9/4/11 WHAT SARAWAKIAN SHOULD NOT MISS TO SEE....

(This far horizon, mean nothing to many, but for an artist and thinker, not only they could see, but they could also feel and touch such far horizon in a broader and deeper meaning!)

The last three months, I have visited Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and some rural places in Selangor. I have also visited Johor and part of Malacca and Negeri Sembilan. Definitely, I have been frequencing the rural of Sarawak. I have a real personal touch of the development comparison of these States, whereby some are crawling, while some are either stagnant of withdrawing.

(2) Coincidently, Kedah and Kelantan are under PAS, Penang is under DAP, and Selangor under PKR. These three Opposition fronts, are now having their chance to administer, or run the government. As a fact, Kelantan, ever since Independent remain among the top five the poorest State in Malaysia. Once, Kedah, almost reaching the point of liberating itself from the Poverty Club, but now, they are moving into deeper poverty problem as what is happening in Kelantan. Kedah, Kelantan, and Perlis in particular are the states that really need the Federal support. These are the states that are being subsidised by the other richer states.

(3) Surely Nik Aziz and Azizan can say that their people are not complaining about poverty. Even if their people are complaining, what could they do when their coffers are either empty or tooo shallow, probably the most they would just say: "Sabar, semua itu adalah dugaan". There you go, just use religious argument, everything will be silent off. But, probably good if Nik Aziz and Azizan could come to Sarawak and see how among those people whom are lingering moving from table-to-table at Satok and many other places in major cities in Sarawak are Kelantanese and kedahan that being are exploited to do face-to-face cheap business. My concern is that due to not much development in their origin state, they are very much subjected to exploitation. This is what the Malays saying: "Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan (neraka) batu di negeri sendiri."

(4) Penang and Selangor, though they are among the Rich Club members, but now they are facing income problem. The State such as Penang and Selangor, no doubt are much industrialised as compared to other states in Malaysia, nonetheless, all these industries doesn't give them the optimum income. Most of their income is generated through property tax, and this is considered very minimal. Propery tax is always tied up with the provision and maintenance of the local services: street lighting, road repair, landscaping, gabbage collection, etc. Normally, property tax, by statutory requirement, must be spent to maintain the public services within taxation boundary. Thus, property tax, is a revenue that has limited usage.

(5) Sarawak is very different. From the very begining, Taib had a vision to keep Sarawak Economically Independent. At least, Taib, as the Chief Minister have a long outlook on how to sustain the State revenue. The Sarawak State sources of revenue are Royalty from Petroleum (about RM800 million/year), Royalty from Timber (about RM700 million/year), CPO sales tax (about RM300 million/year) and return to the various State Corporate Investments (about RM1,200 million/year). In the future, Taib in fact had planned that Sarawak will gain better revenue source especially from the investment in the Bakun HEP, Paper and Pulp, and surely in those various mega-projects in SCORE. Taib, managed Sarawak from a good blend of public and corporate management style.

(6) In general the State on it own, could generated about RM2,500 million. This good income stream in fact attract some would love to be Robin Hood. In term of expenditure, Sarawak is very comfortable to spend at least about RM2,500 million a year. Out of such, RM1,200 million is for OPEX while RM1,300 million is for Development. With a good relationship with the Federal Government, Sarawak gain at least RM1,500-2,000 million a year as Development Allocation. Thus, within the Federalism, Sarawak have the potential to spend about RM2,000-4,000 million a year for its development.

(7) With such amount of funds, that the reason why Taib is able to use most of the Development Allocation for the State long term revenue generating investment particularly in areas such as the Hydro-electric Generation, Heavy Industries, and mega-infrastructures. Taib ensures Sarawak have good stream of future corporate income not too much dependent of naturla resource-based income.

(8) Not only that, Taib is also visionary enough to spent on iconic structures which into the future could be the State Landmarks. The new state DUN Complex, the International Convention Center, are some very good examples. Just imagine, about 5,000 years ago, the kings of the Pharaoh had neve thought that their Giza Pyramids would today a big income earner to Egypt. In Peninsula Malaysia, mosques being use as iconic structures, but here in Sarawak, Taib preferred a much universal statues.

(9) Not many Chief Ministers or Menteri Besar can see these. Ali Rustam of Malacca is gearing on this same strategy. But for Khalid, the Selangor MB, the so called corporate born person, don't see this. To me Khalid, is really wasting his time politicking, rather strengthening the Selangor coffer. Same with the street talker such as Lim Guan Eng. Both of them are derailing what Muhammad Mat Taib and Lim Chong Eu had worked all these while building the state of Selangor and Penang.

(10) I believe these also applies to many of the Sarawak State civil servants and corporate people, particularly the Bumis. Most of them see all these in a lukewarm manners. They are not excited, and far from making significant step of serious involvement. Surely our general population also had missed to pick up such a strategic mind of Taib. Most of us didn't see lots of the other side of Taib's management far sighted. Thus, we are now easily being discepted to throw Taib into the sarawak river!

(11) In fact these couple of days, our friends from accross the sea, had been working hard to blind our sight. Issue such as Taib's cronism had clouded our judgement over the better way how we had managed our economy. In fact, Taib's issues of cronism is a matter of strategic executive decission. It is not of 'cronies greed'. One day I believe, people will understand, why he had to do so. I have in fact flashed this briefly in my much earlier article.

(12) As a Sarawakian, let us not get carried away by the act of immoral Robbin Hood. Some quarters out of Sarawak, in fact are now working all out to sideline Sarawakian from our 'Independent' status and would love so much to administer Sarawak, not to bring better advancement to Sarawak, but instead to capitalised on the about RM2,500 million earning of Sarawak to buy over the support of those states that are poor in Peninsula Malaysia and even Sabah. These people are now managing states that are poor and as well as 'rich but poor', thus, they want to skin a real rich state as Sarawak, to gain political advancement in Peninsula Malaysia.

(13) If they succeed to tople the Sarawak State BN in the coming election, would they be willing enough to support Sarawak as what the present Federal Government have been doing to us. We must remember, say theoritically, they are able to bring down Sarawak BN, I could see, at least Sarawak will be punished for the next two years by the current ruling BN government at the Federal level. Worst, this will create all sorts of instability and uncertainty. Will our brilliant and far sighted socio-economic agenda be realised if such case happen?

(14) Taib had made it known, that he will step down after this election. Let us now, give him assurance that we Sarawakian had matured enough to understand his long horizon view. I believe, as a stateman, Taib will be most happy to let us swim into the open sea once he see we had understand what he is after and we are willing to moveon smoothly with such a vision.

(15) Let recall what Dr. Mahathir had said about Abdullah Badawi, when the later began to ignor the former earlier Plans: "He should have just continue with what have been decided. He was one of those who had made such decissions. If he want, he can add-on". I believe, Sarawakian will always remember the above grouse by Dr. Mahathir, and we will not betrayed our State Socio-economic Agenda that had been collective decided by the State Cabinet even if there is a change from within the system.

(16) Let us have a change by way of our own style, not being force or push by others. The mistakes of Pairin Kittingan and Leo Moggie which both had admitted must be taken seriously by us Sarawakian.

Matang Jaya, Kuching
14 April, 2011