Dreams can become a reality when we possess a vision that is characterized by the willingness to work hard, a desire for excellence, and a belief in our right and our responsiblity to be equal members of society.
– Janet Jackson, American singer and actress
All eyes are on Sarawak, particularly the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government, as it looks to complete three separate takeovers from the federal government.
To long-time political observers, this is ground-breaking as it is the culmination of the Sarawak government’s efforts to both complete the state’s economic ecosystem as well as stay true to the letter and spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Two of the items, as detailed by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, were the takeover of Bintulu Port as well as national air carrier MASWings.
The third one remains a closely guarded secret and the Premier was tight-lipped about it, saying that it will be announced in due course.
“There are three matters that we are currently negotiating (to take over) with the federal government are Bintulu Port, MASwings, and the third one … ‘tunggu dolok’ (wait first),” he said.
Definitely, there is a lot of anticipation on exactly what the third item is, but if there is such thing as clue, as he said, it will strengthen the state’s economy.
If one is a bettor, or probably just someone who is guilty of reading too much into things, the trifecta, if we can call it that, will likely have something to do with land or grounded infrastructure.
The reason is that the two other matters – Bintulu Port and MASwings – are related to sea and air transport and logistics respectively. Land transportation and logistics is one area that has room for improvement particularly in terms of connectivity.
But then again, we could be wrong. It could also be something that is closely related to both the health and education sectors, given the push by the state government to reclaim authority to both from Putrajaya.
Regardless, it is still pure speculation at this point, without so much as an announcement for us to definitely know exactly what it is.
The plan for the takeover of Bintulu Port by the Sarawak government has been in the works since 2019. The study for that purpose was implemented that year.
In the same year, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Ports Development studied the Port Authorities Ordinance 1961 with a view to consolidating and strengthening the overall management of port facilities in the state.
The Bintulu Port acquisition is predicted to help Sarawak generate more income as the state has the second largest gas reserves in the world.
For MASwings, the Sarawak government mooted the idea as early as 2012, with the Sabah government also expressing its interest.
The proposal then, which was agreed by the Sabah government, was to make MASwings a regional airline to serve routes with a fight duration of within seven hours to destinations like Bali, Jakarta, Bangkok, Tokyo and Australia.
The Sarawak government ended its interest in 2017, with Abang Johari then saying that the holding company for the air carrier was dragging its feet over the negotiation.
The interest was revived in 2019 due to the pressing need for regional air service in the state. The alternative to that was for the Sarawak government to set up its boutique airline.
At the time, the state government was not interested in the fleet, much less the debt and reliability of the company. They wanted MASwings’ ‘core’ business.
It is a dream for Sarawakians to have its own air carrier and for the state government, it has been working to set up more airports, establishing short take-off and landing air strips (STOLport) in both Bebuling in Spaoh as well as Bukit Mabong in Kapit.
The idea by the state government to take over federal government entities is not new. In 2018, Sarawak completed the handover of the Bakun Hydroelectric Plant (HEP).
The benefit of this has been for all to see, as with it, Sarawak has been able to flex its muscle as the nation’s renewable energy powerhouse, consolidating its power production.
It also enabled the state to lower the electricity tariffs for local consumers and export the power surplus to neighbouring countries.
No doubt, the new takeovers – which are slated to be completed by year end – will benefit Sarawak tremendously as the Bakun takeover has in the past.
Sarawakians are excited for what the future holds. The new and reinvigorated economy pioneered and realised by the Premier is a gamechanger.
The vision for Sarawak to be the most advanced and high-income state by 2030 no longer appears to be a pipe dream. It is now well within reach.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
