SIBU – The income of Bumiputera in the State has increased by four folds in the past 20 years, said Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Abdul Taib Mahmud who attributed it to the healthy growth of the economy and vast opportunities generated by the Government’s development programme.
“ In the past 20 years, we have succeeded in expanding our industrial sector from 7 per cent to 23 per cent of the State GDP, with an annual growth of 14 per cent”, said the Chief Minister when launching the 40th anniversary celebration of PBB for lower Rajang basin here yesterday.
The opening up of land for commercial agriculture and development of infrastructure, which had activated all growth sectors, had helped to usher the rural people into mainstream development and reduce their poverty level, he added.
Taib, who is also president of PBB, said: “ Through education and with the availability of infrastructure as well as economic and social opportunities, more Bumiputera are be able to climb up the economic ladder and earn better income.”
However, he cautioned that even with the vast opportunities, it was important that Bumiputera equipped themselves with the right knowledge and skills to enable them secure gainful employment, adding that economic success was not dependent on capital alone.
He pointed out: “ Ultimately, the people themselves will determine their own success, and to realise that they must ensure their children have good education from the outset.”
He
was hopeful that more Bumiputera would pursue their studies in universities with
the setting up of the recent RM100 million Tertiary Education Fund. With such an
opportunity, he was optimistic that in the next five years out of 10 Bumiputera
there would be at least one graduate.
“Bumiputera
graduate workers will then earn at least RM2000 a month and will be able to lead
a relatively comfortable life.”
“
This is within our reach, but before anything else we must ensure that our
existing political stability and development programme are safeguarded so that
there is continuity”, said Taib emphatically and warned Bumiputera against
resting on their laurels.
Taib also appealed to the people, in the light of their improved income, to develop a saving culture, stressing that saving was a form of enlarging one’s income. “We must educate our people to be more thrifty and to invest wisely in unit trusts and other useful economic activities for the sake of their future”, he added.
PBB,
as the backbone of the ruling Government, was committed to formulating new and
effective development strategies to upgrade the standard of living of the
people, Taib said, stressing that “ creating an innovative, productive and
happy society is part of our struggle in the new era.”
In
celebrating the party’s 40th anniversary, PBB members were also reminded to get back to the basics
of their struggle and renew their commitment to the pursuit of unity and
stability.
Among
those present were Tan Sri Datuk Amar Alfred Jabu, Datuk Adenan Haji Satem,
Datuk Abang Haji Johari Tun Openg, Dato Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar,Datin Paduka
Sharifah Mordiah, Datuk Wahab Dolah, Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Datuk Leo
Michael Toyad, and Dr Abang Draup Abang Zain.
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