KUCHING, Sept 10: An extensively connected Sarawak through infrastructure development is key to unlock the State’s economic prosperity.
With this, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr James Jemut Masing said, a vast tract of undeveloped land in the State such as in Baleh can be turned into an economically productive benefit for the people.
“Therefore, the Sarawak government is going in the right direction by focusing on infrastructure development. In fact, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg is emphasising infrastructure construction under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP).
“As a minister in charge of Infrastructure and Port Development, I have and will give our Chief Minister my fullest support in his pursuit to create accessibility to all corners of Sarawak,” he said in a statement today.
Masing noted, the only way for the State to flourish, is to create accessibility to all regions, and that means roads and bridges need to be built.
“The sooner the better. Under the Chief Minister’s administration, we may get the necessary funding for these purposes,” he added.
Masing, who is also Baleh assemblyman, explained that China, which is among the poorest nation in the 70s, has become the best example of what accessibility can do to eradicate poverty and increase revenue.
He pointed out that 40 years later today, China is the richest nation in the world in terms of income per capita, surpassing the USA, and this economic fact was acknowledged by Jeffrey Sachs in his book The Price of Civilization (2012).
“The question we need to ask is, what was the key that unlocked China’s potential towards economic prosperity?
“And the answer is the development of infrastructure by building roads, bridges, providing water and electricity to the nooks and corners of China,” he explained. — DayakDaily
