eliminated from the equation, it looks like there is going to be a lot more illuminated crane signs set to light up the night sky of the major cities in Malaysia!

Roy Ellery is a professional writer and media company director from Melbourne, Australia