SIBU: United Chinese Association (UCA) Sibu appreciates the efforts of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government in fighting for Sarawak’s rights.
Sibu UCA president Lau Ing Chiong also praised GPS for joining Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government in order to stabilise the federal government for the benefit of all.
“The Chinese community thanks the government for contributions to Chinese schools for the past few years and continuing to do so this year. Sibu folk appreciate the Bukit Assek Redevelopment Plan”, he said at Sibu UCA’s Chinese New Year celebration here on Wednesday (Jan 25).
Lau said for the past 10 years, Sibu’s infrastructure had lagged behind other towns in Sarawak.
He added that over 20 years ago, Sibu was the commercial and financial centre of Sarawak, and now is still the centre of the central region with a population of one million.
“However, its infrastructure and economic development have reduced it to a fourth-tier town in Sarawak. Sibu folk are disappointed.
“Due to the almost bankrupt rural small-scale farming economy, a large number of our Iban brethren who were originally small-scale farmers in the surrounding area poured into the Sibu area to engage in various jobs and provide manpower for various enterprises.
“Therefore, the population increased greatly, but it has also increased the pressure on Sibu’s urban management. The economic development of Sibu and even the entire central has almost stagnated.
“The economy in the central is too simple, mainly relying on the oil palm plantation industry. The market conditions fluctuate closely with the price of oil palm. It is difficult to do business. The general working class complains that their income cannot keep up with rising inflation.
“People say that talents are the greatest wealth, but due to the semi-stagnation of economic development in the central district, there are only few jobs with high salaries and few opportunities to develop their professions.”
Lau said over 80 per cent of graduates who completed their studies in other places had gone to other places or foreign countries, further hitting Sibu’s economic development, and it had been in such a vicious circle for more than 10 years.
Touching on traffic congestion, he said it was getting worse day by day with hundreds of cars every month, but very few main roads.
Looking forward to the reconstruction plan of nearly 500 acres in Bukit Assek, Lau said the existing road facilities must be improved and to build more roads in strategic areas and that agricultural product processing industries must be established as soon as possible to develop agriculture in the central area.
He also suggested an export-oriented industrial park with mid-end technology to attract domestic and foreign technology-based investment, create more jobs, and promote economic growth; establish tourism facilities centred on eco-tourism of Rajang River to attract foreign tourists.
Besides, he said to also establish intermediate and advanced technical colleges with different languages to provide various technical learning courses and adult short-term courses for young people of all ethnic groups before employment, and provide talents for industry and agriculture.
“A foreign leader who has successfully developed the economy said that ‘without agriculture, there is no stability, without industrial, there is no wealth, and without trading, there is no products sale’. There are many merchants in Sibu, but there are too few medium-sized or above industries and diversified agriculture.
“We believe that under the leadership of the Premier, with the cooperation and implementation of the federal or Sarawak ministers, all sectors of the Chinese community in Sibu are willing to work hand in hand with other ethnic groups and cooperate closely with the government to rebuild Sibu into a commercial and trade centre in Sarawak.”
“As society is changing, and the functions of the Chinese association are also changing, Sibu UCA will no longer just be a group that protects the rights and interests of the Chinese community.
“We will serve the Sibu society as a whole and will do more work to promote national harmony and unity, will work hard to build a better Sibu,” Lau added.
Head of State Tun Pehin Abdul Taib Mahmud was the guest of honour, accompanied by his wife Toh Puan Datuk Patinggi Raghad Kurdi Taib.
Federal Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiog King Sing, Federal Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alice Lau Kiong Yieng and Sarawak Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah were among those present.
