For the next 11 years, we have to work hard and plan Sibu so that the city status plan can be achieved.
— Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg
Dudong assemblyman Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing’s appeal to Sibu youth recently caught my attention.
First and foremost, it is because Sibu is my hometown. No matter how much water has flowed under the bridge, Sibu will remain special in my heart. It was where I was born, where I grew up, where I went to school and where I lived for the first 20 over years of my life. It is also where relatives from my mother’s side still live.
I now live and work in Kuching City and have not gone back to Sibu for years. I’d love to go back in the near future to catch up with my relatives and schoolmates and classmates.
Tiong, who is also Bintulu MP, recently appealed to Sibu youth to help him turn the town into a goose that laid the gold eggs, like in the well known Aesop’s fable.
“Please consider staying in your hometown where you can grow, develop and start your businesses,” he told them after officiating at the Sibu Chinese New Year Bazaar at Pintu Gerbang Sibu.
“After all, Sibu is a place where you grew up with your parents and family,” he said, adding that youth were vital building blocks for their communities as well as ensuring economic prosperity.
Tiong also told the youth that after learning some skills and knowledge somewhere and gathering some necessary experience, they should consider returning to Sibu to make use of their knowledge and skills in the town.
He added that whatever their family backgrounds, youth should try to build a business from scratch with their own strengths and put to good use the latest technology and social media to create brands and make presentations.
“And then, move to international markets for more business opportunities,” he suggested.
The assemblyman also pointed out that introducing more investments would attract local youth to continue contributing to the town.
Tiong’s appeal is good news to youth who want to return to the town and contribute to its future growth.
Looking back at life, I wished there were more job opportunities when I was young and looking for work in Sibu immediately after completing my Form Six. There was none; that was why I had to move to Kuching. I have remained here ever since then.
In those days, Sibu was known as the second largest town after Kuching, which had not yet been elevated to a city. Now, Miri City has overtaken Sibu as the second largest urban centre after Kuching City.
What happened to Sibu all these years? Why is it not yet a city? Will Sibu youth heed Tiong’s appeal to help him turn the biggest town on the famous Rajang River into a goose that lays the golden eggs?
In November last year, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg revealed that the state government was eyeing to make Sibu the third town to achieve city status by 2031 with several big projects in the pipeline to achieve the vision. The projects included the redevelopment plan of Bukit Assek, expansion of Sibu urban and commercial areas, upgrading of digital infrastructure and developing the deep peat soil area of Bukit Lima as a nature reserve.
To be implemented within the state’s long term plan Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030), the projects, he explained, would help Sibu that had fulfilled other prerequisites such as having a university to achieve the city status.
Speaking virtually via Zoom during Sibu Municipal Council’s (SMC) 40th-anniversary celebration then, Abang Johari added the council had achieved tremendous success in transforming Sibu in the past 40 years.
One thing that Sibu people are not afraid of is hard work. The town is mainly populated by people of Chinese descent, mainly from Fuzhou. The Foochows are known for their diligence and keen business sense. Also present are ethnic groups such as the Ibans, Malays and Melanaus.
Sometimes, I wished I had stayed put in Sibu and that I had found a good job there. Then, during my days off and during the public holidays, I would drive to the place where my grandparents used to live and catch up with my relatives there.
That, of course, is wishful thinking. Lucky are some of my classmates who returned to Sibu and made use of their skills and knowledge there. They are mostly secondary school teachers. However, most, like me, had to find a living elsewhere, including overseas.
To encourage more youth to return to Sibu, there must be ample job opportunities and more job creations with good pay in the relevant fields for them. There should not be any issues with these because several big projects are in the pipeline to help Sibu achieve its vision of becoming a city.
Personally, I look forward to the elevation of Sibu to a city status nine years from now. And, of course, with lots of help from the state government and its youth.
