KUCHING : Since taking over the leadership of the Sarawak government in January 13, 2017 after the untimely passing of Chief Minister Pehin Sri Haji Adenan Satem, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has launched a total of 136 initiatives valued at a staggering amount more than RM40 billion.
While some of these initiatives are currently being implemented, most of them have been completed and have benefitted the rakyat tremendously.
Soon after taking office, Abang Johari, has reorganized Sarawak’s economic scope, moving away from its traditional commodity-based industries such as timber and palm oil, to renewal, sustainable and clean energy such as solar, hydro and hydrogen.
This was evident when his administration acquired the mammoth Bakun Hydro-Electric Power (HEP) Dam from the Federal Government, just after a few months after taking over office. Under the deal, the Sarawak government paid Putrajaya RM2.5 billion in cash and taking over the remaining RM6.4 billion remaining debt.
Besides acquiring Bakun HEP from the Federal Government, the Abang Johari’s administration has established Sarawak’s very own bank, the Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS), oil and gas entity - Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros), the Sarawak Sovereign Wealth Future Fund (SSWFF), Bintulu Port, Kuching Urban Transport System (KUTS) based on Autonomous Rapid Transport (ART) and acquiring the majority share of Affin Bank.
In order to guarantee Sarawak to have a sustainable energy source, Abang Johari has turned to green and renewable energy with the aim of producing 15GW of electricity by 2035.
It is with this background in perspective that we now see the real Abang Johari who has been tirelessly working hard to ensure that Sarawak will attain developed status by 2030 through the Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
As mentioned earlier, Abang Johari’s main focus since taking over the leadership of Sarawak Government was to develop its green and renewable energy, as the only way forward, as Sarawak’s primary industries such as its timber has been depleting and palm oil is facing fierce criticism from western consumers.
It is in the green and renewable energy that Abang Johari has excelled to the point that even the Federal Government has to acknowledged how far ahead Sarawak is in this new and sustainable technology, especially in hydrogen and carbon trading.
And of course, not to mention the fact that Sarawak has been able to generate more income from its oil and gas after it imposed 5 per cent Sarawak Sales Tax (SST) on petroleum and petroleum products since 2019.
It has been revealed that since SST was introduced in 2019, Sarawak’s revenue from oil and gas sector has reached more than RM14 billion. And since Sarawak set up its own oil and gas company Petros, it has been able to generate revenue of at least RM1.5 billion annually.
In the last eight years as the head of the Sarawak Government, there has been countless other major initiatives which have been launched that benefitted the whole of Sarawak. One of these initiatives is the implementation of the various development agencies namely, Ulu Rajang Development Agency (URDA), Highland Development Agency (HDA), and Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA) under the Regional Corridor of Development Authority (RECODA), that is allocated with RM1.5 billion budget each to fasten the pace of development in every nook and corner of Sarawak. These agencies have helped fasten the much needed infrastructure development in the rural areas.
And not to forget that there are other major initiatives introduced by Abang Johari such as the Coastal Highway, including twelve (12) major bridges to ensure that Sarawak will have at least two major trunk roads (the other being the Pan-Borneo Highway) to connect all major towns and cities from Tanjung Datu in the south, right up to Lawas in the north.
In terms of transport, he has revolutionised the public transport with the implementation of the Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) system network which is currently under construction in Kuching. Additionally, Sarawak will soon have its own airlines to provide a much better and seamless air connectivity with major destinations in the Southeast Asian region, including some cities in Australia, China, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.
These major initiatives by Abang Johari are well-thought off, well planned and well-executed for the benefits of all Sarawakians.
And to ensure everyone will enjoy the fruit of Sarawak’s success, Abang Johari has set up the Sarawak Sovereign Wealth Future Fund (SSWFF) with an initial capital of RM8 billion. This fund will ensure that Sarawak’s future generation will have a much brighter and guaranteed future especially with free education up to tertiary education by 2026.
In politics, the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which was established in 2018, now commands 79 out of 82 seats in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly, and 23 parliamentary seats. This speaks volume of Abang Johari as an exemplary leader.
GPS, which comprises of four component parties, namely Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) and Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), has made Sarawak a very stable and harmonious region that has made it a role model in Malaysia.
With political stability, coupled with plenty of available sustainable and green energy, Sarawak is poised to attract billions of ringgit worth of foreign investment.
Thus, Abang Johari, who is seen as a moderate, fair and capable leader, should continue to be supported by all Sarawakians in order for Sarawak to achieve its vision of a developed region by 2030. -EDISI UKAS
