The Governor of Sarawak, Tun Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud, in his more than 60-minute opening speech of the State Legislative Assembly last Monday, congratulated Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad on his appointment as the Seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia after Pakatan Harapan (Hope Alliance) came to power after GE14 on May 9, 2018. The transfer of power manifests the maturity of the democratic practices and the political stability in the country.
He called for continued co-operation between the Federal Government and State Government in accordance with the Federal Constitution to ensure uninterrupted development and harmony in diversity in Sarawak.
He believed the formation of Gagasan Parti Sarawak (GPS) as the right way forward to bind the people together and strengthen the struggle for the State Rights, autonomy and uninterrupted development to meet the aspirations of the Rakyat in the new era of socio-economic development.
Alhamdulillah, the people must all be grateful to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala for His blessing that Members of the State Legislative Assembly can come together for the opening ceremony of the first sitting of the third session of the 18th State Legislative Assembly. Hopeuly, this sitting will be carried out smoothly in a cordial, disciplined and orderly manner.
Tun Abdul Taib congratulated YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad on his appointment as the Seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia. With his wide experience in the fields of economic, politics and economy, Malaysia will continue to be progressive and successful in accordance with Vision 2020.
He is confident that the Federal Government under Tun Dr. Mahathir leadership would cotninue to implement the development programs and projects in the State for the progress and prosperity of the people.
Tun Abdul Taib also congratulated Pakatan Harapan (Hope Alliance) for their victory in the 14 General Election on May 9, 2018 and their success in forming the new Federal Government. Hopefully, with the mandate given by the people, the country will continue to enjoy more benefits from the progress and prosperity of the nation.
He commended Suruhanjaya Pilihanraya Malaysia (Election Commission Malaysia) including the security personnel for their success in carrying out the 14th Ganeral Election smoothly.
Undoubtedly, the General Election had been carried out in a smooth and peaceful manner without any untowards incidents. The situation reflects the maturity of the people of Malaysia in discharging their responsibility to choose leaders for the country.
Tun Abdul Taib said the change of power at the Federal Government demonstrates the maturity in the democratic practices and political stability in Malaysia. The stability of politics is the pillar of the administration and development of the nation. Generally, the people must be grateful that the process of change of leadership in the Federal Government has been smooth, peaceful and fair.
This is a manifestation of the maturity of the practice of democracy in Malaysia with the people comprising different races, religions and political beliefs all subscribe to unity for peace and political stability.
The people must thank the civil servants, who were professional in their attitude to ensure that the nation remains peaceful especially during the period of the take over of power in the Federal Government.
Tun Abdul Taib believes the people in Sarawak are placing high hope in the Federal Government to continue with the development in Sarawak. All the promises in the election manifesto for the 14 General Election must be carried successfully for the benefits of the Rakyat.
Road network needs to be upgraded
The State of Sarawak still needs to develop more infrastructure projects and basic facilities in rural areas in particular. The state has a huge land surface and the population are living in settlements scattered over a wide rural area throughout the State. The road network needs to be upgraded and the coverage of water and electricity supplies also still need to extended to bigger areas.
Besides, there is still a need to upgrade facilities to upgrade education and health services in order to provide quality services to the people. The task to tighten security must be given a prioprity to ensure that the people can live in peace and harmony in the State. The Federal projects, which have brought big impact to Sarawak, should be continued in rural areas.
Tun Abdul Taib said the infrastructure projects like the Pan Borneo Highway must be carried out and completed on schedule. This project is very important for the socio – economic development of the State.
He also hopes the development of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) will be enhanced as the SCORE Plan is very important to uplift the level of the State economy as the State moves forward to the year 2030 within the framework of agenda 2030.
Tun Abdul Taib said the support of the Federal Government is also needed for the development of the Digital Economy, which is very important to reduce the digital gap between Sarawak and other areas, which are more advanced in Malaysia.
He is happy that the State Government will adopt a more friendly approach and work closely with the Federal Government. The co-operation between the State and Federal Government is very important to continue with the development of Sarawak regardless which political parties are in power.
State adopts more friendly approach
The co-operation being offered by the State Government to the Federal Government clearly demonstrates the maturity of the political leadership in the State of Sarawak. The development of the State and prosperity of the people must be given a priority above political interests.
Hopefully, the Federal Government will discharge its responsibility with regards to the development of Sarawak in conformity with the Federal Constitution. He believes in sincerity the State Government will work with the Federal Government to ensure all the development plannings will be implemented successfully.
