KOTA KINABALU – Sabahans are optimistic that the Malaysia Madani concept announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today will be able to improve the state’s socioeconomics.
Takaful advisor Brenda Bernard, 43, said the concept, which covers economics and finance, will help revitalise various aspects of development in Sabah that the people have longed for.
“The time has come for the people’s welfare to be prioritised, and we want the Madani framework to help improve the people’s socioeconomics,” she said, while hoping that there would be no more hardcore poor in Sabah in the future.
Anwar, when announcing the Malaysia Madani concept said the government would restructure the country’s economy based on three strategic priorities, namely eradicating poverty, restructuring the economy and restoring and generating income.
The prime minister added that the growth and development of the country’s economy through Madani Malaysia also needed to be achieved in a broader context, namely a “humane economy” that prioritises the needs of the people.
Yayasan Wisdom member Salbinous Saribun, 38, said Malaysia Madani could help restore and stabilise the economy in Sabah and the country, which was important in order to provide facilities to the people, especially in rural areas.
He said many people were affected by the increase in the price of goods, especially those living in Sabah’s interior, while infrastructure and facilities such as roads, electricity and water supply remained largely unchanged.
“These things are interrelated, for example, the villagers need access to roads if they want to market farm produce, it is sad because there are still villagers who find it difficult to bring crops to town and sell them to earn an income as there are no proper access routes,” he said.
Meanwhile, trader and food deliveryman Awang Basser Awang Nasseb, 29, thinks that Malaysia Madani should look at the latest ways of developing the economy, including online entrepreneurship and the gig economy that many young people are currently participating in.
He also hoped that the humane economy under the concept would be geared towards helping the youth generate more income.
“The concept of studying and obtaining qualifications to get a job is not suitable for today’s youth. Therefore, the humane economy needs to be a catalyst to developing a generation who is able to generate income within the economy, and not merely become salary earners until the end of their lives,” he said. – Bernama, January 19, 2023
