However, we should not let our guards down and forget that the journey ahead is still full of challenges. Instead, we must be more determined and have a stronger sense of dedication in our efforts to ensure that we achieve the National and State development objectives within the stipulated framework.
Obviously, we must stay united and should not be distracted by political bickering and arguments over petty issues which do not benefit anybody. Looking back, Sarawak has been able to accelerate the pace of development and move upward from being No.2 or No.3 from the bottom to a few steps upward with the unity and solidarity of the people behind the government.
Arguably, with some voices of dissent mainly from the opposition, the State has been able to catch up with many of the States, though they started their development seven years ahead of Sarawak, in Semenanjung Malaysia during the last 30 years. It has provided a strong foundation for Sarawak, mainly through the development of SCORE, to become the richest state in Malaysia. Generally, the people recognize the fact that Sarawak has been able to surge from the backwater lane of development to become one of the fastest developing states in the country.
Generally, the people do not doubt that the State’s policy and the common struggle for unity and solidarity have been able to bring about greater comfort and prosperity in their lives. Needless to say, the State must continue to find a more modern and organized way to perpetuate the kind of thinking that can sustain the progress and prosperity for the generations that will come after us.
Obviously, conscientious efforts must be made to institutionalize the unity and solidarity of the people into a force to achieve development for all. Without such kind of thinking, the society may breed rebel groups here and there, who will be busy fighting for small things to benefit few individuals and not the society as a whole.
Undoubtedly, unity is needed much more now than before as the State implements the second phase of the politics of development namely the development of SCORE up to the year 2030 and beyond. Hence, all communities must learn the value of working together and appreciate much more that only through unity they can sustain development for the generations that will come after them. For example, the progress that has been achieved must be sustained in order to have more ambitious plan, which may take one or two generations to turn Sarawak into a very rich state.
Obviously, the successful implementation of such a plan requires a strong discipline of the people, who must be able to recognize, for example, that politics is no longer the fight for the individual advancement. It is common fight of the people in order to achieve a much bigger thing namely the transformation of the society.
Once, the concept of development was misconstrued by a lot of people as waiting for the fruits to fall. In other words, development was equated with durians, which will fall when they become ripe. They fall for the people to pick them up only; there are not many efforts on the part of the people.
But development is strength that comes from efforts of the people. Besides, development is the improvement of experience from time to time so that what can be achieved tomorrow will be better than that being achieved today. In other words, development means to be able to do things better all the times.
And that does not depend on money alone. It is dependent on efforts that need to be upgraded all the time by the capacity of the people to learn, understand and choose the way of working to cope with problems and opportunities that accompany with the process. That explains the need to perpetuate the unity and solidarity, which have become more important today than from any other times in the history of the people.
Arguably, Sarawak has succeeded in setting up a working democracy that can improve the way of life of the people. The State has succeeded in building a democracy that can last longer with more young people with better qualification and experience being chosen to provide the leadership in future. Besides, SCORE is the common call for the people to work together to realise the dream of making Sarawak the richest State in the country by the year 2030.
Obviously, SCORE is not the exercise of picking up the fallen fruits. Its implementation demands individuals in the community to upgrade their ability to exploit big opportunities that will come up in the process.
Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, in his speech during a recent Solidarity dinner organized by Federation of Orang Ulu Association Sarawak, Malaysia (FORUM) in Miri says he is happy to be able to see the success of a community that has been able to take proper steps to move forward in a more organized manner. It is yet another example that if a community plans its steps to move forward properly it will be able to succeed in their economic endeavors and take further steps to sustain it. Obviously, the success of the Orang Ulu community is attributable to the politics of development that was launched in 1985.
He says, he decided not to call the State’s economic policy that had succeeded in making structural changes to the economy and given benefits to the people as the New Economic Policy for Sarawak as in Semenanjung Malaysia but instead coined a phase to become the philosophy of development. The State government decided not to call the policy the New Economic Policy with the realization that it cannot talk about economic development mainly through steps being taken for it.
The other states in Semenanjung Malaysia began to realize the importance of unity through the common struggle for Independence. However, Sarawak, because of the security threat looming in Asian region with some indications that it could threaten the future of Sarawak, decided to seek unity and solidarity with Semenanjung Malaysia to save ourselves from such threat.
That explains why the State did not have sufficient time to plan far ahead for the political consolidation and development. Besides, Sarawak has 20 to 30 ethnic groups with none of them being big enough to provide a majority and the basis for political stability in democracy; democracy without a majority will not be sustainable and likely to face lots of problems.
Pehin Sri Abdul Taib says politics of development combines efforts to organize politics and develop the economy together in order to convince the people that they have a lot to gain by cooperating and working together in pursuit for progress and advancement. It was also to make the people appreciate the necessity to have a broader understanding that covers all ethnic groups, which do not have the majority, in order to enhance unity and solidarity among them. In other words, the basis of a stable government lies on the ability of the people to have broad agreement among them. For example, the people must have the agreement to achieve the same thing through a common aspiration.
He decides to make politics of development as the philosophy of development to spearhead efforts to develop politics and economy in Sarawak in 1985 to remind the people that the efforts to achieve progress and prosperity represent the most difficult job to do. Basically, the State can only be successful in economic development with the success to bring people comprising of various ethnic and religious groups together in unity to move forward.
Pehin Sri Abdul Taib says he is very happy to see the Orang Ulu, as a small community can be involved in the process of development and join other communities in promoting greater unity and solidarity in the State.
He admits of being a bit worried 20 years ago with the concern that the Orang Ulu might not be able to sustain and use their own energy in the development of the community. There could be less than half of members of the community remaining in their longhouses during the period of less than 10 years. In other words, most of the longhouses in Baram would be half empty. Those who would remain behind would comprise of old people and children of ages 12 or 13 years old.
Then, the immediate challenge of leaders of the community was to make conscientious efforts to pool the energy of the Orang Ulu, which has more sub-ethnic groups that talk different dialects of between eight or nine of them, to develop Baram, which is often considered as the last frontier of development in Sarawak.
For this reason, the Orang Ulu community like other communities must endeavor to solidify efforts and support the leadership in the drive for change. That is being expected of the people to achieve.
benuasains
*Photos Source:
Penerangan Photo
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