By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Feb 6: Federation of Chinese Associations of Sarawak president Datuk Richard Wee has suggested four proposals to the Sarawak government on behalf of the federation.
Wee emphasised that Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s establishment of the State’s sovereign fund, modelled after the governments of Norway and Singapore, is a bold and visionary move and that such a fund, when managed with strict governance by respected and experienced professionals, will provide long-term benefits to Sarawak.
“It is our hope that such benefits will trickle down to all, ensuring that all strata of society, including the men on the street, will benefit economically from the policy,” he said tonight during the ‘Chinese New Year Dinner 2023’ hosted by the Federation of Chinese Associations of Sarawak at the Imperial Hotel Kuching here.
He went on to say that the recent announcement of the establishment of a retirement fund and the provision of gated housing for Sarawak civil servants is welcomed and that the additional benefits will encourage more Sarawakians to join the civil service.
“We encourage and urge more Chinese to answer the government’s call to join the civil service.
“We hope that in the not-too-distant future, we will be able to achieve a more balanced composition of our different races in the civil service, reflecting the demography of the population in Sarawak,” he added.
Furthermore, on land matters, Wee stated that the Federation hopes that the Sarawak government’s proposal to establish agricultural parks throughout the State, similar to the concept of industrial parks, will be implemented soon so interested farmers and companies can participate.
“We urge interested parties who wish to apply to liaise with the relevant ministry to understand the process and conditions, as such schemes will provide legal status and long-term solutions for land use in the agricultural sector.
“In the recent announcement regarding the revision of quit rent, we would like to propose a dialogue for the relevant authorities to explain to the stakeholders so that they can have a better understanding and clarity to avoid any confusion and doubt about the policy and scheme.
“On this, our federation would gladly volunteer to assist the government in facilitating the dialogue, and we hope to have the kind consideration of our government,” he highlighted.
Moreover, he mentioned that the recent swine flu outbreak, which affected most pig farmers, has had a significant negative economic impact on the entire industry.
“It has resulted in the lack of supply to the market, steep rise in the price of the commodity, and heavy losses to the farmers.
“In order for the sector to recover from this epidemic, the farmers are in dire need of assistance from our government,” he explained.
He urged the Sarawak government and the affected farmers to engage in constructive dialogue to find a long-term solution in which the farmers can lease land from the government in the allocated areas, as the Ministry of Agriculture already has an allocated area in Simunjan with centralised and modern comprehensive facilities, as well as an abattoir for pig farming.
“In addition, we hope that the government can provide urgent financial assistance to the farmers to resuscitate the industry,” Wee remarked.
Amongst those present were Abang Johari, Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian; Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah; Minister of Transport Lee Kim Shin; and Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Kuching His Excellency Xing Weiping. — DayakDaily
