Poised for high income

by Jacob Achoi
February 28, 2010, Sunday

Better times ahead a result of second phase of politics of development: Taib

ONE VOICE: Taib (centre) waves the party flag and joins in the singing of the PBB March. The occasion was the opening of the party’s Youth and Women’s Wing triennial general meeting at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) yesterday. The others are PBB Women chief Senator Dato Sri Empiang Jabu and Youth chief Fadillah Yusof.

KUCHING: The state is gearing itself for a high-income economy through the government’s holistic approach to development.

The sign is clear: there has been a marked increase in the number of middle income people in the state.

And their income is about to go higher as the economy gets better, said Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Taib stressed that the higher income will result from the second phase of politics of development.

“From a stationary economy with a very limited market, we have moved up and now we are moving to a higher-income economy to fulfil the aspirations of the people,” said Taib, who is Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) president.

He said this at the opening of PBB Youth and Women’s Wing convention at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK), yesterday.

He pointed out that the goverment was able to transform the economy as the leaders since the days of the first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj knew the aspirations and needs of the people.

According to him, not many developing countries, after having achieved their independence from their colonial masters, were able to achieve what Malaysia and Sarawak have been doing in bringing about economic progress.

The chief minister assured that the rural people would not be sidelined even if the state was transforming its economy.

“In our efforts to transform the economy, the poor and the rural people will not be neglected,” he said.

Taib who is also Minister of Planning and Resource Management pointed out that the rural people had greatly benefitted from infrastructure development.

He stressed that long gone were the days when the rural people were “strangled” by the cost of transporting their produce to town and then bringing back goods from town to their villages.

The chief minister also said that the governemnt would continue to get private companies to develop native customery land to help the rural people.

He stressed that various mechanisms have been put in place to protect the rights of owners of native customary land (NCL), including setting up an NCL landbank under the care of the Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA).

Taib added that the government alone could not develop NCL. It requires the support of the private sector, but without the owners losing their rights over their NCLs.

The chief minister also touched on the government’s transformation plan (GTP) which has the primarly aim of monitoring and ensuring that the government’s development projects and plans really help those in need.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Alfred Jabu, Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan, Housing and Urban Development Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, Speaker of State Legislative Assembly Dato Sri Mohamad Asfia Awang Nassar, PBB Youth Chief Fadillah Yusof and Women Chief Senator Dato Sri Empiang Jabu and PBB secretary general Dr Stephen Rundi were among those present at the opening ceremony of the convention.