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By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 8: “I don’t care whether the cat is black or white as long as it catches mice”, said Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg in emphasising his focus on economic development and the wellbeing of the people in Sarawak.
Speaking at the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM) 77th Annual General Meeting today, he told the big crowd that, “I don’t care whether you are Chinese, Malay or Iban (but) as long as you can build up yourself and the Sarawak economy.”
This openness and inclusivity, he said, was demonstrated in Sarawak working with China’s Huawei, despite the Chinese tech giant being sanctioned by the United States.
“Even though it has problem with the West, I don’t care about them. The former prime minister had once asked why did Sarawak go for Huawei and aren’t we concerned about the tense relationship between the two giants (China and United States).
“I told him that Sarawak is very small, so why worry as long as we can have the technology that will help us to transform our cities into smart cities, and push for smart practices in all sectors including modernising agriculture with high technology that would not only make work easier but enhance efficiency and effectiveness to drive Sarawak’s economic growth,” he elaborated.
In line with Sarawak’s pursuit for green economy, especially through high technology adoption and aggressively expanding its renewable energy sources to include hydrogen, solar, solar-wind hybrid system, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) derived from algae, Abang Johari highlighted that there are abundant opportunities for investors in various sectors.
“After the introduction of digital economy in 2017, we are now pushing towards green economy since 2021. That’s why were are exploring new ideas and potential areas that will guarantee Sarawak’s future.
“We are actively exploring energy solutions, which is important, given the challenges of climate change faced by the world. More importantly, Sarawak has strength in renewable energy 70 per cent of Sarawak’s energy come from hydro sources, while 30 per cent is derived from thermal sources,” he said.
As Sarawak advances towards 2030, Abang Johari underscored the importance of looking at and learning from the history and experiences of countries that have achieved remarkable transformation, such as China and Japan.
“I read a book which stated that by 2040 to 2050, China will be number one economy, beating the United States.
“For Sarawak’s future, we want people to live comfortably with rice on the table. That’s the objective of Sarawak government through PCDS (Post-Covid Development Strategy) 2030, together with the business community to create policies that will bring food to the table,” he pointed out.
Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, ACCCIM president Senator Tan Sri Low Kian Chuan and ACCIM Sarawak president Dato Tan Jit Kee were among those present. — DayakDaily
