KUCHING, July 24: Sarawak Housing and Real Estate Developers’ Association (Sheda) has affirmed it stands behind the Sarawak Government’s Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS 2030) and calls for the efficiency and collaboration from all parties involved.
Sheda president Augustine Wong Chung Ho in a statement today said in supporting the strategy, all quarters, namely government machinery consisting of planners and implementing agencies, private sectors regardless of sizes, from big corporations to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) encompassing all industries, needed to stay focused on the strategies so that the transformation objectives of PCDS 2030 can be realised.
According to Wong, the whole delivery system must be efficient and all sectors would have to collaborate productively for PCDS 2030 to be effective, hence the emphasis on “Ease of Doing Business’ as highlighted in PCDS 2030.
“In this aspect, Sheda urges the planners and administrators to look at devising government policies with the objective to streamline approval processes for various industries in order to reduce the bureaucracy red tapes.
“Only by doing so, the cost of doing businesses in Sarawak can be reduced. With the chaos that comes with Covid-19, the issues of survival and affordability are of paramount importance not only for businesses but for all Sarawakians,” he said.
Wong noted, in order for PCDS 2030 to thrive, the banking sector must be roped in by Sarawak Government and encouraged to do their part in supporting local enterprises and industries.
He explained banking institutions needed to be sensitive towards the needs of Sarawak SMEs and industries, not only to facilitate domestic investments but also to encourage further reinvestment in order to achieve the targeted growth.
The business strategy, he continued, of bankers who are often seen as giving out umbrellas during good weather and taking the umbrellas back during rainy days can no longer be the way of doing business as financial crunch on ‘negatively’ affected industries will have unfavorable effects on Sarawak’s economy.
“Any decisions for the banking sector to go on ‘a financial crunch’ will have adverse impact on the very much needed working capital that local industries rely on to keep them afloat during this challenging time. Moratorium is after all only a temporary measure.
“Learning from the past, Sarawak SMEs would not have grown to where they are today, without the support extended to them by (the then) Sarawakian originated or Sarawak based commercial banks, such as Hock Hua Bank Berhad, Wah Tat Bank Berhad, Kong Ming Bank Berhad and Bank Utama Berhad,” he added.
Wong also pointed out that the PCDS 2023 presented by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, shows that the Sarawak Government acknowledges that unprecedented circumstances do require unprecedented measures.
He said Sheda concurred that utility development is one of the key enablers in PCDS 2030, and in this regard, Sheda would like to take the opportunity to highlight that Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) as a utility provider should not limit its scope to only providing reliable, economical and sustainable electricity supply.
“While SEB is supporting the growth of Sarawak’s development by creating employment and economic opportunities to Sarawakians through its projects and operations, the Sarawak Government is urged to brainstorm for a new formula to lessen the burden of local businesses having to pay heavy capital outlay in the form of capital contributions to SEB when carrying out development projects in the State, by which the costs ultimately will be passed on to house buyers and end-users,” he opined. — DayakDaily
