KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan foresees that 2023 can be a major turning point in Sabah’s fortunes.
However, he said among the new year’s resolutions that Sabah must have and keep so this can happen is that state leaders and the people must be prepared to challenge the norm and do away with the “business as usual” approach in doing things.
“The best of Sabah is yet to come,” he said in his New Year’s message, today.
He noted that for the last 59 years, Sabah has been growing steadily at the rate of 3 per cent to seven per cent annually.
But he is convinced that the state could achieve far better than this economic growth levels in view of its vast natural resources endowment and strategic location in the region.
“Sabah will continue with this trajectory, or probably worse, if it maintains its business as usual approach,” he warned, adding that such approach, mindset and habit will only blind the state to its full capacity for growth.
He pointed out that other nations including Sabah’s close neighbours have already started making changes and adopting new technologies to fully capitalise on their respective capabilities.
“Some of these changes will have an impact on us sooner or later such as the moving of Indonesia’s capital to Kalimantan in Borneo.
“And Sarawak is also moving aggressively to regain control of its resources. So, we can’t just be doing business as usual. We must do things out or the ordinary,” he said.
Kitingan, who is also Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry, emphasized that in fact this is no longer a matter of choice.
“Our GDP per capita is among the worst in the nation at USD6,000 compared to the national average of USD12,000. Eight of the ten poorest districts in the country are in Sabah. In fact, Sabah had been declared as the poorest state in Malaysia by the World Bank in 2010.
“Yet, ironically, Sabah is probably the richest state in terms of its natural resources from oil and gas, timber, oil palm, tourism to name a just a few,” he said.
Part of Sabah’s misfortune he said has been caused by its lack of control of its natural resources especially oil and gas in which the state is the biggest producer in the country.
Another is the state’s financial dependence on the federal government for development, said Kitingan.
He reiterated that the failure of the federal government to honour its constitutional obligation to return 40 per cent of net revenue derived from the state, 10 per cent export duty on petroleum and ten per cent import duty on petroleum products has reduced Sabah to become dependent on the central powers.
On the other hand, he said Sabah political leadership is partly to blame for their failure to fight for the state’s constitutional rights over the last 50 years.
However, Kitingan said all is not lost.
“We still keep our hopes alive. We have yet to see the best of Sabah,” he said.
But to draw the best that Sabah can become, Kitingan called on all political leaders to stand united in fighting for the state.
“There can only be political unity if endless and needless politicking stops,” said the Parti Solidariti Tanahairku (Sabah Star) President.
Instead, he urged the state leadership to put all their soul and focus on awakening the giant that Sabah should become by formulating new policies and laws to meet the requirements of modernization, global climate change challenges and new technologies.
“There must also be a shift to conservation of our natural resources and capital as well as our environment,” he said adding that Sabah can gain more revenue from a conversation-based economic development model.
He said basically, Sabah must start adopting green and circular economic policy.
“We must also embrace digital technology, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and employ the best people as well as create global connectivity and partnerships,” he said.
He highlighted also the need for Sabah to upgrade its own education system and approach.
“We should apply the BCI (Brain Computer Interface) approach in our decision making which are facts and data driven,” he suggested.
To overcome financial dependency on the central government, Kitingan said Sabah should continue to attract private funding initiatives or foreign direct investments by capitalizing on its natural asset endowment to fund its economic development and transformation.
“We can do this without compromising on our environment,” he said.
Kitingan also proposed that the Sabah Maju Jaya development road map needs to be revised and upgraded in order to have quantifiable objectives and results.
He envisioned that one of the key game changers that Sabah can look forward to in the coming year will be the implementation of the Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA).
“It must be implemented so through it we can raise up to RM4 to 8 billion in revenues annually within five years and attract foreign direct investments as well as private funding initiatives for up to USD12 billion.
“These policy initiatives will yield positive consequences to our GDP growth per capita. We will also be able to implement flood mitigation projects on our own, strengthen our food security, develop our rural areas, provide housing for the people and improve our infrastructures.
“We will also be able to improve our power generation and transmission because this is so important for us to attract investors to invest in our state.
“On top of these, we will be able to create employment opportunities for Sabahans and generate a higher income for every citizen,” he said.
He pointed out that all the plans and conditions that he has elaborated in order for Sabah to change its fortunes are achievable.
“But we must do it now. We can’t continue to procrastinate,” he said, adding the fulfillment of these resolutions will set Sabah’s own narrative for development that is in tune with the true aspirations of Sabahans while at the same time speaks the same language of progress globally.
“If we don’t set our own narrative, others will dictate theirs on us,” he added.
— EDITOR
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