Nanta (third right) and actor Datuk Rosyam Nor (right), who was the moderator, pose with participants at the dialogue.
KUCHING: A Community Dialogue on the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) here on Thursday was the most dynamic of its kind undertaken by the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development.
Deputy Minister of Rural and Regional Development Datuk Alexander Nanta Linggi said the active participation of youths here would help the federal government to formulate future policies and plans.
“This is the most dynamic with active participation among all the dialogues the ministry has organised so far. I am very touched by non-Sarawakians who talked about wanting to see more development for Sarawak.
“You can be the ambassador for Sarawak as you hope for a better Sarawak and want to promote Sarawak. It is heartening to know that not only Sarawakians but non-Sarawakians also want more development for Sarawak,” he said when winding up the over two-hour dialogue.
Nanta explained that the dialogue aimed to garner innovative ideas from young Malaysians about how to shape the future of the country, which would be compiled by August.
“If you have ideas, that is what we look forward to getting. You can play your part meaningfully in formulating our future policies,” he stressed.
Even though the dialogue had concluded, he hoped Malaysians, particularly youths with brand new ideas, would still write to the ministry. “TN50 is not for me but for you. It is about reaching out to the young people and we don’t want participants to debate on issues. We want to get new ideas which will help the government to formulate policies for the next 30 over years,” said the Kapit Member of Parliament.
Nanta also said his ministry has been allocated a total of RM5.83 billion under Budget 2017, with half of the allocation going to Sarawak and Sabah.
“If we look at that, it is a proactive step to narrow the development gap, so to speak, between Sarawak-
Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia. But do not expect it to be done in two or three years. When it comes to development budget, Sarawak and Sabah get the lion’s share of it. This is all to enable Sarawak and Sabah to catch up,” he stressed. Nanta added that a stable and responsible government would help towards this end. On turning rural areas in Sarawak into new economic hubs so that young people would return to their villages for employment, Nanta highlighted the Rural Business Challenge (RBC).
He also noted requests for information communication and technology (ICT) to help develop rural areas, pointing out that Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg had announced RM1 billion for the development of Sarawak’s digital economy.
“He (Abang Johari) is onto something that we want. If we can do it, we can empower the rural community through it,” he said, adding that the Internet and social media must be used responsibly.
“We must have first class mentality if we want to be a developed nation. We cannot afford to have third class mentality when we want to be a first class nation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Machan assemblyman Allan Siden Gramong said rural areas must be developed before there can be progress on the rural economy.
“Without electricity supply, how are you going to use the computer? Without roads, how are you going to transport goods?
“Only after the development of rural areas could you move onto developing rural economy,” he said. With proper facilities put in place, he said the rural community would benefit from the development of digital economy, which he called “something for us the youths in the future”.
GiatMara Stampin student Ida Haryana said she wanted to see changes in promotional videos for Sarawak. The student from Selangor who is married to a Sarawakian lamented she still gets ignorant comments on whether Sarawakians lived on the trees.
“Whenever I go back to Peninsular Malaysia, people ask me that. I think by 2050, people of Peninsular Malaysia should have a better idea of Sarawak. It is also annoying to be asked whether the roads in Sarawak are tar-sealed or not. I feel so bad for Sarawak. But when I return to Sarawak, I still feel that Sarawak is the best,” said Ida.
Universiti Malaysia Sarawak lecturer Dzul Hadzwan Husain suggested the state government should put value into the digital economy it is going to develop.
“We must seek value. My suggestion is talent economy. We have talents, so use digital economy to build up talent economy,” he proposed.
He said the proposed Development Bank of Sarawak (DBoS) should also offer opportunities for Sarawakians to start up various businesses.
Individuals with new ideas to move Malaysia forward as an advanced country by 2050 can send their suggestions via the ministry’s official website http://tn50kklw.rurallink.gov.my.