Tun Abdul Taib believes the formation of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) by leaders in the State Government is in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Sarawak. The GPS will provide a stable platform to the State Government in fighting for the rights and autonomy of the State of Sarawak. The GPS will become a strong and viable coalition of political parties that can bring the people to become more united for greater prosperity and progress of the State of Sarawak.
Tun Abdul Taib is confident GPS will become an important platform in protecting the Rights and Interests of Sarawak from the Federal Government under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) and the Federal Constitution. He appeals to the Federal Government to work in all sincerity with the State Government to achieve the desired objective.
He is also confident that the State government can manage the State natural resources like oil and gas in particular well so that they can give full benefits to the people. He is happy that efforts to manage the resources in an organised and efficient manner have already been carried out.
He believes the enforcement of the law like the Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 and Gas Distribution Ordinance 1916 will ensure that the sources of Oil and Gas, which are valuable to Sarawak, can be developed in a more organised and disciplined manner for the future needs of the people of Sarawak.
State to work closely with Petronas
Tun Abdul Taib said the settting up of Petroleum Sarawak Berhad (Petros) is very timely with efforts of the State Government to manage the development of oil and gas industry in Sarawak. This will also conform to efforts of the State government to manage the development of oil and and gas industry in Sarawak. become the hub of oil and gas in this region.
He believes this will confirm to the aspiration of Sarawak to become a leading industrial hub of oil and gas in this region. The State will work closely with PETRONAS for the interests of Malaysia as a whole and Sarawak in particular.
He apeals that the territorial boundaries, the maritime boundary must be preserved and protected so that the natural resources, like oil and gas in the territorial waters of Sarawak, can be developed and managed for the benefits and prosperity of Sarawak.
Tun Abdul Taib said efforts of the State government in fighting for the rights and autonomy of Sarawak from the Federal Government must get the undivided support of the people in the State. Therefore, the people must also make conscientious efforts to strengthen unity and political stability for bright future of Sarawak.
He is happy that the people of Sarawak comprising diverse ethnic and religious groups have been making continuous efforts to promote the spirit of unity and mutual respect among themselves. This truly manifests the maturity of the people in the common struggle to further enhance their unity and co-operation; the people and the Government share the common desire to focus efforts on the development of Sarawak.
Tun Abdul Taib said unity in diversity is the foundation of the strength of the State, which is very important in facing the global challenge and fast development of information technology.
He is confident that the current Chief Minister of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Abang Haji Openg, can lead Sarawak towards the rapid pace of progress and advancement. He is a responsible, credible, dynamic and a visionary leader.
Sarawak registers positive growth
He believes with the undivided support of the people to him, Sarawak will have continuous development and the welfare of the people will continue to be protected and well looked after. He is happy with the progress of the economic development of Sarawak. In the situation where the economic situation of the world is not stable, Sarawak is still able to register positive economic growth. The rate of economic growth rose from 2.3% in 2016 to 4.7% in 2017.
The Gross Domestic Products per capita rose from RM44,000 in the year 2016 to RM46,000 in 2017. The export value also rose from RM77 billion in 2017 to RM96 billion in 2017. The rate of poverty has been reduced from 0.9% in 2014 to 0.6%in 2016. The rate of unemployment has been contained at a low rate of less than 4.0%.
Tun Abdul Taib said the growth of the economy of Sarawak is supported by strong economic base, good administration and efficient financial management by the State Government. This is being proven by the good credict ratings of Sarawak by credible international rating agencies.
Standard and Poor’s accords A minus with stable prospect while Moody’s Investors Service gives A3 with stable prospects to the State of Sarawak. The investors continue to have their confidence in Sarawak as reflected in the increases in the volume of their investments in the State.
Tun Abdul Taib is happy that the State Government has an holistic development plan and he is confident with the success of the Socio – Economic Transformation Plan, Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) and the Digital Economic Plan.
He is confident the implementation of the economic plans, which have been launched by the State Government, will achieve success in developing the economy. The plans, which are all people centric, will be able to raise the socio economic status of the Rakyat.
Tun Abdul Taib is also confident that the economic development plans will encourage more people to invest in the development of the State economy. The efforts should be able to create employmenht and business opportunities for the people, the young people, who have talents and skills, in particular.
He commends efforts of the State Government in implementing the strategic Digital Economic Plan to encourage the application of digital technology in all aspects of economic development. The application of digital technology should be able to raise the level of productivity in the agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors in the State.
For this reason,the State cannot be left behind in the development of the digital aspects of the economy because of the fast changes in the technology. This will affect the daily livelihood in the workplace, business and even in entertainment.
The digital economy should be able to create more opportunities for the new generation to get involved in the field of entrepreneurship. In this regards, the young people, who represent the creative and innovative group, are very relevant to needs of the digital era. Hopefully, the local youth with skills are capable of creating their names in their own fields at the international level.
