KUCHING: The good economic position that Sarawak enjoys today is mainly the result of the hard work and cooperation between its leaders and the people, and not due to luck, says Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The Sarawak Premier said that in achieving this success, Sarawak has never taken away the rights of others and only implemented policies based on its rights under the Federal Constitution and the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
"We do not rely on luck. My ministers, the elected representatives, and I work hard. That is why we have achieved success. When we succeed, there are people who are jealous and these jealous people try to tarnish our image," he said.
Speaking at the Belanggar Meja (grand feast) Hari Raya Aidilfitri event in Subis, Miri, in northern Sarawak on Wednesday (May 29) night, he said the involvement of state-owned company Petroleum Sarawak Sdn Bhd (Petros) in the state's oil and gas industry is based on its rights enshrined in the Federal Constitution and MA63.
"I have said that our rights are our rights; we will not take away the rights of others... it is sinful to take the rights of others.
"Our rights, we work on them. And alhamdulillah, today we have achieved success, and our income has increased, which we give back to the people," he said.
Abang Johari said that due to the diligence of Sarawak's leadership and the unity of its people, the state's export value has increased to RM2.1bil, second only to Selangor's RM3bil.
According to the April 2024 Import Export Statistics by State released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), Sarawak is also among the top five states in terms of export value increase.
"Previously, we were far behind, but today Sarawak is second with an export value of RM2.1bil, followed by Penang in third place, Kuala Lumpur in fourth, and Perak in fifth," he said.
He said Sarawak is capable of further improving its economic position to surpass other states if its people and leaders remain united and committed to maintaining their unity.
"If we maintain unity, our stability will be strong, our economy robust. We manage our economy prudently, insyaAllah, we might be the top state. What we need to do is (continue) to work hard and not rely on luck," he added. - Bernama
