Advertorial
AFTER the Second World War, the third White Rajah of Sarawak Charles Vyner Brooke decided to cede Sarawak to the British Crown. A cession bill was drawn and it was debated in the Sarawak Council Negri for three days, with the European officers agreeing to it while Malay leaders strongly opposed it.
The dissenting sentiment among the grassroots was so strong that it sparked a mass resignation among Malay civil servants in protest, and the assassination of Sarawak’s second governor Sir Duncan Stewart by Rosli Dhobi.
Despite this, all attempts to stop the cession failed and Sarawak became a British colony on July 1, 1946.
At the time, nationalism was rising in many parts of in Asia—so too in Malaya. On May 27, 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman proposed forming a federation consisting of Singapore, Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei which was to be called Malaysia.
In Sept 1962, the Sarawak Council Negri passed a resolution to support the endeavour, and on July 22, 1963, Sarawak was officially granted self-government to pave way for the formation of the Federation of Malaysia on Sept 16, 1963, sealed through the signing of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
From July 22, 1963 to Sept 16 of the same year, Sarawak experienced a short period of self-governance and independence with Tan Sri Datuk Amar Stephen Kalong Ningkan appointed the first Chief Minister of Sarawak on July 22, 1963, by the then Sarawak Governor Sir Alexander Waddell.
As Sarawak’s first chief minister, Ningkan (1963-1966) was confronted with myriad of issues, including native land matters, the communist insurgency and political instability caused by Sarawak’s internal power struggles and federal intervention, as well as a high rate of poverty.
He was succeeded as Chief Minister by Dato’ Sri Penghulu Tawi Sli (1966-1970) during whose term political disability, poverty and communist threats continued to plague Sarawak.
In 1970, the third Sarawak Chief Minister Tun Datuk Patinggi Abdul Rahman Ya’kub managed to gain the upper hand in the Sarawak Council Negri, and Sarawak reached a certain degree of stability following the settlement of internal power struggles.
After 11 years in power, Ya’kub however, was ousted by his own nephew and a rising political star of that time, Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Abdul Taib Mahmud (26.3.1981–28.2.2014)
Sarawak’s land size which is almost equivalent to that of Peninsular Malaysia, its small population with more than 70 per cent residing in rural areas, and a poverty rate of 70 per cent, posed difficult obstacles to developing Sarawak.
This was aggravated by the remnants of the armed communist uprising in pockets of Sarawak, which was a constant threat that hung over Taib.
Regardless, Taib turned towns into cities and settlements into towns, and tried his best to provide basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity and clean water to rural Sarawakians who were scattered across the State. At times, he even had to call on residents to migrate, metaphorically from a land of hardship to a land of greener pastures.
Coining the term “Politics of Development” which took a wholistic approach in balancing the whole spectrum of socio-economic development involving the whole of society regardless of race and religion, Taib tried to transform Sarawak by setting up tertiary education institutions to create the necessary human capital needed for development.
Government-linked companies were set up to spearhead and bring forth employment and economic activities. Industrial parks and corridors of development were also created to pave way for the manufacturing sector and downstream industries.
One of Taib’s main achievements during his 33 years as the fourth Chief Minister of Sarawak was the building of a RM30-billion reserve, setting the foundation for Sarawak to be a financially sound State.
Apart from his socio-economic achievement of transforming Sarawak into a modern State, Taib’s biggest contribution in securing 33 years of Sarawak’s political stability was achieved after his victory in the Ming Court Crisis, where he managed to neutralise the efforts of his uncle Ya’kub to unseat him.
On Feb 28, 2014, according to his own plan and at his own timing, Taib stepped down from politics to become Sarawak’s Head of State and passed the baton to the late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem.
Adenan Satem (3.1.2014–11.1.2017)
Due to poor health, the fifth Chief Minister who was better known as Tok Nan did not serve as Sarawak’s CEO for a long period. However, his short stint, where he left behind a legacy celebrated by all Sarawakians has made him the most beloved and popular chief minster of Sarawak as of now.
A man of many talents, well-read and wise, Adenan was always able to mesmerise the crowds with his humour, wit and charm. Such qualities however, pale in comparison to his “no nonsense” policies.
