Kelantan has the potential to become a wealthy state should PAS remain the state government, due to its abundance of rare earth elements, says its vice-president Amar Nik Abdullah.
He said, however, the management and policies regarding rare earth elements, which are worth nearly RM125 billion, need to be streamlined to benefit Kelantan.
Hence, experts from across the country will be asked to share their views on how the state government can sustainably manage these natural resources, Harian Metro reported.
“The natural resources, environment and climate change ministry already has a policy on the extraction of rare earth elements and the state government will follow it.
We will face challenges in managing rare earth elements, so we need professionals who have the relevant expertise. Hopefully, after the state elections, we can prioritise the management of these natural resources,” Amar was quoted as saying.
He added that the previous government depended on timber resources but with rare earth elements, “the trees will be spared the chop”.
The Kelantan deputy menteri besar said PAS will introduce new candidates with diverse backgrounds for the upcoming state election to strengthen the management of rare earth elements.
“We need to ensure that these candidates are not only experts in religion but also in other fields. They also need to be approved by the PAS ulama council before being further reviewed by other panels to ensure they are truly qualified,” he said. – FMT
