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Sarawak govt doing its best to strengthen economy, says CM

Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Openg said he believes that a strong economy is paramount to people’s wellbeing. — Picture by Sulok Tawie
Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Openg said he believes that a strong economy is paramount to people’s wellbeing. — Picture by Sulok Tawie

KUCHING, Jan 24 — Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg today stressed that the state Gabungan Parti (GPS) government under his leadership is doing all it can to strengthen the economy.

He said he believes that a strong economy is paramount to people’s wellbeing.

“We are always trying to be consistent and firm in our policies to use our resources to generate more revenue for Sarawak which will eventually be returned to the people in the provision of infrastructural facilities and utilities,” he said in his Chinese New Year message.

Johari said billions worth of infrastructure and utilities projects including roads and bridges and water and electricity supplies, especially in the rural areas, were being implemented since last year.

He said this is a testament to the GPS government’s commitment to ensure that Sarawak is well-connected in order to prime it for a robust growth towards 2030 and beyond.

Abang Johari also said that he is confident that with the increase in public spending and more funds being injected into the state’s economy from the state annual budget and from the Alternative Funding initiative, the economy can register a growth of between 5 to 6 per cent this year.

“We have to achieve at least 6 per cent growth per annum if we are to achieve a developed state status by the year 2030,” he added.

“We can take pride in the fact that we are not behind others in some aspects of the development of a modern economy that is driven by technology,” he said

He added he had just launched the free public service of the three hydrogen-powered buses, in addition to the electric buses which are already on the roads in Kuching.

He said the hydrogen production facility in Kuching is the first in the country and in South -east Asia and neighbouring countries are indicating that they are also on the path towards emission free public transport.

On the judicial front, he said the Sarawak courts are well ahead of other courts in the country in the use of technology developed by state-owned Sarawak Information Systems Sdn Bhd (SAINS) to aid in the administration of justice.

“Our court is using Artificial Intelligence or AI to assist the judiciary in meting out the appropriate sentences for criminal offences which is being adopted as a benchmark by the country’s judicial system,” he said.

On land administration system or LASIS, Abang Johari believes that it is the first in the country to be able to issue land titles within a day of registration.

He said the Mobile LASIS app which one can download from the apps store is a mobile platform providing information and services to the public.

“We are also ahead in the effort to produce more food in response to the federal government’s call to enhance the status of the country’s food security.

“We have set up a trade and tourism office in Singapore called STATOS and there have been some visible signs that our trade co-operation with the island republic is showing some initial results.

“We are exporting tilapia fish from Batang Ai to Singapore and this would be followed by chicken eggs once the essential certifications are completed according to Singapore’s standard,” the chief minister said.

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