Sarawak works for balanced development towards 2020

Sarawak, which has been enjoying 47 years of development and progress in our beloved nation, Malaysia, will enter a new era of development come 2011.

One of the key focus areas under the Tenth Malaysia Plan, beginning from 2011 is to increase private investments to spur domestic economic activities.  The private sector will continue to be the catalyst to move the State economy up the value chain, which is a prerequisite for us to compete in the global market. 

The State’s strategy to leverage on energy and natural resources particularly under SCORE will attract more investments to Sarawak.  In addition, efforts are also geared towards improving the industrial infrastructure, transportation networks and logistic system as well as preparing quality human capital, in terms of management skills, technical competencies, creative and innovative human resources to meet the demand of the industries. 

Mukah

The development programmes and projects cover both the urban and rural areas to ensure balanced regional development across the State.  This will not only intensify and accelerate the development for SCORE but those areas outside the corridor. 

Another focus area will be the participation of the low-income group into the main stream of development.  This will be carried out through the various poverty eradication programmes and projects. Socio-economic development will continue to be given importance to further strengthen the unity of the people.

Mukah at night

For example, the 2011 budget aims to ensure balanced development throughout the State.  In this connection, the State Government will undertake proactive measures in the development of physical infrastructures especially in less developed areas. The budget takes into consideration that there is still a need for rural areas to catch up with development in urban areas.  Hence, greater emphasis must be give to develop necessary infrastructure and amenities such as roads, drainage, telecommunication, electricity and water supplies in these areas.

Rightly, the State government will be emphasing on the following as the main thrusts of development:

    * To raise the capacity for knowledge and innovation and nurture    

        first class mentality;

    *  To address persistent socio-economic inequalities constructively

        and productively; and

    *  To improve the standard and sustainability of Quality of Life. 

Sibu-Mukah Bridge

The new era towards the year 2020 and beyond, entails a transformation, which necessitates the people to acquire new knowledge and be more diligent and ready to work hard in order to become more productive and efficient in their endeavors.  More importantly, it requires the people to become more proactive and innovative in carrying out tasks, which have been entrusted upon them.   

Essentially, in the next 12 years, the state must continue to be involved in a transformation from infrastructure-oriented approach to human resources approach, primarily to accelerate economic growth, which relies heavily on efforts of the quality of service and productivity of skilled workers.

Lookin back when the Federation of Malaysia was formed on September 16, 1963, the constitution included special protections allowing Sarawak to enter into the union as a semi autonomous state.  The constitution included special protections allowing Sarawak to enter the union as an autonomous state.  The provisions, among other things, allow Sarawak to exercise powers over immigration and imposition of sales taxes.

Tanjung Manis Integrated Port

Other protections relate specifically to Sarawak unique demographic make up and the rights of indigenous communities, who must enjoy the same special rights given to the Malay community in Semenanjung Malaysia.

Indisputably, the state has achieved tremendous progress. It has been transformed from a backward state to one of the most progressive states in the country. It is just behind Klang Valley, Selangor and Penang in terms of progress and development. Any well-informed people, would not dispute this fact. The people must surely be able to see the tremendous stride that has been made, which among other things, help to reduce unemployment among the people and more importantly, take the state into a level of prosperity never seen in the history of the state. 

Tanjung Manis Deep Sea Port Activities

Generally, the strategy, which emphasizes on fair distribution of development has succeeded in levelling up our people to new heights of prosperity rather than levelling them down in the name of assuring equality, as has been happening in an extreme socialist environment. Generally, the socialist system, which is based on the doctrine of equality, provides food subsidies, free water and other amenities. It also believes in providing free space for wide spread squatting, which creates massive slums and people, who have the talents, are forced to choose between accepting gradual poverty or migrating to other countries.  

Upcoming Kuching Central

However, the State’s success has not come about by itself. The approach has been well thought of and takes into consideration the local conditions. The philosophy, like that in the rest of the country, must necessarily be to increase the size of the development cake by ensuring a sufficient and sustainable speed of development. Hence, the State must be able to keep up with the momentum of growth and ensure that the distribution of benefits remain balanced to ensure that no segment of the society will have the feelings of extreme neglect and frustration in the common pursuit for progress and advancement.

Undoubtedly, the State has made tremendous progress from the  successful implementation of the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010) that has been focusing  on the development of human capital and R&D capability; speeding up growth in rural areas; engaging the private sector more intensively and enhancing the quality of life of the people.

Miri City

Currently, the State could boast of having established sufficient number of institutions of higher learning to enable young people  to  have more choices on the courses of study available at affordable costs.  Besides UNIMAS, the State has a campus of Uitm, a national university and two colleges universities of international standing, namely Curtin University in Miri and Swinburne University of Technology in Kuching.  In Sibu, the United College of Sarawak, which has been renamed College Laila Taib, has been focusing on technical courses such as quantity surveying, will eventually be upgraded to a university status.  The state is also able to boast a number of skills development centres and a number of polytechnics including the recently completed Polytechnic Mukah to support other skill requirements.

               

 Speeding Up Growth in Rural Areas

Tanjung Manis Deep Sea Port

The state’s strategy for economic development must necessarily focus on the development and growth of rural are in order to spread the benefits as well as to bring about renewed growth in traditional sectors. Efforts must also be focused towards marshalling economic potentials to be integrated at the rural level so as to induce critical mass.  This approach should be able to funnel economic activities towards the development of secondary towns and more rural growth centres (RGCs).

After the successful establishment of new divisions from five to 11 , a number of secondary towns, particularly Mukah, Betong, Lawas and others  are coming up nicely.  They become the catalysts for greater confluence of economic activities to garner more spilled-over benefits of growth within the whole division.  The secondary towns form the second tier of regional development after the development of cities and major towns such as Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu.

Betong

The state’s strategy for development must necessarily engage the private sector to involve in wider fields of economic activities.  It is a matter of logical progression that the private sector should be involved more and more in the development of the state economy. There is a limit that the public sector, by its very nature, can do to boost the economy.  The private sector, when it lives up to the reputation of being mobile and creative, can become efficient agents of growth in the economy.  

Enhancing the Quality of Life

Understandably, the government’s efforts in development have the purpose of raising the quality of life of the people, who need good coverage of treated water and electricity supplies, better educational facilities and public health services.  The development of Rural Growth Centres (RGCs) is primarily to provide basic amenities to people in rural areas and upgrade their quality of life to the level of those in urban areas.

Mukah nowadays

Generally, the quality of life is measured by the quality of public housing, transportation, public sanitation, the environment, safety and security. Arguably, most towns in Sarawak, which are still small, cannot afford mass transit systems. However, they need a good public transport system. Understandably, as the development of efficient public transport system involves huge costs, the state would require assistance from the Federal Government to help plan and develop it within local cities and big towns.

The other contributing factor to the improvement of quality living is public sanitation such as waste management, sewage and flood mitigation, which also require efforts of both the Federal and State Governments.  The capital cost for such projects is too massive for the State Government, far less the local government to shoulder.  In this respect, the urban dwellers, desirous of enjoying quality facilities, must appreciate the need for them to pay for the operational costs.  

LKIM Building in Tanjung Manis

The concept of user-pay is inevitable in any fast developing cities as can be found in the advanced cities, which are competing to attract and retain people in their localities. In this connection, NGOs and other social organizations could help to disseminate on the concept of user pay in order to make better quality of life realizable in the near future.

Mulu View

 *Photos Source: google.com images

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