Jabu: Think outside the box to propel state to be most prosperous

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Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu

KUCHING: Sarawakians must be innovative and think outside the box to propel the state to become the most prosperous and developed state by 2030, said Science Advisor to the state government Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu.

Additionally, he said, the state must also adopt research and development (R& D) seriously so that its products and services could be marketed throughout the world.

“Through R&D, we can market our products and services internationally because our domestic market is very small. We must also think globally,” Jabu told The Borneo Post yesterday.

He said with the new and innovative policies laid out by Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, Sarawak, would, in the next 13 years, be able to achieve its aspirations as the most developed and prosperous state in the country.

“I am very confident that with the chief minister leading his team of dedicated cabinet ministers will move the state to where he planned it to be in the next 13 years. With the civil servants committed to implement the policies, we should be able to achieve our target,” said Jabu.

He added that the holistic policies of Abang Johari especially in digital economy and e-commerce, would  make Sarawak’s products and services more competitive in the global market.

“I am confident that we will be able to achieve our aspirations because of the good attitude of all Sarawakians, where the people have been living in peace and harmony,” he said.

Jabu also lauded the chief minister’s policy which is encompassing, especially the youth whom he considered as assets to the state and country.

“There is a lot of hard work that need to be done but we are not scared of hard work. And our good spirit of working together will be an asset that will propel us forward into a promising future,” he said.

Jabu, along with the late chief minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem and Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud have been awarded special recognition by Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) during its special convention held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here recently.

He entered politics when he contested and won unopposed in a by-election for the Skrang-Engkilili seat in 1973 on a Sarawak Alliance ticket. During the 1974 state election, he defeated former chief minister Tan Sri Stephen Kalong Ningkan in Layar.

He was appointed PBB deputy president in the same year and in 1976, he was appointed deputy chief minister, a post he held until last year.  Jabu, 77, did not contest in the May 2016 state election to pave the way for his son Gerald Rentap to enter politics.