Tun Abdul Taib is confident that the setting up of Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (S-DEC) will ensure the initiatives of the digital economy can be implemented successfully for the greater progress of Sarawak.
He is also confident that the economy of Sarawak will continue to be successful through the process of industrialization especially the development plan of SCORE, which has already achieved some success in the First Phase of its development at Samalaju Industrial park; a lot of industries are now operational at this industrial park.
He appeals for continuous efforts to be made to encourage more value – added activities to be carried out in this industrial park. Obviously, efforts must also be intensified to bring more investors to other industrial estates throughout the State. This is important to create more business and employment opportunities for the people.
Due focus on rural development
Tun Abdul Taib is happy that the State Government has given due focus to the development of rural areas particularly to basic facilities in rural areas. Access roads are keys to open up development in rural areas, which have huge economic potentials for development.
He believes the development of other basic infrastructure like water, electricity and telecommunication will be expedited for the prosperity of the Rakyat in rural areas.
The State Government has made a big financial allocation for the development of basic infrastructure in rural areas. They are people centric projects and once implemented should be able to benefit them. .
Tun Abdul Taib said. after 55 years of Independence in Malaysia, the State should use the reserve that it has made over the the years to ensure the water and electricity supplies and roads can be completed, built or restored so that the people can enjoy the facilities just like other people in Malaysia.
He notes that the process of urbanization in Sarawak is being intensified and that the main towns like Kuching, Miri, Sibu and Bintulu continue to attract people to get services, education and business and employment opportunities.
He appeals to all parties, which are involved in the planning and development of towns to emphasise on the needs of the rakyat. They include building of more affordable houses that are comfortable and have sufficient recreational areas and efficient public transport system.
The access to good infrastructure connectivity and modern facilities will certainly change the way of life of the people in towns, which are getting more complex. In this regards, the people must preserve their customs and traditions and sustain the spirit of oneness and mutual respect to ensure their prosperity will be preserved.
He said a high quality education is a contributing factor to the inclusive and balanced development of the Nation. For this reason, education must be dynamic to conform to current changes and those that will come up in future.
(The above text is the Sarawak Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s speech during the opening of July 2018 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting at the new DUN complex in Petra Jaya, Kuching.)
Hence, the development of education infrastructure must be given a priority esspecially in rural areas. The quality of teaching and learning must undergo continuous upgrading and improvement by enhancing the knowledge and expertise of the people in the teaching profession.
In this regards, he appeals to all those in the teaching profession to be more open minded and make efforts to upgrade their skills and uphold a high standard and ettiquette of the teaching profession.
Tun Abdul Taib reminds parents to work closely with the schools to ensure the good quality of education of their children. In this regards, the new generation must focus attention to education to ensure a bright future ahead of them
He said the health of the people is an important pillar in National development. For this reason, the level of public health services in the State needs to be upgraded. This is important to ensure that the people can get the necessary treatment and health advice as and when needed.
Implementing noble initiatives
He believes the Government can continue to implement these noble initiatives so that the people can have access to the facilities and quality public health services. The people must practice healthy lifestyle to prevent sicknesses that relate to bad eating habits and the way of life that is not healthy.
Tun Abdul Taib says public safety is very important and must be given priority and that the level of security at the entry points and along the border must be tightened. This is to prevent any activities and foreign elements from entering the State and disturb public peace and security.
He appeals to all parties concerned to make continuous efforts to upgrade the level of security on strategic assets and valueable natural resources, which must be protected so that they will not be destroyed and become a huge loss to the State.
In this connection, he appeals to all security agencies to be on the alert in facing any threats from criminal activities and natural disasters. The aspects of prevention and protection must be given a priority to ensure that the people can live in peace and harmony in the State. The people on their part must play their roles and work with all those concerned in curbing activities and tackling issues that relate to criminals.
In this regards, social progress and prosperity is very important to build a united community and strengthen the family institution as a forum to build a society that cares and has feeling of mutual respect among members. This noble value must be imbibed among members at the early age.
Tun Abdul Taib believes the institution of education must can play primary roles in developing good personalities of the people. This is important to ensure that members of the community, the young people in particular can become more responsible, have more interests to work and avoid indulging in unhealthy activities.
Working together in development
The social progress and prosperity that are being enjoyed now are the fruits of being tolerance and having the feeling of mutual respect among the people comprising diverse racial and religious groups. This situation has helped to produce social capital where a community of diverse racial and religious groups can work together in the development of Sarawak. Hopefully, the people can preserve and uphold this social prosperity for the progress and prosperity of the State of Sarawak in future.
