Leadership is inherent in our nature and is fundamental to our origins, our human makeup – and our destiny.
― Israelmore Ayivor, inspirational speaker and writer
It was not too long ago that Sarawak was considered merely as an oil-rich state.
The natural resources beneath its soil were the topic of conversation whenever discussions cropped up on the state’s economy.
Then the conversation would lead to how there are still areas that are run-down, underdeveloped and are not to the level of Malaya which for 60 years has seen the lion’s share of development.
This has been the norm – and it looked like that it was always going to be this way.
Until six years ago, when Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg took office as Sarawak’s chief minister (now Premier) in 2017.
To describe the state’s number one politician as the Father of Sarawak’s Transformation is an understatement.
The challenge before him was all too great. Sarawak, just a couple of days before Abang Johari was sworn in on Jan 13, 2017 lost a much beloved leader.
The late Pehin Sri Adenan Satem was a larger-than-life figure, whose charisma and charm touched the lives of all Sarawakians.
The impact that Adenan had still rings in the minds of Sarawakians as well as his demeanour and personal touch.
It was during Adenan’s time that the fight for Sarawak rights under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) became public interest.
The writer still remembers a quote from the late chief minister during an interview on live television saying, “Sarawak did not enter Malaysia; it is one of the parties that formed Malaysia. Before this, there wasn’t a Malaysia to enter.”
That, coupled with his no-nonsense policy of fighting for Sarawak rights turned him into an iconic figure. The man pulled no punches and did not mince his words.
Abang Johari’s predecessor before Adenan was long-reigning chief minister (and now Governor) Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.
Taib himself was considered as an unassailable force, whose far-reaching influence singlehandedly spurred development throughout Sarawak through the now-famous Politics of Development in the 1980s until early 2000s.
He had the distinction of being the longest serving chief minister nationwide and oversaw a period of tremors in Sarawak politics, steering the state to its now political stability, economic development as well as social harmony.
It is clear now that to succeed both men in the shape of Taib and Adenan was no mean feat for Abang Johari.
But the current Premier is not someone who was willing to rest comfortably in the shadows of his predecessors.
He is his own man – in his first year of his tenure, Abang Johari introduced his digital economy policy. He wants to make his mark being a farsighted leader embracing the change in technology, putting Sarawak at the forefront of this new economy.
He has succeeded in doing that. Sarawak now is one of the global leaders in the area of environmental sustainability through the use of a new energy source that is hydrogen.
During the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Sarawak was one of the better prepared states to embrace the shift towards digital technology with access and utilisation of services such as e-hailing and e-commerce.
Its inroad into digital technology meant that it was able to spearhead the nationwide movement towards digitalisation of services as well as come up with new innovations to live in the new normal.
With the ravaging pandemic, there is a need to plan ahead for Sarawak’s development post Covid-19. This was when the Premier introduced the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
Among others, it sought to re-strategise Sarawak’s emphasis on certain industries with the goal of stimulating recovery, improving the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) as well as elevating the income of its households.
Sarawak now also benefits from a larger revenue through its petroleum products – a point of contention not too many years ago. It did so through the revenue re-engineering policy of Abang Johari, one of which is the imposition of the sales tax on these products.
All these are done with one eye on the restoration of eroded Sarawak rights which have borne fruit through collaboration with the federal government as well as maintaining social cohesion among the people of Sarawak through his more than 100 initiatives and policies.
Reflecting on his six years in office, Sarawak indeed have seen tremendous progress.
Abang Johari is a leader for a modern Sarawak; a leader for modern times and its future. He is a leader for all Sarawakians. He is the Father of Transformation.
Congratulations and best wishes, sir.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
