Labuan agency urged to be facilitator of community empowerment

The Star

3 days ago

Dr Zaliha Mustafa speaks to reporters after welcoming passengers from Kota Kinabalu and promoting the Borneo Flora Festival (BFF) Labuan 2025 at the Labuan International Ferry Terminal today. The Labuan-Kota Kinabalu express ferry service has seen a surge in passengers since resuming operations on May 27, following a three-year suspension. To date, more than 3,700 commuters have used the direct sea route, with each trip operating at full capacity of over 100 passengers. --fotoBERNAMA (2025) COPYRIGHT RESERVED
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa has urged Labuan Corporation (LC) to proactively act as a facilitator of community empowerment.
She said the agency should expand its duties beyond waste management, roads and drains.
'Labuan Corporation must act as facilitator to empower the socioeconomic well‑being of the people, including addressing food security and the high cost of living on the island,' she told Bernama after a meeting with LC's top management.
Dr Zaliha stressed for governance and integrity to be the foundational principles of local authority operations.
Despite Labuan boasting the second-highest gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Malaysia, primarily driven by the oil and gas and finance sectors, Dr Zaliha pointed out that this prosperity had not translated into tangible benefits for ordinary residents.
Initiatives aimed at reducing dependence on food imports by increasing local production of essential items such as poultry, meat, eggs and vegetables, she said, should be prioritised to boost food self-sufficiency.
She also reminded LC that it must transcend traditional administrative roles to become a dynamic catalyst for inclusive growth, championing food security, upholding integrity and leveraging tourism and infrastructure development to ensure that Labuan's wealth benefitted its residents.
On another matter, Dr Zaliha said the upcoming Borneo Flora Festival in Labuan was designed to generate multiplier effects across the hospitality, transportation, food and beverage, and homestay sectors, ensuring that economic gains reached grassroots businesses.
Dr Zaliha also attended a presentation by Labuan's container port operator, Megah Port Management Sdn Bhd (MPM), on boosting the island's tourism by facilitating the arrival of international cruise liners.
She said integrating Labuan into the cruise tourism circuit would diversify the island's tourism portfolio.
'We will continue exploring viable attractions across this island to strengthen its tourism offerings,' she said.
In its presentation, MPM outlined its preparedness to position Labuan as a cruise destination, providing urgent repair and upgrading works implemented at the Labuan port's jetty infrastructure to accommodate the docking of large cruise vessels.
The presentation was also attended by Federal Territories Department (JWP) director-general Datuk Seri Noridah Abdul Rahim, LC chief executive officer Mohd Sukuran Taib and MPM managing director Datuk Seri Patrick Tiong.