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By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 6: Sarawak attaining high-income status by World Bank standards effectively banishes and discredits Sarawak Democratic Action Party’s (DAP) past claims that Sarawak would go bankrupt and dismissals of the Sarawak government’s initiatives as mere “hot air”.
Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian asserted that the status served as undeniable proof of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government’s ‘wise decision’ to pursue financial independence since 2018.
“However, we believe that the best is yet to come, as Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s leadership remains committed to bring further growth in Sarawak’s revenue, particularly as Sarawak advances towards 2030 based on the Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS),” he told DayakDaily when contacted today.
Dr Sim made these comments in response to a news report revealing that Sarawak has attained high income status, as per the World Bank’s latest country classifications by income level for 2022-2023, with a gross national income (GNI) per capita exceeding US$13,205.
World Bank Lead Economist for Malaysia Apurva Sanghi recently shared on Twitter that Sarawak has achieved high-income state status, based on the World Bank’s latest high-income data released on July 1, 2023.
Based on the chart shared in the tweet by Apurva, Sarawak now joins the ranks of Penang, as well as the Federal Territories of Labuan and Kuala Lumpur.
With that, Dr Sim stressed that it is time for Sarawak to receive its fair share of federal revenue under Article 112D, as it is Sarawak’s rightful entitlement, particularly now that Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) has been incorporated into the Malaysian Constitution since 2021.
“We must recognise that as Sarawak’s revenue rapidly increases, so does the federal government’s revenue from Sarawak.
“For the past 40 years, Sarawak has generously shared its natural resources with the rest of Malaysia. It is now time for Sarawak to receive our fair share of federal revenue,” he said.
Despite Sarawak’s significant progress, Dr Sim highlighted that there is still a substantial gap to be bridged in terms of infrastructure such as roads, schools, hospitals, flood mitigation, drainage, and housing, to be on par with the peninsula, even after 60 years since Malaysia’s formation.
“With the growth of our economy, I hope that Sarawakians, both within and outside Sarawak, can seize the abundant job and economic opportunities available, enabling each one of us to contribute to and accelerate the nation-building process for Sarawak,” he said. — DayakDaily