Tun Abdul Taib is grateful that Sarawak continues to have a good quality of the environment. This is necessary so that the new generations can inherit them in future. He is also happy that the Government is concerned with the protectiton of the environment that every plan of development must reflect the sustainability of the environment.
He appeals to relevant enforcement agencies to ensure that all efforts to protect the environment must be carried out decisively. The sustainability of the environment needs the support of the people. In this regards, he appeals to the people to work closely with the Government because the protection of the environment is the responsibility of all concerned.
Tun Abdul Taib is happy that the State Public Service has been able to demonstrate a high level of professionalism, integrity and close co-operation among members regardless of their racial origins and religious beliefs in delivering good services to the Rakyat.
He notes that the management of the law and finance among members of the State Civil Service is something that people can be proud of. It is manifested as among the best in the country and enjoying a good position with regards to the performance in the managerial and financial management.
He appeals to members of the Civil Service to continue to carry out their duties and discharge their responsibilities with efficiency, transparency and integrity. This is important to guarrantee the smoothe and efficient implementation of the development policies and strategies of the State Government.
In this regard, he reminds that all the delivery systems of services of the Government must be carried out without wastage to confirm to the aspiration and needs of the people. Members of the civil service are also reminded to use social media as a new approach to upgrade the quality of their delivery to the public.
Generally, social media is believed to effective for the Government to send important message to the people and the people to the Government because of its speed and wider coverage.
Messages must be concise and accurate
However, the message being posted in the social media must be concise and accurate to ensure that the right and urgent actions can be taken by the Government especially on urgent issues being submitted by the people.
Tun Abdul Taib is happy that the State Government has finalised the Mid-Term Review of the 11th Malaysia Plan. He appeals for the development program and projects, which have been approved under the Mid-Term Review of the 11th Malaysia Plan, to be completed according to schedule. This is important to ensure the development in the State will be made continuous and give benefits to the Rakyat.
Tun Abdul Taib says the development of public assets like roads, school buildings. Clinics and recreational facilities involves huge investments of the government. Hence, the public assets must be managed and maintained systematically. For this reason, the people must put into practice the culture of maintenance in looking after public assets so that they can be used properly for the benefits of the Rakyat.
He says the spirit of love for the Nation is very important to raise the spirit of patriotism of the people, the youth in particular. The country has a big population of youth, who will inherit the legacy in future.
Besides, the young people, as inheritors of the Nation, must equip themselves with knowledge and skills of the current technology in order to excel in politics, economy and social sectors, which can be expected to be more challenging in future.
He believes the command of modern technology is very important in the world without borders in the digital era. In this regards, the people must prepare themselves to compete for opportunities being offered through the application of technology and create their own wealth through creativity and innovation.
Tun Abdul Taib appeals to young people to equip themselves with the knowledge and skills of science and technology so that they can command and compete in the era of digital economy. He believes young people have the high ambition to succeed in whatever they do. They must have high spirit to build themselves up, be diligent and focused in the efforts tol produce good results for themselves, family and the country.
Sarawak Independence Day
The State will celebrate Sarawak day on July 22, 2018. This celebration will be to commomorate Sarawak Independence Day on July 22, 1963 or the day that Sarawak was granted the internal self – government by the Britisih Colonial Government. He appeals to the Rakyat to understand and value the true meaning of this Independence.
The success that the people can enjoy now is the fruit of efforts of the past leaders in the struggle for Independence and in preparing for the basic formation of political power for the State Of Sarawak. This celebration is significant for the people to remember the sacrifices of the past leaders. They were successful in bringing the people together and laying a strong foundation for the implementation of development that the people can see and benefit from now.
Again, Tun Abdul Taib appeals to Members of the State Legislative Assembly to endeavor to give excellent services to their respective constituencies in the services of the people, State and country. They must also contribute ideas and meaningful suggestions to assist the Government in formulating more strategic policies that can help to raise the level of development and prosperity of the State.
He hopes all the legislators can debate in the environment full of decorum, polite and friendly during this sitting. They must fulfill the trust of the people in them with sincerity in serving the interests of the people and the country. Let pray that this sitting will be carried out smoothly and successfully.
Tun Abdul Taib wishes Selamat Hari Gawai to the Dayak community and Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to the Muslim community in conjunction with the celebrations that are still being celebrated in the State.
May the festivals that the people are celebrating serve as a rope that binds the people together in unity and solidarity as they move forward to develop a more progressive and prosperous society.
(The above text is the Sarawak Head of State Tun Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud’s speech during the opening of July 2018 State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting at the new DUN complex in Petra Jaya, Kuching.)
