Giving credit where credit is due is a very rewarding habit to form. Its rewards are inestimable.
– Loretta Young, American actress
I start this week’s column with a couple of quotes from an article I ingested off the interwebs.
“Careful chroniclers of South-east Asian transitions may have noticed a small event that took place in Sarawak’s Kota Samarahan in early March, when the Chapel of the Sacred Heart was inaugurated within the compound of the Sarawak Heart Centre, a government facility.
“Score one for (Datuk Patinggi) Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, current head of government in the East Malaysian state, whose Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) coalition was returned with a landslide 76 of 82 seats in state assembly elections held last December.
“The stronger showing is an endorsement of the leadership of Tan Sri Abang Johari, who is widely known in his state as ‘Abang Jo’. It also underscores the resonance of the ‘Sarawak First’ plank promoted by every party in the resource-rich state, his particularly.”
The article, in brief mentioned how the Premier has outlined his policies for economic development, social engineering and cohesion as well as education.
It also waxed lyrical about Abang Johari’s handling of Malayan politics which, at occasions, set up roadblocks to Sarawak’s trade and development.
It continued, quoting ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute’s senior fellow Lee Poh Onn: “Abang Jo always was a bit ahead of his time compared with his peers. Having succeeded the popular Mr Adenan, he says, Abang Jo himself had probably not anticipated the mandate he received in the December polls.”
“That mandate is now his to fulfil.”
Mind you, this article was not initially published in the local press, nor was it written by some die-hard supporter of the state government.
It was written by an associate editor of Singapore’s The Straits Times. The writer, in his online profile, is a veteran journalist and observer of global business and macro-economic issues and also well versed in diplomacy and international politics.
Essentially, the brilliance of the Sarawak Premier was not lost on Singaporeans as presumably, the 71-year-old who spoke as a guest speaker at an event in the South East Asia country last week has made quite the impression.
So much so that Singapore, a strategic trade partner of Sarawak, understood the policies of the Sarawak government and realised what the East Malaysia state has to offer.
The Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office Singapore (STATOS) had gathered pace after what was deemed a slow start, according to the writer, and some other Malaysian states, Sabah and Johor being two, are considering similar representations.
Abang Johari’s vision and ambition for Sarawak, for lack of a better word, can be described as lofty – multifaceted and multilayered, that even for those well versed in governance, it is baffling – in a good way.
It must be understood that under the government of Abang Johari, the Sarawak Premier has always been one to be fixated over economic trends and planning; he has been on a constant lookout for ways and means to generate more income for the state.
In a sense, he is a proper finance minister and understood economics well. His financial policy over the past five years has been this: Exercise financial prudence while supplementing income – and it has been bearing fruit.
To the topic of Sarawak’s unsuccessful bid for a digital banking license, Abang Johari has suggested that S Pay Global – the state’s own cashless mobile payment solution – serve the state’s digital banking needs.
The disappointment in not getting the licence as well as the option of S Pay Global has not gone well among netizens – some did not understand the need for the licence in the first place and dismissed S Pay Global as being just another e-Wallet platform.
I for one, have been using S Pay Global religiously for purchases and parking fees and happy to note that my experience has been positive thus far. Probably those who saw little value to it have not used the application to begin with. Ignorance is the word.
Not using e-Wallet applications entirely doesn’t really make one a good judge of whether the platform is good or conversely.
Digital bank licence or otherwise, Sarawakians need to understand and appreciate the value of financial foresight and economic planning that Abang Johari and the state government offer.
Just like how the Singaporeans heaped praise on the Sarawak Premier, it is high time we do the same thing too. We need to give credit where it is due.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune. Feedback can reach the writer at beatrice@ibrasiagroup.com
