KUCHING: Members of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Tupong branch were told to uphold the party’s struggle and the policies set by the Sarawak government.
Tupong assemblyman Datuk Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman said it is the role of the members to ensure that the policies introduced would benefit the people where they can leverage on the opportunities that are provided in the new economy pioneered by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“Recently, the Premier brought up napier grass during his speech in the Sarawak assembly sitting, this grass is made into pellets which is now exported to Canada and the United Kingdom (UK) to be used as fuel in power plants.
“This is sold at a high price and is a new revenue stream, this is what is being fought by the Premier and we as the members of PBB must know about this so we can share it to the people,” he said.
He was speaking to the delegates during the PBB Tupong triennial general meeting at Hikmah Exchange Convention Centre (HECC) today.
Fazzrudin said Abang Johari’s economic theory must be understood by everyone which is to seek new revenues to fund development and social initiatives for the people.
“These initiatives are not only limited to education but also welfare from cradle to grave. One of it is the Endowment Fund Sarawak (EFS) where Sarawakian babies would get RM1,000. Meanwhile for mothers, they receive the maternity assistance of RM450.
“In terms of education, for those studying at IPTA or IPTS, they would get assistance from Yayasan Sarawak and most recently during the Sarawak assembly sitting, the Premier announced assistance of RM1,200 to all Sarawakian students,” he said.
The Tupong assemblyman said these initiatives were also complemented with other initiatives such as the free laptop scheme, book vouchers scheme and the flight ticket assistance scheme.
At the same time, Fazzrudin also highlighted that the increase in revenues generated by Sarawak is used to fund these social initiatives, development projects while a portion of the income is saved through the Sovereign Wealth Fund.
“However, in our efforts to generate these revenues, we continue to face challenges, the main challenge now is the issue affecting PETROS and PETRONAS.
“We pray and we hope that the Premier will resolve this issue and I am confident that our delegates today are with the Premier and we will support whatever decision he makes 100 per cent. This is important as it affects the future of Sarawak,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fazzrudin who is also the Premier’s chief political secretary said the culture of maintaining stability and unity instead of fighting for positions have been engrained in its members.
“PBB is the backbone to GPS and the Sarawak government and at Tupong, we have been a fortress for PBB.
“This is the culture that we practice and we hope that it will continue to be upheld to ensure continuity in our leadership,” he said.
