By Karen Bong
KUCHING, July 22: From taking small but firm steps together, Sarawak has made a giant leap in progress and growth as it heads towards becoming an advanced and high income State with green and digital transitions.
Reflecting on Sarawak’s major milestones in the past decade, Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian emphasised that Sarawak Day is significant as it stands as a reminder that Sarawak can achieve great things including matters yet to be fully realised in the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) as long as Sarawakians band together, ignore the negative voices and focus with all-out effort to build a better tomorrow.
“Ever since Sarawak co-founded Malaysia in 1963, Sarawakians have held true to the principle of equal respect and harmony.
“It is true that some matters in MA63 have not been fully realised, but in December last year we succeeded in having the Constitution of Malaysia recognise the MA63.
“This is huge. It means going forward. As long as we have each other and speak with one united voice, we can and we will push through everything that was agreed to in MA63. Let’s band together and make it happen to achieve all our visions and ambitions. Happy Sarawak Day,” he said in his Sarawak Day message via a short video clip on his social media page today.
The short video started by highlighting that Sarawak has been seen as backward with “people living on trees”, while there were some who wondered why “we’re different from them and called us mere followers”.
But despite them not being able to see, Sarawak is in fact charting its own course in moving forward by upholding the principle of Sarawak and Sarawakians first where people are united as one in shaping a prosperous homeland for a better tomorrow.
The video then in a fast-forward recap showed how the small steps Sarawak has taken over the years had added to become a giant leap forward as “Sarawak is a rising tiger”, especially in the renewable energy arena by leveraging on the State’s abundance natural resources in hope to unleash the potentials and develop the productive forces in the new economy.
It also pointed out that Sarawak has been taking the lead in building its own wealth through Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s financial reengineering strategy that has contributed millions to the State coffers as well as asserting its rights in multiple domains from land, sea to air.
It ended with a short poem, ‘Invictus’ by William Ernest Henley: “It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.” — DayakDaily
