By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Oct 27: Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg wants Sarawak to be the next Winston Churchill, the man who led Britain to victory in the Second World War by bravely switching from coal to oil to power the country’s naval fleet.
Abang Johari shared that the idea to convert coal to oil was established in the early 1900s but one of the British senior commanders in 1907 had decided that the naval forces had to stick to coal because oil was not in sufficient supply to run the ships.
In 1911, Churchill, who was the First Lord of the Admiralty of the British Royal Navy, bravely embraced the new fuel, switching from coal to oil.
“That is where Churchill managed to protect the United Kingdom from the power of Adolf Hitler’s (Nazi Germany’s leader) fleet because they weren’t able to cross the English Channel because the Britain Royal Navy was faster, flexible and stronger.
“Today, 112 years later, we are changing power from oil to renewable energy. In other words, let Sarawak be another Winston Churchill.
“We adjust ourselves to a new renewable energy and build a stronger Sarawak compared to other places in this region,” he said during Sarawak Civil Service Innovation Convention Awards (SCSICA) held at Pullman Hotel here earlier tonight.
Among those present were Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian, Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk John Sikie Tayai, Sarawak Secretary Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, Sarawak Federal Secretary Dato Ahmad Nadzri Mohd Hassan, Sarawak Financial Secretary Dato Sri Dr Wan Lizozman Wan Omar and Sarawak Attorney General Datuk Saferi Ali. — DayakDaily
