MIRI: Three years into the World Bank’s recognition of Sarawak as a high-income state, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has stressed the need to translate this milestone into higher household incomes for Sarawakians.
Speaking on Saturday night (Nov 2) at the “Taste of Borneo 3.0” event here, he said it was important to bolster Sarawak’s economic progress with initiatives that directly benefit households.
“Our job is to ensure that household income must also be high,” he noted, pointing to the role of education in building a more prosperous future for the next generation.
“For that, we must provide education to our children,” he added.
Abang Johari also spoke of Sarawak’s cultural and geographical ties with its Bornean neighbours, describing these shared roots as a foundation for closer cooperation and development.
“One good thing is that we are on the island of Borneo, a place rich in culture,” he said, acknowledging the similarities Sarawak shares with Kalimantan, Sabah, and Brunei.
He pointed to Indonesia’s ongoing development of its new capital, Nusantara, in Kalimantan as an example of potential collaboration that could benefit both Sarawak and the broader Borneo region.
“We (Sarawak) are next to it. We can work together to help our friends in the archipelago, just as they can help us as ‘brothers and sisters,’” Abang Johari remarked.
He expressed optimism that the interconnected cultures of Borneo could drive collective advancement, fostering growth and prosperity for all communities in the region.
Also present were the Indonesian Consul General in Kuching, R. Sigit Witjaksono, Minister of Transport Sarawak Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin, Chief Political Secretary to the Premier and Tupong assemblyman Dato Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman, Deputy Minister in the Premier’s Department Datuk Abdullah Saidol, Murum assemblyman Kennedy Chukpai Ugon, and Miri Mayor Adam Yii.
