Clearly, the recent parliamentary election (GE14), brought about a change of mind and a big swing to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) among the voters, the new voters in particular; the support for Barisan Nasional (BN) ebbed away particularly among the urban voters to such an extent that BN, which had been in the government for more than 50 years, had to bow down to the wishes of the people.
Some interesting questions are in the minds of the people whether the victory of PH can cause a major shift in the Sarawak political landscape? More interestingly will the PH, which has just introduced its logo in Belakong and Sri Setia by-elections in Selangor, victory presage a lasting shift of party alignment of the people in Sarawak?
Generally, the people are of the view that PH influences, which were brought about by the fortuitous turn of events or the wrongful doings of one or two persons and the ill-effect of GST, may not last and may be just a fleeting phase of political development. But the lessons, must be learned so that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) would be better prepared for the coming state election, which must be held by 2021 or two to three years from now.
In this connection, the United People’s Party (UPP), a splinter party of Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP), like the latter, has pledged its full support to GPS under the leadership of Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Johari Tun Openg as the Sarawak Chief Minister.
SUPP wants GPS to be exclusive and UPP, inclusive. Sarawak rights and interests UPP Chairman, Dato Seri Wong Soon Koh, who is also the Minister of International Trade and e-Commerce and the Second Finance Minister, in his speech during the recent sitting of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN), said UPP, a Sarawak-based party, is ever ready to champion Sarawak rights and interests.
The members are prepared to go to all extent to support efforts to restore Sarawak’s rights and protect its interests. The members will give their undivided support to the Chief Minister and rally behind him in his efforts to wrest back Sarawak’s rights within Malaysia and what is due to the State particularly in the oil and gas resources and its operations. Dato Seri Wong Soon Koh said UPP would like to appeal to the federal leadership to consider giving back to the state the rights, which are due to the state as promised in the election manifesto by PH.
The people must all remember and respect that Sarawak agreed to form Malaysia based on an international agreement called the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63), which was executed by Great Britain as the Colonial power, the Federation of Malaya, North Borneo, Sarawak and Singapore. There were five parties to the agreement, when it was executed in London on July 9, 1963. MA63, registered by Great Britain, was an international agreement between sovereign states, which cannot be amended unless by mutual consent of all the signatories.
There is no amendment to this date. The signatories to the agreement remain bound by it. Wong said no law in Malaysia, not even the Constitution, can amend or override the MA63. There are specific safeguards in the agreement for the rights of Sarawak. The so-called Petroleum Development Act (PDA) is only a Malaysian statute and it cannot alter the rights enshrined in the MA63. The PDA was passed without the consent of the people of Sarawak.
He said Petronas filed a suit against the state to seek to enforce its purported rights under the PDA. Did Petronas do this with the tacit consent of the Prime Minister? If it did, then that is clearly contrary to the PH manifesto, which promises to restore Sarawak’s rights under MA63. On the other hand, if Petronas is on a frolic of its own in filing the suit without the knowledge or approval of the Prime Minister, then it is incumbent on the PH federal government to put a stop to any further steps that may be taken by Petronas after its initial suit was dismissed by the Federal Court on a jurisdictional point.
Wong added members of UPP joined the rest of Sarawakians to call on the Prime Minister to abide by and fulfil the PH manifesto to uphold and restore the rights of the parties to the MA63. The restoration of such rights is clearly inconsistent with the Petronas suit, which is premised solely on the PDA. He said the agreement supersedes the PDA and the Constitution. Without the agreement, there would be no Malaysia and therefore, no Constitution and no PDA. Supremacy of Malaysia Agreement He said asking the court to interpret the PDA without first recognising the supremacy of the MA63 is like looking at a leaf on a tree without recognising that, without the root, there would be no tree and no leaf. The leaf (like the PDA) is insignificant. The root gives life to the tree just like MA63 gives life to Malaysia. Without the agreement in the first place, there is no Federation of Malaysia. It is as simple as that. He said those who do not recognise the supremacy of the MA63 is, in fact, calling into question the very formation of Malaysia in the first place. Sarawak is entitled to all its rights under the agreement. He said the people of Sarawak are the masters of their own resources.
Therefore, they would like to appeal to the federal leadership to consider favorably giving back to the state the rights, which are due to it. The minister believed both the state and federal leadership would not want to adopt steadfastly the attitude of ‘winners take all’ and ‘losers lose all’. All that is necessary is a little ‘give and take’, a little concern for each other’s feelings, sincerity, care and conviction in the minds and hearts that they truly want and value unity and co-operation and share the spirit of togetherness for the good of the state and nation. According to Wong, the GE14 ushered in a new administration under the leadership of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad. With decisiveness of action and admirable courage, it has shown its determination to wipe out corruption and inefficiency and put in place all measures of strong and good governance.
It is hoped that equal zeal and determination can be shown to remove whatever forces of division and disunity which exist in the country. He recalled that some 50 years ago, the Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad very ably articulated the malay dilemma and some of his efforts later led to the formulation of the New Economic Policy, providing solution to the Malay problem, a formula which was generally accepted by all communities.
