By Nigel Edgar
SERIAN, July 20: The policy being formulated by the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government was aimed to empower the younger generations heading towards the state developed status vision by 2030.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said the reason the state government has been emphasising on technological advancement was to prepare the younger generation for the future.
He quoted Japanese-American physicist and futurist Michio Kaku, who came to Sarawak for the International Digital Economy Conference Sarawak (Idecs) 2019 recently, as saying that any nation can become rich through intellectual capital.
“In GPS, we have our own policy for the youths. We want to give value to our resources. As Michio Kaku have said, any nation, even the poor nation, can be rich through intellectual capital.
“That is why we give emphasis on education,” he said when launching GPS branch at Kampung Pichin, here, today.
Because of this, Abang Johari said the state supported Putrajaya’s proposal to lower the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
This despite certain quarters claiming that such constitutional amendment would be a handicap for the GPS-led state government, because they thought the youths in Sarawak might boot coalition out in the coming state election due in 2021, he added.
“We manage our own economy. We have a target that by the year 2030, we will become a developed state. All our efforts are used to upgrade ourselves towards 2030 and beyond, including digital economy,” he said.
Abang Johari also advised native customary rights (NCR) land owners in Serian to make use of technology to work their land, so that they can reap the benefits which would increase their income and improve livelihood.
Emphasising on digital economy and utilisation of modern technologies in an effort to develop the state’s various sectors, he advised Sarawakians to make use of these technologies as much as they can to ensure that the policies would bear fruits. — DayakDaily
