Selangor’s State Development: Industry Sector is Main Driver of Economy

Interview with Haji Azlan MD Alifiah, General Manager of PKNS

Please give us a brief history on PKNS?

Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS) is synonymous with property development, and for good reason too as it has been – since its formation in 1964 responsible for the creation of 11 townships in Selangor. In reality, it is more than that though.

As its name implies, it is the driving force behind the socio-economic growth of Malaysia’s most advanced state.In line with the 50th anniversary of PKNS’s establishment, the entity has managed to transform itself and in doing so set the stage for transforming Selangor and byextension Malaysia.

You encourage socio-economic growth to promote stability, harmony, and justice. How do you achieve this goal?

PKNS is fulfilling its role in the socio-economic growth in Selangor, as part of the funds raised from these ventures it will be invested back in other development programmes such as building more affordable homes for Selangorian.

A good and efficient system would translate to more people buying property developed by PKNS which will also indirectly contribute to the wellbeing of the state, as buying from PKNS does not only give one home but, helps other families achieve their dreams of getting one.

Our aspiration is to make PKNS a dynamic corporation; we are taking the opportunity to see where we want to go in the future and where we should go. For that we come up with a strategy. We want to make sure that whatever we do from now on will be in line with our objective to become a more dynamic organisation, rather than just a state agency. It won’t be easy but we are prepared to take on the challenges so that we can be more organised and to be more competent to face the future.

The decision to restructure is also to enable PKNS to better deliver on another of its responsibilities to facilitate industrial development and individual including entrepreneur development in Selangor.

The industrial sector is the main contributor of Selangor’s economy. What is PKNS’s involvement in the success of this market?

In total, PKNS has built 156,848 residential units, 6,230 units of shops and 504 units of factories throughout the state; indeed, we are proud with all of our projects. We are mindful of the importance of our mission to be the driving force behind the socio-economic development of Selangor.

PKNS has indeed chalked up numerous achievements in the past 50 years making it of one the most prominent state development corporations in the country.As we already discussed, PKNS is involved in the industrial sector, as well as in the real estate development sector.

What other markets are you currently present in?

• Property
• PKNS Real Estate
• Industrial area
• Environmental management
• Hospitality and leisure (Shah Alam Convention Centre (SACC) and the Kelab Golf Seri Selangor (KGSS – Seri Selangor Golf Club).
• Syariah compliance (De Palma Hotel Group)
• Education
• Virtual office (PKNS Vio)

Companies worldwide are making more environmentally friendly decisions and are “Going Green.” What are you doing to promote the “Green” agenda in Malaysia?

Further reinforcing PKNS’s environmental commitment is its focus on developing according to Green Building Index (GBI) standards, which can already be seen in the likes of Menara Worldwide. Then there are the current developments such as the Laman PKNS Headquarters – which is slated to be GBI Platinum certified. PKNS has long promoted the idea of going green- Permanent green lungs with lush landscaping in all 11 townships. PKNS had planted it’s 1 millionth tree this year at its new township development Selangor Science Park 2 (SSP2) – 1 August 1964- 31 August 2014.

You have developed activities and programs to fulfil your corporate social responsibility. Can you tell us a little about that?

Ultimately, all these achievements and initiatives are geared towards one goal – to enable PKNS to better fulfil its mission to be the driving force behind the socio­economic development of Selangor.

PKNS is generally perceived to be associated with the development of affordable homes. However, even in this, PKNS has taken a different approach. Instead of just focusing on the hardware – that is the infrastructure – we are concentrating on the software or human element.

In other words, PKNS not only builds homes that are within the price range of lower income people, we also ensures that buyers enjoy greater value for money.

For example 140 landed units in Kota Puteri, while in Selayang Mutiara in Bukit Botak, Gombak, it erected 1,422 semi-detached units at a cost of RM 350,000 each and sold them for RM 99,000.

Therefore, as part of its attempt to maintain a state of equilibrium between social responsibility and profit making, PKNS targets to build around 10,895 units of affordable homes between 2015 and 2020.

From year 2021 to 2031, we are targeting to complete a further 18,128 units of affordable homes. So there will be total sum of about 31,000 affordable homes in the pipeline from PKNS till 2031. As with its previous projects, PKNS will also undertake to build the necessary infrastructure for these new housing projects such as recreational parks and mosques.

PKNS also shows it cares for the welfare of the public by establishing community centres where children can have a place that is conducive for studying, especially within the low-cost housing segment. This is because low-cost units may not be ideal for this, and it was observed that this drawback caused students to do poorly in school, thus perpetrating the poverty trap.

What are the company’s biggest projects?

PKNS) is synonymous with property development, and for good reason too as it has been since its formation in 1964 responsible for the creation of 11 townships in Selangor.

In line with the 50th anniversary of PKNS’s establishment, the entity has managed to transform itself and in doing so set the stage for transforming Selangor and by extension Malaysia.

Since its inception on 1 August 1964, PKNS has built 11 township including the state capital, Shah Alam. Our success in developing modem townships such as:
Shah Alam (10,000 acres)
Petaling Jaya (6,000 acres)
Bandar Baru Bangi (7,000 acres)
Ampang Ulu Klang (1,500 acres)
Kelana Jaya (600 acres)
Bandar Sultan Suleiman (3,000 acres) Kota Damansara (2,900 acres)
Kota Puteri (2,000 acres)
Antara Gapi (960 acres)
Bemam Jaya (8,000 acres)
Selangor Science Park 2 (1,500 acres)