SIBU: Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has always governed the state with a clear vision and goal, said Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, Michael Tiang.
He said the Sarawak government led by GPS understands that bringing Sarawak forward is not just about trying to manage whatever challenges that may obstruct their plan but being brave enough to set higher goals and achieve them.
“People’s needs and aspirations are our inspirations. Whatever we do, we do it for the people. Whatever we can achieve is not for our glory, but the glory of Sarawak and its people,” he said when officiating at the Swan Classic 2022 (bodybuilding competition) at Malay Union Club (MUC), Kampung Nyabor on Saturday night.
He also pointed out that GPS will continue to focus on good governance and reclaim Sarawak’s rights through its strong voices.
“We were able to pass laws to impose the State Sales Tax (SST) on petroleum products. Today, Sarawak has achieved a greater share of revenues from oil and gas produced in the state through the SST,” he said.
Tiang also revealed that the SST collected from crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), since Jan 1, 2019, had become a major contributor to Sarawak’s revenue, amounting to RM8.52 billion.
“Our stronger voice enabled us to pass a bill to boost our control over our airspace and our rights to our forest with carbon storage activities through amendments to the Land Code.
“We were able to pass a bill, changing the designation of ‘Chief Minister’ to ‘Premier’ to emphasise our status of being a territory and not one of the 13 states in Malaysia.
“We put in a right perspective in our journey to reclaim our rights as an equal partner in the formation of Malaysia,” he said.
He emphasised that all of the achievements are just the beginning of more things that the government wants to achieve as the state is moving forward to become a high-income and developed state by 2030.
“The GPS government is set to create various new sources of revenue for the state. We are positioning the state toward a major green energy economy in Southeast Asia such as hydrogen, solar energy, hydroelectric, biofuel, and so forth. We will be Southeast Asia’s renewable energy powerhouse,” he said.
He also shared that with various revenues being generated, GPS will create a sovereign wealth fund to build long-lasting wealth for Sarawakians and that many development projects can therefore be implemented.
“Even major development projects such as the Bukit Assek Re-development project which will be another economic multiplier project to boost the Sibu economy for the next 20 years,” he said.
