KUCHING, 9 Feb: Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg hopes that the Year of the Dragon will be yet another roaring year for the Land of the Hornbills.
In his Chinese New Year message, the Premier outlined three main goals for Sarawak to achieve economic prosperity in 2024.
“Firstly, we want to take back Bintulu Port from the Federal Government not only because it should be under Sarawak’s power according to the constitution but also because a comprehensive plan for port development that encompasses the whole of Sarawak is crucial.
“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 to facilitate air travel to boost business and investment in Sarawak.
“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.
“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.
Similarly, Abang Johari said the state government aims to harness solar energy and hydro power potential to further drive its Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 goals.
“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 said.
He added that the progressive environment of the state’s economic development in the past few years is evident as many businesses and foreign entities have expressed their interest to collaborate with Sarawak.
“Last year has been a good year where we achieved a few things that we have planned, notably the setting of our Sarawak Sovereign and Future Wealth Fund (SSWF) with an initial seed capital of RM8 billion and progressive yearly appropriation of between RM400 million to RM600 million until 2034 from the Sarawak government.
“The seed capital will be invested in the relevant portfolios as determined by the Board of Guardians that comprise international monetary figures so that the fund will grow and increase our savings,” said Abang Johari.
The setting up of SSWF was achieved due to Sarawak’s continuous rising revenue.
For the record, in 2023, Sarawak’s revenue stood at RM13.3 billion.
Additionally, he also assured that the state will continue to provide a conducive business environment and policies for all business communities.
“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.”
“With our political stability and social cohesiveness, I am confident we can achieve that,” he said. -TVS
