KUCHING: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has approved a grant of RM500,000 to the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sarawak (ACCCIS).
The money will enable the association to provide training for more young entrepreneurs.
“As I promised ACCCIS, tonight I’m going to give you RM500,000 for your fund to train young entrepreneurs.
“I give half a million, because we have (almost) RM12 billion (revenue from 2022), so we share it a bit,” he said.
He said this during the ACCCIS’s Chinese New Year (CNY) dinner at the Imperial Hotel here on yesterday.
Abang Johari also called upon the association to continue to work with the Sarawak government to further boost the state’s economy.
“You work hard, build our economy, and try to get more revenue for Sarawak, and then we can share the profit,” he added.
Meanwhile, ACCCIS president Datuk Tan Jit Kee congratulated the Premier for the state’s actual revenue performance for 2022 which surpassed its projected revenue by 17 percent from RM10.2 billion to RM11.9 billion.
“Indeed, YAB Datuk Patinggi deserved the credit and recognition for your ability to ‘cari wang’ (look for money), and under your stewardship since 2017, our revenue collection has in fact increased more than five folds.
“With the strong fiscal position we are now in, our Sarawak government will be able to table sizable budgets and implement more projects to leapfrog the development of Sarawak,” he said.
He noted that the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) has played and would continue to play a pivotal role in ensuring the political stability of the country which is a prerequisite for economic recovery and development.
“Over the last few months since the formation of the Federal government, we are pleased to have noted the significant progress achieved in the negotiation of the devolution of autonomy under MA63, notably the appointment of our State Financial Secretary to sit on the Board of Inland Revenue; decentralisation of power to our state government by allowing us to make decisions on projects below RM50 million; and the special grant of RM300 million for this financial year pursuant to Article 112(D) of the Federal Constitution (FC) .
“ACCCIS is of the view that the federal government has a duty to fulfill the terms of MA63 as it is a legal document that must be treated with sanctity and respect,” he said.
Accordingly, he said the association would rally behind the Premier and give their undivided support to the Sarawak government to regain the state’s rights and powers as enshrined in MA63, Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report and the FC.
