KUCHING, Nov 16: SUPP Women chief Kho Teck Wan welcomes Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg’s decision to study the feasibility of setting up a Sarawak Sovereign Fund in order to ensure all key aspects of the fund are taken into consideration for the benefit of Sarawakians.
Kho in a press statement today said, during the Sarawak United Peoples’ Party (SUPP) Annual Delegate Conference in October this year, the party had submitted six resolutions to the Chief Minister, who also is the chairman of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS).
“Among those resolutions are free Covid-19 vaccine to all Sarawakians and the setting up of Sarawak Sovereign Fund to ensure Sarawakians and our future generation can continue to benefit from oil and gas resources even after the depletion of these resources.
“I welcome CM Abang Jo’s announcement that the Sarawak government will undertake a thorough feasibility study before establishing a sovereign wealth fund, which has been suggested to act as a buffer during a financial crisis,” she said.
At the same time, Kho pointed out that Sarawak is also well positioned as a leader in green energy production in South East Asia, and is embarking on hydrogen research.
Beside energy research, she added, pushing for a digital economy and modern agriculture are some of the steps the state government has taken to ensure Sarawak can continue to generate income in the future even after its natural resources are depleted.
“Aside from federal aid, the Sarawak government also spent on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), medical supplies, special allowance to frontliners, discount on licences and rents, and RM943 million on “Bantuan Khas Sarawakku Sayang” benefiting 921,000 Sarawakians.
“Sarawak is the only state in Malaysia that provides her people with such financial assistance during this pandemic because of good financial planning, and the sovereign fund will ensure Sarawak remains strong financially for our further generation,” added Kho. — DayakDaily
