By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 31: The hopes of the leaders in 1963 are the same as the hopes of Sarawakians today—for Sarawak to become a developed and high-income region, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
In his Gawai Dayak 2025 message, he said that the Sarawak and federal governments reached a mutual agreement as a step forward in developing the oil and gas industry in Sarawak, in the spirit of respecting both federal and Sarawak laws.
“The people of Sarawak aspire to utilise the returns from its natural resources to develop the State. Once again, I would like to thank Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who understands the dreams of the people of Sarawak to progress on par with other already developed regions,” he said.
At the same time, Abang Johari also expressed confidence that the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government’s development transformation programme will empower the economic and social status of the Dayak community, particularly those living in rural areas and the B40 income group.
“One of the main pillars of the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 is to ensure that Sarawak’s development plans are inclusive. In other words, the prosperity of this State must benefit all Sarawakians, regardless of religious background, ethnicity, or place of residence.
“I strongly believe that education is the most powerful tool to ensure all communities in this State can equally enjoy its development. The free tertiary education initiative (FTES), starting next year, is a step towards opening opportunities for Sarawakian children without them having to worry about their families’ financial ability,” he said.
He said that the initiative, estimated to cost RM300 million in its first year to fund 10,000 students at four State-owned universities in Sarawak, includes free tuition fees and an annual allowance of RM15,000 for students from families earning RM1,500 or less per month.
Priority, he said, will be given to courses in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), as well as medicine, law, accounting, finance, and psychology.
On the Yayasan Sarawak International Schools, he said it is aimed at giving Sarawakian children access to internationally benchmarked education.
“Admission is open to all Sarawakian students who have demonstrated excellent academic performance, particularly the children of those from the B40 group.
“Through this initiative, I believe many Sarawakian children will have the opportunity to gain admission to prestigious universities such as the University of Cambridge and University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and Stanford University in the United States,” he said.
Touching on infrastructure development, he said that with the Sarawak government’s increased revenue, they can implement development programmes with greater impact, particularly in the provision of infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and coastal highways.
He also touched on local development agencies as an alternative development approach, as there is still a great need for infrastructure in Sarawak’s rural and interior areas to ease the movement of people and logistics for agricultural produce.
This, he said, led to the establishment of local development agencies under the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) to intensify development programmes throughout Sarawak.
“Additionally, the GPS government will consider proposals to develop 5,000 kilometres of disused logging roads into public roads, which will significantly enhance connectivity in rural areas through a more organised road network,” he said.
Abang Johari concluded his message by saying that Gawai Dayak should serve as a unifying point for the Dayak community and hoped that during this festive season, amidst the joy and celebration, it can also be a platform for exchanging ideas aimed at strengthening unity and commitment among the Dayak people towards more meaningful participation in the State’s economic transformation process.
“In closing, my wife, Puan Sri Datuk Amar Hajjah Juma’ani, and I would like to wish once again all Dayak communities celebrating the festival a Happy Gawai.” — DayakDaily