Today, Malaysians of all races, after 50 years later, are in the process of identifying each of their own dilemmas, looking for a formula to a solution of the problem facing each of the community. There is no panacea, no easy solution. Zealous determination He looks up to the Dr Mahathir for his leadership which has, in a short span of two or three months, demonstrated a zealous determination and an iron will to establish a hallmark of a clean and efficient government.
Having gone through 50 years of ups and downs of his political life, Dr Mahathir should be in the best position to articulate a fresh Malaysian dilemma and find solution to that dilemma. Wong is confident that the state leadership being led by Abang Johari, is willing to co-operate and work with PH government to bring about the general well-being of all communities in Malaysia and Sarawak in particular.
He said the state is celebrating its 55th independence anniversary, hoisting the Malaysian flag for the first on September 16, 1963, a period of 50 years is rather short in the life of a nation, but it is long enough to produce two generations of people, who were born after 1963. There is no denying that in the last 50 years, the state has come a long way towards establishing of the nationhood.
It is important for the people to recognise that building the nationhood is a dynamic process, involving not just physical but also administrative, political, economic, cultural, social and psychological dimensions. The most formidable and daunting task, in the process of bringing about a Malaysian nationhood, is the administrative dimension which has, in recent years, become a case of argument and dispute between the state and federal governments.
Generally, the people are of the opinion that the nationhood process that took place in the years after the formation of Malaysia should be well understood and respected as it was clearly enshrined in the constitutional provisions governing the division of power and responsibilities between Sarawak and the federal governments.
The Second Finance Minister stated the Ministry of International Trade and e-Commerce (MITeC) has been able to conduct and implement programme to promote and nurture e-Commerce activities in the state. The ministry has also sought opportunities for local companies to develop their potentials to explore the international market and do their business online, which is now growing worldwide at ‘break neck’ speed.
He said MITeC will continue to work closely with both government and private sectors on programmes and activities concerning international trade and e-Commerce with the aims to strengthen e-Commerce involvement among the communities while actively participating in regional and international business promotions, marketing and business matching to establish global networking. He believed his ministry would be able to gather pertinent information, which is useful in formulating the state international trade and e-Commerce strategies, policies, plans and guidelines. MITeC has conducted many workshops, courses and seminars in many parts of Sarawak.
Among the target groups are university students and graduates, who are encouraged to be on board the digital technology and economic bandwagon such as online business. This may provide good opportunities for them to stay relevant in the challenging workforce market.
The ministry has conducted eight programmes benefiting more than 1,200 participants focusing on educating existing entrepreneurs and start-up enterprises to be onboard of e-Commerce instead of the traditional ways of doing business.
The programmes conducted are Online Marketing Workshop (seven series); Start-up Quest (one); Start-up Borneo (1); Apps Challenge (five); Kenyalang eSport Tournament, Training and Trade (four); and e-Usahawan Sarawak (five); The Online Marketing Workshop has enabled the participants to assimilate the actual gist on how to get started in e-Commerce. It is a hands-on workshop whereby the entrepreneurs are being assisted personally to acquire skills regarding e-Commerce elements such as copy writing, social media ads, search engine optimization (SEO), shipping and delivery and Google placement.
The two days workshop was conducted in various places namely Lawas, Limbang, Miri, Bintulu, Sibu, Mukah and Serian, which benefits a total of 350 participants and entrepreneurs. The Start-up program is to nurture business ideas among creative individuals and potential entrepreneurs. The ministry has worked with Selangor Information Technology and e-Commerce Council (SITeC) and Borneo Start-Up to kick-start skills on idea validation and pitching of participants. The three days program received positive remarks from the 36 selected participants. Six creative ideas have been selected for further polishing and improvement.
The ministry, last April conducted the first Samarahan Apps Challenge in collaboration with UNIMAS with the objectives to unleash the talents of secondary school students and educate them on coding and digital solutions on their daily errands including e-Commerce related activities.
The programme is targeting 60 students in which 30 have been selected from five selected schools in Samarahan namely SMK Sungai Tapang; SMK Muara Tuang; SMK Kota Samarahan; SMK Wira Penrissen and SMK Sadong Hilir. The ministry is also collaborating with Koperasi Belia Inovatif Sarawak (KOBIS), a private youth entity in organising the Kenyalang e-Sports Tournament, Training and Trade programme.
The eight months’ series event is targeting 1,550 participants, which so far has attracted 60 teams comprising 360 participants. The programme is aimed to promote interest in on-line trading and experience smart digital technology through e-Sports. Recently, MITeC organised an awareness seminar in Miri on Introduction of Digital Business Model, which was attended by 65 participants. The niche group comprised mostly entrepreneurs interested in expanding their conventional business to digital business. An overwhelming response received in the seminar, has prompted MITeC to organise it throughout Sarawak.
