By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 23: Sarawak’s economy could gain from a structured approach to strategic real estate and key water resources through “blocking” for competitive bidding, says Deputy State Secretary Dato Sri Dr Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel.
Speaking at the inaugural Business Writing Workshop organised by Pertubuhan Wartawan Bebas Kuching (Pewarta) today, he clarified that this was a proposal to attract investors in a more organised manner, rather than an existing policy.
“For real estate, we should ‘block it up,’ similar to how PETRONAS divides offshore areas into blocks and runs bidding rounds.
“We could identify prime government or State land in city areas, block it, and offer it for bidding to property developers, with the proceeds going into a special fund, for example,” he said.
Muhammad Abdullah also proposed the same concept for Sarawak’s major dams, including Bakun, Baleh, Murum, and Batang Ai, for potential floating solar projects.
“Instead of just waiting for investors to scout around for areas to develop floating solar panels, why don’t we make it into blocks?
“Every year, we could run a bid round to attract solar panel investors to put floating solar in Bakun, Baleh, and Murum dams, subsequently increasing the value of these assets,” he added.
He further said the proposal fits into a larger vision to move Sarawak beyond its traditional resource-based economy of timber and palm oil, toward a hybrid model combining industrial and service sectors.
With a population of just 2.8 million, he noted the State must focus on export-oriented growth.
“If we have a really strong service economy, like education, finance and innovation, combined with a flourishing industry, then we will make Sarawak an ideal format of economy for Sarawak,” he emphasised.
Muhammad Abdullah was one of the panelists during the discussion at the inaugural Business Writing Workshop, alongside Supreme Consolidated Resources Bhd executive chairman Dato Richard Wee and Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) president Datuk Yong Soo Heong. The panel was moderated by Federation of Sarawak Journalists Association (FSJA) president Ronnie Teo. – DayakDaily
