Premier: Sarawak aims to achieve 3 goals to uplift economic ecosystem
KUCHING: Sarawak has three goals to achieve this year as the Year of the Dragon rings in, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
In his Chinese New Year message, Abang Johari said Sarawak wants to take over Bintulu Port, the country’s main port for liquefied natural gas (LNG); MASWings Sdn Bhd for the establishment of the state’s own airline and major stake in Affin Bank to help local small and medium entrepreneurs.
According to him, the acquisition of these three major platforms is crucial in uplifting Sarawak’s economic ecosystem.
“Firstly, as you may already be aware of, after 43 years of its establishment we want to take back Bintulu Port from the federal government. This is not only because it should be under Sarawak’s power according to the constitution but also because Sarawak needs to comprehensively plan its port development that encompasses the whole of Sarawak, including its resource-rich hinterland.
“This is much like taking back Bakun Hydro from the federal authority to enable us to be in control of the power to determine our own power tariff in order to attract investment in energyintensive industries in Sarawak, especially in the Samalaju Industrial Zone near Bintulu.
“Secondly, we aspire to have an airline to serve not only our rural areas but also to provide connectivity to selected destinations in the Asian region. We need to invest in creating air linkages between Sarawak and the rest of the region not only to bring in tourists but also to facilitate air travel to boost business and investment in Sarawak. Sarawak is situated on an island and the only way to bring people in is to fly them in. I hope that we can finalise the negotiation with the federal authorities soon and gain control of the airline within this year, God willing.
“Thirdly, we also aspire to have a major stake in a commercial bank to provide Sarawak a financial platform to boost the economy further through the development of SMEs and entrepreneurship. Sarawak already has some stakes in this particular bank and we want to increase our stake.
“I am confident that we can conclude the negotiations soon so that we can participate actively in the running of the bank and be able to serve Sarawak’s interest well.
“These are the three strategic platforms that Sarawak should have to create an ecosystem to uplift Sarawak’s economy to the next level,” he said.
Apart from that, Abang Johari said Sarawak is transforming the way of producing hydro power.
“Sarawak’s strength lies in its wealth of natural resources that include water and sunlight. We have harnessed about 3.5 gigawatt of our hydro potential with an overall potential of 20 gigawatt.
“For the future, we would want to change the way of producing hydro power by using energy from running water instead of creating a large reservoir of water that would certainly flood a large area. We also want to harness in a big way the solar energy potential particularly using the floating solar panels in our hydro dam reservoirs.”
With Sarawak having a substantial amount of natural resources, he added, the people must exploit this to their advantage wisely.
“It must be exploited in accordance with the goals set by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that are meant not only to boost the economy as measured by the growth of GDP but also to benefit the people across the board.”
He thus said Sarawak is on the right track in developing its economy towards achieving advanced status by 2030.
According to him, PCDS 2030 aligns well with the SDG where economic prosperity must benefit everyone irrespective of race and religion while also giving emphasis to the sustainability of our environment.
“The progressive environment of our economic development in the last few years is quite evident as businesses, corporate figures, banks and foreign envoys continue to come calling to express their interest to collaborate with Sarawak.
“The commission’s report has led to the adoption of the SDG by the UN that has been the basis of the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 formulation as a roadmap for Sarawak’s development towards 2030,” he added.
Abang Johari said last year had been a good year as it was when Sarawak had achieved its plans.
He cited the setting up of Sarawak Sovereign and Future Wealth Fund (SSWF) with an initial seed capital of RM8 billion and progressive yearly appropriation of RM400 million to RM600 million until 2034 from the state government as proof that the state has a sound financial policy.
“We are able to set up the SSWF because Sarawak has quite a strong economy and our revenue continues to rise to record figures.
“Last year, Sarawak’s revenue stood at RM13.3 billion and I believe it will continue to rise next year, and in the years ahead, as our economy continues to strengthen,” he added.
With the current transformation, Abang Johari foresees that the Chinese business community in the state has a big role to play.
He acknowledged that the Chinese community has always been an important part of the state’s political and economic life.
He thus hoped that the Chinese business community would continue to support the government’s effort to strengthen the state’s economic position with their resources, domestic and international influence and networking.
“2024 is the Year of the Dragon according to the Chinese zodiac that refers to the cycle of 12 animals, each of the 12 animals denoting each year in the Chinese lunar calendar.
“I was told people born in the Dragon year usually possess natural courage, tenacity and intelligence, often displaying enthusiasm and confidence. I sincerely hope that all our Chinese friends are high in spirit as they enter the year of the dragon that certainly holds a lot of promises and hopes for all Sarawakians as we journey together to transform our beloved Land of the Hornbills into a developed state towards 2030,” he said.
He also assured that the state will continue to provide a conducive business environment and policies for all business communities.
“As Premier, what I want to tell our Chinese friends and fellow Sarawakians is that the environment now is conducive for business to flourish and our beloved Sarawak is quite on its way to achieve a developed state status by 2030. With our political stability and social cohesiveness, I am confident we can achieve that, Insyallah.
“Let us not dwell on trivialities but always look at the bigger picture to enable Sarawak to stand tall as a strong economic force in Malaysia and in the region.
“Finally, let me once again wish all our Chinese friends Gong Xi Fa Cai. May the year of the dragon be another successful year for Sarawak and for all of us,” he said.