The Selangor Federal Action Council (MTPN) has appointed a coordinator for each state constituency in a transparent move to ensure smooth implementation of development projects allocated by the federal government.

Its chairperson Noh Omar said the creation of the voluntary posts of coordinator and assistant coordinator was seen as an appropriate step as the differences in policies between the Selangor state government and federal government could stifle development projects planned by Putrajaya.

He said the structure created could assist the assemblypersons and parliamentarians in Selangor in achieving the targets this year as put forward by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"Through the Rolling Plan 2, 11th Malaysia Plan, there are 253 projects comprising 20 new projects and 233 continuing ones worth RM21 billion allocated by the federal government for Selangor this year.

"The state constituency coordinator and assistant coordinator can help monitor these projects, especially in those seats where the assemblypersons are not from BN (Barisan Nasional)," he said after a meeting with federal department heads in Shah Alam, Selangor, today.

According to Noh, who is also Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister, claims by certain quarters of the federal government always being unfair towards the Selangor government were malicious as for instance, RM547 million had been allocated for projects under the Malaysian Road Records Information System (Marris) in the state.

"If the people see nice, paved roads, all these come from the Marris funds. The federal government gave RM547 this year, an increase of RM50 million from last year. The money is used by the state government for development, so should this be called unfair treatment?" he said.

Asked on the 20-sen charge for a plastic bag imposed on shoppers in Selangor following the state government's 'No Plastic Bag' campaign kick-off on Jan 1, Noh sarcastically called it a 'plastic bag sale' campaign.

He said the state government's action only provided an opportunity for certain quarters to profit from it when the charge should not be borne at all by consumers.

Noh said the Selangor state government led by Menteri Besar Mohamed Azmin Ali should emulate Malacca which had the best method in addressing the plastic bag issue if it wished to continue with its effort of creating a clean environment.

- Bernama