THE Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) state government formed the Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC) in May 2020, to formulate the Post COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.
On February 7, 2022, PCDS 2030 Action and Implementation Plan (AIP) was launched by Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to leapfrog and sustain socio-economic growth and development for the next 10 years.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the people of Sarawak from all walks of life, went through many difficulties in their daily lives.
Businesses were disrupted, many lost their jobs, students could not study in school, graduates did not have jobs, family members could not visit each other during festive seasons and many more.
Under Abang Johari’s leadership, the GPS government ensured that priority was given to efforts towards ensuring the safety of the lives of the people.
The PCDS 2030 was formulated so that Sarawak could recover from the pandemic with a stronger and more resilient economy and to sustain the level of economic and social development.
According to Abang Johari, Sarawak aspires to be a developed state by 2030.
“It will be a thriving society driven by data and innovation where everyone enjoys economic prosperity, social inclusivity and sustainable environment.
“In terms of our economic prosperity, Sarawak needs to double the size of the economy from RM136 billion in 2019 to RM282 billion in 2030. To achieve this target, Sarawak economy needs to grow on average 6.0% to 8.0% per annum until 2030,” he said.
Through PCDS 2030, the state government also planned to create 195,000 new job opportunities, raise household income to RM15,047 , reduce urban and rural development gaps and improve work efficiency, enhance productivity via Digital Innovations.
With the AIP, the state has clear and measurable outcomes for the initiatives and action steps to achieve the goals laid out.
The AIP is an innovative way for the state to ensure all of the initiatives are aligned to PCDS 2030 aspirations.
PCDS 2030, aims to change the economic structure by increasing the scale of production to capture efficiencies upstream, increasing downstream activities and growing the services sector to support primary and secondary sectors’ activities in a sustainable manner, to modernise and increase efficiency driven by both digital and physical connectivity, to increase household income to GDP share by creating more jobs and encouraging entrepreneurship and to place environmental sustainability in our recovery efforts and long-term economic growth.
There are six economic sectors anchored to PCDS 2030, the main engines of growth, namely manufacturing, commercial agriculture, tourism, forestry, mining and social services.
There are seven strategic thrusts to accelerate the economic development, as follows:
Transforming Sarawak into a competitive economy by increasing productivity level, developing more high value downstream activities and creating new industries through active private sector involvement. For example, precision farming to increase quantity and quality of produce for high value downstream food processing products for domestic consumption and export market;
Improving ease of doing business to facilitate domestic investment (DDI) and making Sarawak an investment destination of choice for foreign investors (FDI). For example, by establishing Sarawak Invest as a one-stop agency for investment.
Spending on areas that yield the most economic, social and environmental impact. For example, environmental-friendly construction (design and materials) of access road to social and economic hubs that will stimulate socio-economic activities and improve standard of living of the community;
Optimising use of assets and government funding and developing human capital to support socio-economic development. For example, rather than constructing new buildings, we should optimise the use of existing building spaces for productive activities. Human capital investment should focus on the right training to meet industrial needs of the state to progress;
Accelerating digital adoption and data utilisation to generate outcomes. This will include establishing a statewide network coverage of telecommunication infrastructure and services that will enable the adoption of digital technology in agriculture for precision farming, industry 4.0, e-learning and telemedicine to support our digital economy initiatives towards high income and developed state by 2030;
Driving economic and social benefits for all Sarawakians, focusing on impoverished segment of the population. This includes providing the society with access to basic infrastructure and implementing concerted initiatives to help increase household income. For example, anchor out-grower model in the agriculture sector to help rural poor to gain better access to market and training programmes for urban poor to cultivate entrepreneurship; and
Balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. Sarawak aims to balance economic growth with a responsible approach towards utilisation of natural resources and integration of climate adaptation and mitigation plans. This approach prioritises the sustainable use of land and ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs while preserving the health of the land and ocean ecosystem.
In line with sustainable development principles and commitments towards climate adaptation, various initiatives will be implemented such as to maintain more than 50% forest and tree cover, establish an integrated watershed management policy to conserve and protect water resources, increase urban green spaces and prioritise green mobility solutions, including developing electric vehicle (EV) based public transport systems and expansion of renewable energy.
