Bernama/NST
KUALA LUMPUR: The Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya are the pulse of Malaysia’s development, Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali said in a special Federal Territories Day message, today.
He said in 2017, the Federal Territories contributed a sizeable 13.5 per cent to Malaysia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Meanwhile, the population of the three districts was estimated by the Department of Statistics Malaysia at 1.98 million in 2018.
“(The original goal of making) Kuala Lumpur an international commercial and cosmopolitan city; Putrajaya an administration centre of the federal government; and Labuan a global financial hub, has made Malaysia capable of competing with other fast-developing countries,” he said.
Federal Territory Day has been celebrated annually on Feb 1 since 1974, following the declaration of Kuala Lumpur as a city.
In an effort to further develop the country, Mohamed Azmin urged the people to fulfil their social responsibility to their surrounding communities.
He said doing so would ensure balanced development and harmony for city dwellers.
“Let us realise the dream together and ensure continuous progress of the Federal Territories so that they can be on par with (centres in) developed countries worldwide,” he added.