BUTTERWORTH, September 22 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the Ministry of Transport (MOT) will present to the Cabinet a proposal to extend the land lease of Malaysia Holdings Berhad’s (MSM) sugar refinery in Perai for another 10 years.
He said the extension would allow the refinery, operating on Railway Assets Corporation (RAC) land, sufficient time to plan its relocation as Kampung Manis undergoes phased redevelopment. Squatters in the area will be resettled into free housing, aligning with the government’s efforts to improve living conditions.
Loke stressed that the refinery will not face immediate closure but must eventually cooperate with the government’s redevelopment plans, noting that the original lease, granted in 1964, expired last year. He added that the proposal ensures continuity of MSM’s vital role in maintaining national sugar supply and buffer stock.
While also supporting Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s aspiration under the Madani Government to provide better housing for all communities.