Immediately after becoming Chief Minister, Adenan’s very first move was to take steps to regain Sarawak’s autonomous rights and its status as an equal partner to Peninsular Malaysia as enshrined under Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), instead of being merely one of 13 states in Malaysia. He made sure that he drove that point home by boldly declaring July 22, as “Sarawak Day.”
Along the way, he affirmed the contribution of the Chinese community; the rights of Chinese in Sarawak as part of the community and not “pendatang”; the validity and relevance of Chinese independent schools and recognised Unified Examination Certificates. At the same time, he made sure that the Dayak community was properly addressed instead of being classified as “lain-lain”.
His other achievements include abolishing road tolls, overseeing the beginning of the Pan Borneo Highway project, halting the issuance of new timber licences, and establishing Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) which is tasked with looking into the welfare of religions other than Islam.
Another of his underreported but effective policies was annual huge allocations for rural development through State mega projects, and Minor Rural Projects (MRP) programme and Rural Transformation Programme (RTP) fund. The MRP and RTP were to be used by Sarawakian lawmakers to finance localised community projects such as the construction of spur roads and bridges, water supply and electricity access and installation, longhouse repairs and more — projects which directly impacted rural residents.
Politically, due to the Adenan factor, the Sarawak ruling coalition at the time—Sarawak Barisan National—was able to win 72 out of 82 State seats in the 2016 Sarawak Election, recapturing lost seats and valuable support.
Under Adenan, a new Sarawak emerged—one with its own identity. Adenan’s greatest contribution was to wake up a slumbering Sarawak. Once awakened, there was no stopping Sarawakians proud of their identity from pursuing their deserved rights and dreams.
Adenan, Sarawak’s most beloved chief minister, made another significant decision before his passing on Jan 11, 2017. He left the helm of the State in the capable hands of Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, another visionary who is an open-minded and progressive leader like him.
Abang Johari Tun Open (13.1.2017–present)
With Taib laying a strong financial foundation and Adenan preparing the ground with his fair policies, Sarawak was all set for the next step of rapid development. Abang Johari did not waste a minute in taking up the challenge by embarking on the journey to turn Sarawak into a high-income State by 2030.
Abang Johari, fondly known as Abang Jo, maintains Sarawak’s strong stance of being recognised as an equal partner to Peninsular Malaysia in MA63 and continues to demand the return of Sarawak’s rights and land.
Earlier initiatives
To drive home the point of Sarawak’s sovereignty as an equal partner in Malaysia, a law was passed in Sarawak Legislative Assembly to change the official title of Sarawak’s Head of the Executive from “Chief Minister” to “Premier”. This was to differentiate Sarawak from the Malayan states of Malacca and Penang whose chief state administrator title is also “Chief Minister”.
Apart from continuing all Adenan’s policies and development programmes, Abang Johari initiated 120 more since he was sworn in as the sixth Chief Minister of Sarawak.
Among them was acquiring Bakum Dam, establishing various research centres and training institutions, and setting up Development Bank of Sarawak (DBOS) and GLCs such as Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) which is tasked with harnessing Sarawak’s oil and gas resources to increase the State’s revenue.
Abang Johari also oversaw the rollout of people-centric projects such as the construction of Second Trunk Road and linking the Coastal Road Network; construction of new airfields in Bukit Sadok and Bukit Mabong; rural water and electricity supply projects totalling RM4 billion, and the building of 10 significant bridges including Batang Lassa Bridge, Batang Rambungan Bridge, Batang Lupar Bridge costing a total of RM4 billion; and the establishment of several development agencies such as Upper Rajang Development Agency (Urda) to facilitate regional growth.
Understanding that mastering the English language is crucial for Sarawak to nurture effective human capital for development, Abang Johari announced the setting up of five international schools across the State.
He also set up new scholarships and empowered existing educational institutions such as University Technology of Sarawak to offer full scholarships to ensure that B40 students can access equal education opportunities.
Money matters
All these projects and initiatives require money, lots of it. Abang Johari has been able to continue to finance all of them by imposing an additional five per cent State Sales Tax (SST) on petroleum and related products. His revenue re-engineering through the setting up of DBOS has also helped to bring in substantial income. In fact, he was able to double Sarawak’s revenue to RM11.9 billion in 2022, an unprecedented achievement.
