KUCHING: Yang di-Pertua Negeri Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud says there is still room for improvement in the state’s development.
The former Chief Minister who helmed Sarawak for more than 30 years said: “I am still not very satisfied with our present success to necessitate us to have the commitment to continue with the struggle even though I have retired but a new leader has come up. I believe my successor Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan Satem, as the fifth chief minister will be able to continue with our struggles in governing the state that will bring it to a higher level of success.”
He said personally he knew Adenan as a man of integrity, fairness and with the desire and interest to help people and had wide experience after serving in his state cabinet for about 30 years.
Taib said Adenan had the experience and a way of thinking that is suitable to lead Sarawak and push it upward to a greater height of progress and prosperity.
“I wish to take this opportunity to thank all of you for the support that you have given to me as the Chief Minister for a period of more than 30 years,” he said in his inaugural Hari Raya Aidilfitri message in his capacity as the Head of State.
He said the support increased in every election, either state or national, and that the elections also demonstrated the enhanced strength and solidarity of the people behind the government under his leadership.
“For this reason, the party in power can govern the State of Sarawak well, have the time and energy to overcome numerous problems being faced in the efforts to develop Sarawak in a more organised and comprehensive manner for the benefits of the people and the state and country,” he said.
“I have been able to witness during the last 33 years that Sarawak has undergone tremendous changes. Our success in economic development can be illustrated with the per capita income, which has risen by more than 10 times from RM4,000 in 1981 to RM40,000 now,”
“For this reason, we have every reason to be grateful to Allah SWT with our success in raising the standard of living of the people to become more comfortable and prosperous,” he stressed.
“Like all my former Cabinet colleagues, we all know and realise that the progress and prosperity of the State, though already quite high, has not benefitted the rural areas as much as the urban areas. The rural areas are very wide of more than 125,000 KMs. Therefore, it has not been possible to provide basic facilities and amenities to every longhouse or Kampong of more than 5,000 of them throughout the state at the same time,” Taib said.
At the moment about 90 per cent of the Kampong or longhouses in rural areas have been able to benefit from the development of the infrastructure.
The State government has to spend more than RM1 billion every year to build rural roads and infrastructures to connect electricity and water supplies to the people in rural areas. A majority of them have been able to overcome the health problems that they used to face before and able to live a more comfortable livelihood as compared to before.
“However, we have not been able to provide all the facilities to all the traditional Kampong and longhouses throughout the State as they are scattered in small groups over a wide area. It takes time to develop all the basic infrastructures, facilities and amenities for the rural people even though the State may have sufficient money to complete the works at the same time,” he said.
“It cannot be done at the same time as the state must have the construction capacity or the capability of engineers and the workers to carry out the works based on our own capability and existing situation. For this reason, the rural people, who understand the situation, are supporting Barisan Nasional (BN) from one election to another as they believe in our sincerity and determination in serving their welfare and interests and the leaders are people oriented. As they (BN) represent the nooks and corners of the State, they understand the situations which should be given priority and others that cannot done immediately. This is our way to develop the State,”
“I believe with the prosperity that has already been achieved the State will be able to leapfrog toward realising the objective of Vision 2020 of attaining the status of high income economy earlier than the year 2020. Sarawak, now implementing an industrialisation program, which will create a lot of employment opportunities, will be able to attain the status of high income economy much earlier than the year 2020. The process creates opportunities to build hundreds of Kilometres of roads to remote areas like Baram and Belaga, which at one time were regarded as areas being inhabited by jennies only,”
“But the areas have been able to witness a lot of new development through a well planned and co-ordinated development program to ensure continuity in the development of hydroelectricity dams to generate electricity from the flowing rivers.”
The people, affected by the development of hydro dam in Ulu Baram, will be resettled in the next 10 to 15 years in a new township by the lake side, which will have modern facilities that will be able to attract visitors to it, he said.
The proposed new township will be able to attract tourists who are interested in various kinds of water sports and other sporting activities like boating, fishing, jungle trekking in order to see the nooks and corners, which are very rich with natural environment.
The environment in Belaga, which is similar to Baram, through the development of Bakun hydro dam, will be able to provide opportunities for the local people to improve their standard of living. A new township will be built by the lake side to resettle the people in the new area which will be connected by roads and supplied with electricity and supplies.
The NGOs, which have been shouting for half a million compensation per family, are making empty noises as the Government has already spent RM2 million per family, or four times more than being shouted at the NGOs, in the process of resettling the people in new areas. This must be told to the affected people and others in our discussions with them as they do not understand and know the development plan being carried out by the Government.
“Once the people know the truth, they will also know that the foreign NGOs have been spreading false propaganda against efforts of the government to resettle the people in new areas, which will be provided with facilities, opportunities for education and employment to enable to lead a much better livelihood in future,” he said.
This development will also mean that the young people with good education will have opportunities to return and work in their own areas. The development will also provide ample of opportunities for young people to become more ambitious to pursue high studies when at one time they were thirsty for knowledge and a kind of thinking that can lead to greater progress and prosperity.
These are steps that have already been taken, the final steps being taken by the government that will bring Sarawak to become the richest State in the country by the year 2030.
“I believe that Sarawak will achieve greater progress and create more jobs that can pay high salaries to the people from now onward. I believe YAB Tan Sri Datuk Amar Adenan will continue with the works which have already started in SCORE development area,”
“With such an outlook, the people have no reasons to indulge in politics that raise issues that will not benefit the people and the State. I am grateful to the people for their understanding and support especially during the period we had to face the previous elections. The people used to give special support to Barisan Nasional in the choice of their State Assemblymen or Member of Parliament. Therefore, I believe the people of Sarawak are wise in making choice between what is good or bad for their own future,” said Taib.