PM DECLARES SOUTHERN STATE OF MELAKA DEVELOPED STATE

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 21 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Najib Razak Wednesday night
declared southern state of Melaka a developed state through video conferencing
from Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here.

The historic declaration was beamed live at Stadium Hang Jebat in Melaka before
a crowd of some 50,000 people including the Melaka Governor Mohd Khalil Yaakob
and Melaka Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam.

The declaration was made at exactly 8.10pm.

In making the declaration, Najib said he was proud of the leadership in the
state and the people of Melaka who had worked very hard to make Melaka an
advanced state in the country.

"I on behalf of all the people in Malaysia and the federal government feel very
proud to be able to make this declaration," he said.

According to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
Melaka has fufilled the requirements in five aspects to be considered a
developed state, namely economic, social affairs, infrastructure, environment
and administration.

The five aspects encompassed 32 indicators which Melaka surpassed the minumum standards set by OECD.

Among them were the inflation rate, unemployment rate, GDP, life expectancy, mortality rate and crime rate.