Rural e-Commerce centres The ministry has proposed collaboration with Malaysia Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on forming rural e-Commerce centres by utilising their existing ‘Pusat Internet’. A total of 150 managers and assistant managers from 124 ‘Pusat Internet’ have been trained on e-Commerce elements and platforms. The idea of having them to be trained in surrounding dwellers is to help them to get onboard on the existing e-Commerce platforms such as Sarawak Produk Portal, Lazada and others.
Another online business programme initiated by MDEC is e-Usahawan. MITeC, together with MDEC, have organised the programme to focus on narrowing the gap in digital knowledge and skills for youths, micro entrepreneurs and the general public. As at June 2018, 250 participants have benefited from this programme, which provides a hands-on approach to online business knowledge and business development through digital platform.
The other agencies conducting e-Commerce programmes are TEGAS, which has conducted four programmes benefiting 1,190 participants; SSM, which has carried out Online Networking Entrepreneurs Programme (SSM ONE) benefitting 531 participants, MARA, five programmes related to e-Commerce among the SMEs. The programmes benefit 350 SMEs in Kuching, Mukah, Sri Aman, Serian and Kapit.
Meanwhile, the Malaysia Global Innovation and Creative Centre (MaGIC) has conducted six programmes benefiting 259 participants while FAMA has implemented a number of Agro Bazaar Online courses with the last one being attended by 61 participants. A total of 203 entrepreneurs from Sarawak registered Agro Bazaar Online portal; the FAME College has organised seven series of Digital Marketing Training involving 193 participants while SME Corporation has run three programmes attended by 125 participants.
Kuching Community College has carried out three series of e-Rezeki and one e-Usahawan Desa programme involving 80 participants while SEDC Sarawak has implemented two programmes benefiting 42 participants; Pusat Internet Lundu has carried out e-Rezeki for 35 participants; UNIMAS organised Celik IT Penuh Kocek benefiting 26 participants; and Telekom Malaysia carried out My Shop9 benefiting 15 participants. More people will have the opportunity to learn the subjects of e-Commerce later with a number of agencies and programmes related to it being organised. It is up to the individuals themselves whether to take up opportunities and join the bandwagon.
Strong trade growth The trade growth in 2017 was the strongest since 2011. The developing countries have recorded export growth of 7.5 percent and import growth of 7.2 percent This strong performance was largely driven by cyclical factors mainly ‘Real GDP’ and ‘income and consumption’, in which the world ‘Real GDP’ growth has picked up to 3.0 percent from 2.3 percent in 2016.
The WTO anticipates the merchandise trade volume growth of 4.4 percent in 2018, as measured by the average of exports and imports, roughly matching the 4.7 percent increase recorded for 2017. Malaysia’s trade performance, despite uncertainty in the global market, is expected to continue to improve in 2018. For the first five months of 2018, trade amounted to RM753.46 billion, risen by 4.2 percent compared to the same period of 2017.
Malaysia’s total export, as at May 2018, increased by 6.9 percent with the expansion being supported mainly by higher export to Hong Kong, ASEAN, China, the European Union (EU), Taiwan, Bangladesh and Republic of Korea. Malaysia’s import was expanded by 9.1 percent year-on-year to RM71.17 billion. This development has contributed to Malaysia’s trade surplus of RM13.07 billion, which marked the 246th consecutive months of trade surplus since November 1997.
Sarawak’s trade has registered a positive growth with the total value at RM56.5 billion, an increase of 2.9 percent as compared to the same period in 2017, in the first five months in 2018. Growth in trade was recorded by trading partners such as Indonesia, which increased by 70.9 percent, Taiwan increased by 37.2 percent and Thailand increased by 35.2 percent. The People’s Republic of China, Republic of Korea and Taiwan remained as Sarawak’s top five trading partners, which has contributed 68.7 percent of total trade in Sarawak.
The ministry, in the pursuit of Sarawak becoming the preferred trading partner, is continuously undertaking initiatives to promote the relationship with the present trading partners. We are also searching for new potential markets in order to increase the trade volume and register business growth. Producing agro products Sarawak is looking into potential agriculture, agro and aqua based products, which can be exported.
Hence, local enterprises should take bold steps in producing such products either by expanding their businesses or through joint ventures with well-established foreign companies. Wong said one of his ministry’s approaches, in promoting local businesses towards enhancing the state’s trading volume, is by actively participating in various major trade fairs and expositions organised nationally and internationally.
Among the objectives are to showcase Sarawak’s products that have the potential to penetrate the global market; to establish networking between Government to Government (G2G) and between Business to Business (B2B); to explore new market segments and related technologies to enhance the production of products and to provide opportunities to local entrepreneurs to experience international environment and exchange information with international business community.
He said his ministry has participated in two trade fairs under the invitation of the Provincial Government of China, namely the 12th China (Henan) last June 2018. Both trade fairs have been a good exposure and experience for MITeC on ways and approaches of reaching for international market and networking with global players.
The much awaited Sarawak-China Business Forum 2018 is the initiatives by the ministry to promote trade between both parties. The forum is aimed to become the Sarawak-China Regulatory Business platform where participants can gain knowledge and get better understanding in doing trade with both entities. The programme is targeted to benefit about 500 entrepreneurs.