To properly manage Sarawak’s wealth and surplus, Abang Jo also set up a Sovereign Fund which is governed by a board of financial experts.
The extra income Abang Jo managed to rake in had helped Sarawak to withstand the dark days brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic where he disbursed financial aid through a total of nine packages under Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang (BKSS) amounting to RM7.65 billion.
Like other countries all over the world, Sarawak was negatively impacted by the pandemic but due to its strong financial status, it was quick to shake off the aftermath and recover steadily. Sarawak has emerged even stronger following the introduction of Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy, a road map to make Sarawak a developed State by 2030.
Green initiatives
Keeping tabs on global development trends and progress, Abang Johari has fixed his gaze upon digitalising Sarawak, knowing full well that without fast Internet connectivity, Sarawak cannot take off. Enormous efforts and resources have been channelled to ensuring all rural areas are connected—a work still in progress.
To set an example, Abang Johari called on all government departments and offices to run on digital platforms. Sarawak ID was created for easy access to government information while S Pay Global (formerly Sarawak Pay) has been launched as an e-payment gateway for Sarawakians.
While many countries are still mulling over replacing fossil energy with greener energy to reduce carbon footprints, Abang Johari has already taken steps to realise the transition by setting in motion the plans for Sarawak to produce hydrogen which he aims to sell to South Korea by 2025.
At the same time, the Sarawak government through the setting up of Sarawak Metro Sdn Bhd is also building an Autonomous Rapid Transit (ART) network system powered by hydrogen, starting with the Kota Samarahan-Kuching Line (or the Blue Line) which is expected to be operational in 2025.
Abang Johari is heading towards a green energy future relentlessly. Sarawak is going full speed ahead in cultivating microalgae to produce premium oil, especially sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), in the world’s largest industrial microalgae production facility, spanning five hectares, developed in collaboration with with Japan’s Chitose Group. The facility was officially launched at Sarawak Energy’s Sejingkat Power Plant in May this year. There are also plans to expand algae cultivation statewide.
To prove his determination, in May this year, Abang Johari boarded a historical flight from Kuching to Langkawi where the Airbus A220-300 craft used a 10 per cent blend of Sarawak-made algae-based SAF. The positive results from this test flight showcased the viability and potential of algae-based SAF as a prominent solution for sustainable aviation.
Additionally, Sarawak is actively exploring hybrid solar and wind energy systems with the implementation of Shell’s unmanned TIMI platform offshore Sarawak. These projects mark yet another milestone in Sarawak’s commitment to clean energy.
Leveraging on its abundant forest cover and depleted offshore gas fields, Sarawak has ventured into carbon capture and storage (CCS) as well as carbon trading in response to environmental challenges and climate change.
The flagship of this effort is the RM4.5 billion mega CCS project off Bintulu in the Kasawari gas field by Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas) which is poised to revolutionise the regional upstream oil and gas industry.
To support and complement this ambitious undertaking, Sarawak is diligently developing a comprehensive Climate Change Policy, aimed at coordinating and optimising climate-focused initiatives across the region. Additionally, the establishment of a dedicated Sarawak Climate Change Centre is underway, ensuring a centralised approach to achieve the plan’s far-reaching goals effectively.
All these will not only position Sarawak as a frontrunner in climate change action, but also open doors to substantial revenue generation, nurture local capabilities, creation of new green jobs, and propel Sarawak’s economy to new heights.
Not smooth sailing
A recent news report citing a tweet by the World Bank’s lead economist for Malaysia that Sarawak has achieved high income status by World Bank’s standard has proven that Sarawak is on the right track.
Sarawakians in general have no qualms about Abang Johari’s infrastructure planning and spending. His new economy plans which are centred on green energy, digitalisation and advanced technology, a vision which is far ahead of many nations, however, has drawn flak and criticism from some who question the practicality of these endeavours and visions.
Abang Jo, however, is not deterred by the views of the skeptics and cynics. He continues to strive on, believing that the final outcome will speak for itself. — DayakDaily
