By Christopher Lidom and Karen Bong
BAU, Dec 30: Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has called on the private sector to maximise their involvement in assisting the government advance development and drive economic growth in Sarawak, including along the Bau-Kuching-Tanjung Dato tourism belt.
Emphasising the importance of private sector involvement in the process of development, he said the government cannot do everything alone.
“We need the private sector to come in and inject funds and the government will faciliate with facilities for them to develop certain areas, including in Bau.
“That’s why we strongly encourage the private sector to spur our local economy,” he said during the Bau District Council’s (BDC) 65th anniversary celebration held at Tasik Biru Food Village here today.
During the celebration, Abang Johari approved the gold mine museum and park project in Bau along with other infrastructures upgrades as promised under the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Manifesto to develop the Bau-Kuching-Tanjung Dato tourism belt.
He pointed out that the tourism belt must be developed to bring positive impact including income generation to the local populace from tourism receipts.
“With efforts to lure more local and international visitors to visit, more services will be needed including local produce from agriculture as well as natural attractions and historical and heritage value.
“We (GPS) have a comprehensive plan on how to spur the tourism sector in Bau and Sarawak.
“As has been announced in the GPS Manifesto, we will fix and upgrade the tourism infrastructure including air connectivity which has been an issue for Sarawak.
“But I assure you, we will solve these problems in these five years because we want to bring more tourists to Sarawak,” he pledged.
With the success achieved by BDC over the past 65 years, he said it is time to look forward to seeing what needed to be done to further develop Bau, especially with a tourism masterplan in place to turn the area into a progressive and attractive place not only for locals but also for the international community.
“The Sarawak government will continue to assist in realising the plan that will bring benefits and positive impact to the entire Bau community,” he said.
The local government’s proximity to the people at the grassroots level, he said, is important for policy-making that would bring about  socio-economic development and positive impact to the local populace.
Abang Johari was also thankful that people now understand the development policy and plans he intends to implement to steer Sarawak forward until 2030.
With that, he gave assurance that the GPS government will implement the 34-point manifesto in the next five years, while expressing confidence that planning, execution and implementation can go smoothly now that most western parts of Sarawak are under the GPS government.
Abang Johari also expressed his gratitude to the people in Tasik Biru constituency for giving GPS a strong mandate and support to continue leading Sarawak.
As GPS achieved the largest landslide victory in Sarawak’s election history in winning 76 out of 82 seats, he acknowledged that with a strong mandate from the people comes the huge responsibility to continue developing Sarawak.
“With our own approach to develop Sarawak, our future is bright,” he added.
Batu Kawah assemblyman Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian, Tasik Biru assemblyman Datuk Henry Harry Jinep and BDC chairwoman Anielia Siam were among those present at the event. — DayakDaily
