By Nigel Edgar
KUCHING, March 9: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg clarifies that Sarawak being the third richest state in Malaysia according to its Gross Domestic Products (GDP) does not reflect the real income of Sarawakians.
He said many people had been wondering in the social media why the status of Sarawak being the third richest state in Malaysia after Selangor and Kuala Lumpur is not reflected in the income of Sarawakians.
“I would like to clarify here that, yes, we are the third richest in terms of GDP. By economic definition, GDP is the total goods and services produced. So, in Sarawak, we have a lot from our oil and gas, so the total of our goods and services is definitely very high.
“But this one (revenue) goes to Putrajaya. So, in terms of real income, we don’t really get the real income that is shown by the definition of GDP. Because of that, we must get our rights back on our oil and gas,” he said at the Sarawak Dayak National Union (SDNU) Dinner and Triennial General Meeting Opening yesterday (March 8).
Abang Johari said now that the state was going to exercise its rights according to the Federal Constitution to its fullest extent, he was confident that the state would become a high-income state by 2030.
He encouraged SDNU to be part of the state’s development plan and as a catalyst for the development of the Dayak community, especially in the rural areas.— DayakDaily
