Abang Johari (fourth left) receiving a memento from Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal during the dinner as Sarawak and Sabah leaders look on.
KOTA KINABALU: Sarawak and Sabah should consider setting up an airline jointly operated by the two states.
Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Abang Openg said that this is because connectivity is a vital component for the tourism sector of Sarawak and Sabah.
In making the proposal, the chief minister pointed out that tourism is one of the core areas the Sarawak government had outlined in its plan to be a high income economy by 2030.
“Other than agriculture, improving infrastructure, education and training, we will also put focus on tourism and service sector. This is one sector where we can learn from Sabah.
“In this context, our approach must change and because connectivity is important, I suggest that Sabah and Sarawak set up our own airline. We can put our heads together and think about this,” he said when speaking at the dinner hosted by the Sabah state government here last night.
He emphasised that in terms of development, infrastructure like roads, bridges and ports must be upgraded, adding “because we are a trading nation, our ports operation must be equipped with the latest technology”.
Abang Johari also said that Sarawak is working with Indonesia to supply electricity to Kalimantan and expressed hope to see this upgraded into a Borneo electricity grid in the future.