KOTA KINABALU – Sabah must first fix issues related to basic necessities before moving forward with major economic developments, said a prominent businessman.
Datuk Seri Wong Khen Thau said that such problems include flooding, as well as poor water and electricity supply.
Wong, who is chairman of the Sabah branch of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that major development plans and master plans are useless if the state still suffers from the most basic problems.
“What are we waiting for here? Let’s start today! Let’s pull ourselves together and start doing something.
“With this new start after the pandemic, the government can resolve these basic issues. If these issues are solved, Sabah’s economy will pick up easily.
“We (Sabah) have all the potential. We are not only the Land Below The Wind, but we are a land of opportunities. You name it, we have it.
Let’s go back to the basics and fix our flooding problem, water (supply) problem, and electricity (supply) issue, then the foreign investors will come in. It is the basics – the cost of doing business,” he said.
Wong, who is also the president of Sabah’s Institution of Higher Learning and former president of Sabah’s Federation of Industries, said this at the Sabah International Business Economic Summit, titled “Unlocking Sabah’s Potential, Unleashing Business Opportunities” held at the Sabah International Convention Centre here, today.
He said as someone who has been involved in the manufacturing sector, he thinks that it is high time that the government looks into getting more domestic investments instead of focusing only on attracting foreign investors.
“Malaysians have quite a good reserve (deposits in banks). I believe that the government needs to re-examine our existing policies, and the federal government should seriously think about how to attract our own people to invest in the domestic sector, our own industries.
“Foreign direct investment (FDI) comes and goes. We have learnt the hard way that FDI is not only a resource for the Malaysian government, but for every country in the world. Are we more competitive than our neighbouring countries?
Indonesia’s capital is moving to Kalimantan. Is that an advantage for us? What we (Malaysia) have, they (Indonesia) have. What we can do, they can do. They might even do it cheaper,” he said.
Wong also opined that Sabahans should determine their own destiny, especially in its education sector.
“We cannot listen to our Kuala Lumpur leaders all the time. They are not leading us. I say this out of my own heart. I have been in this sector for so many donkey years. I believe that it is time that we chart our own ways and destiny.
“It is time that Sabahans show leadership, not only economically but in other sectors, including the most important one, the basis of everything – education,” he said, adding that training the youth with skills is important.
The government, Wong said, has been talking about Industrial Revolution 4.0 and attracting investors.
However, he questioned if Sabah has the skills to meet the demand when Sabah’s industrial sector has hardly reached Industrial Revolution 2.0.
Nonetheless, Wong is positive that the Sabah Maju Jaya plan is in the right direction and will put the state on the right track in five years.
“We will be on the right track if everyone works together – both the government sector and private sector,” he added. – The Vibes, January 17, 2022
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