Promises are the uniquely human way of ordering the future, making it predictable and reliable to the extent that this is humanly possible.
– Hannah Arendt, German-Jewish political philosopher
Singing praises to the Sarawak leadership is one of the things you would expect a prime minister would do during an official visit to the Land of the Hornbills.
But this time, it felt different – it felt genuine.
Prime ministers come and go, and there have been a lot of them particularly in the past few years and they know the importance of pleasing Sarawak at every turn.
Then came Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. It was his maiden official visit to the state since assuming office late last year.
His speech during the state banquet on Thursday night was his very self, ever so eloquent and poignant.
Among others he pledged that Putrajaya would do everything it can to resolve issues relating to the implementation of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
The prime minister had discussed with his Cabinet, which has agreed and given its support to resolving MA63 issues once and for all.
“This is not a political statement. This is a statement of conviction that we have been given the task and trust.
“We will honour that trust and we will do it together to resolve these issues,” he said.
Anwar chaired a high-level Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) implementation action committee meeting at the state legislative assembly complex in Petra Jaya on Friday.
His promise was that outstanding matters to the return of Sarawak and Sabah that can be resolved swiftly must materialise as soon as possible.
Sarawak doesn’t expect any less – particularly with Anwar openly admitting that Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg is a tough negotiator.
He knew full and well Sarawak’s role and position in Malaysia’s formation and the nation’s present development.
Sarawak is one of the key regions in Malaysia economically and is recognised to be a leading force in the Asean region, pushing for environmental sustainability as well as the production of an alternative energy source in the form of hydrogen.
The prime minister made note of this and in his own way, recognised this. He said that Sarawak has become among the best states in Malaysia.
“During my visit to Jakarta, Indonesia and in my discussion with President Jokowi, we spoke at length on the key role of Sarawak as well as its investment towards the formation of the Indonesia’s new capital, Nusantara.
“When the Sultan of Brunei visited me, His Majesty also mentioned the importance of forming a special relationship between Brunei and Sarawak to which I gave him my full support,” he said in the same speech.
He also recognised that Sarawak possesses a resilient economy coupled with financial prudence and good governance.
This is key as there have been instances that these have been put to question by critics alike, including the people in Pakatan Harapan which Anwar leads.
“There are some states that are cash strapped that they couldn’t pay their civil servants’ salary and required federal assistance.
“Sarawak is at a level where it can implement education, health, hospital and other facilities by itself,” the prime minister said.
It is a glowing commendation and well deserved.
There are people out there who still thinks that Sarawak is a land of trees and rivers where the main mode of transportation is the traditional sampan, navigating crocodile-infested waters. This could not be further from the truth.
While this has been remedied of late, particularly in the last decade – it still remains a perception, that though no longer widely held, is a perception nonetheless.
Sarawak has progressed vastly particularly whereby development is there for all to see, be it in its cities, towns, urban and rural areas.
Under Abang Johari, this was taken to another level, as it should, with the high expectations weighing on the shoulders of the state government.
The digital economy policy and vision launched months after the Premier took office was the foundation Sarawak needed to leap to greater heights.
The Sarawak government’s handling of the pandemic as well as its long-term strategy post-pandemic is a reflection of a caring as well as a farsighted government.
With its no-nonsense politics, which is the crux to stability in Sarawak, it enabled full attention to be given to developing the state.
“We were right all along.” That was the statement made by Abang Johari after announcing Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s (GPS) support for the unity federal government.
It was him who had the last word, and that resonated across the nation and apparently to Seri Perdana.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
