24/12/2024
PERUTUSAN HARI KRISMAS
YAB PREMIER SARAWAK
Salam sejahtera
Salam Sarawak Maju Makmur, dan
Selamat Menyambut Hari Krismas 2024 kepada semua rakyat Sarawak yang beragama Kristian di mana sahaja saudara dan saudari berada.
Bersempena Krismas tahun ini saya amat berharap semua rakyat Sarawak yang beragama Kristian berada dalam keadaan aman damai dan selesa di samping ahli keluarga dan sahabat handai.
Saya difahamkan bahawa Krismas membawa maksud kegembiraan dengan suatu pengharapan baru kepada penganut-penganut agama Kristian. Justeru, saya amat berharap rakan-rakan Kristian kita akan merayakan Krismas tahun ini dalam suasana yang penuh dengan keceriaan dan menghayati pengertian Krismas mengikut ajaran agama Kristian.
Saudara dan saudari yang saya hormati,
Di Sarawak pra-Krismas mewujudkan suasana yang penuh dengan keceriaan khususnya dengan kemunculan perhiasan-perhiasan Krismas di gedung-gedung perniagaan di samping kumpulan-kumpulan kristian mengadakan perarakan sambil menyanyikan lagu-lagu Krismas. Dan saya pasti di gereja bermacam-macam aktiviti kerohanian sedang diadakan untuk menyambut hari yang begitu besarnya makna kepada masyarakat Kristian.
Pada malam sebelum Krismas dan pada hari Krismas masyarakat Kristian akan memenuhi gereja-gereja untuk menghadiri upacara sembahyang. Pada hari Krismas masyarakat kristian juga akan mengadakan rumah terbuka untuk menerima kunjungan ahli keluarga, rakan-rakan dan taulan dalam suasana yang penuh dengan kemesraan.
Sudah menjadi tradisi kita di Sarawak untuk berkunjung ke rumah kawan-kawan atau kenalan kita sempena musim perayaan seperti Krismas walaupun kita berbeza agama, bangsa atau keturunan. Inilah nilai masyarakat kita di Sarawak yang telah kita hayati dan pupuk sekian lama dan merupakan suatu legasi yang diturunkan kepada kita oleh generasi sebelum kita.
Tidak kira apa pegangan agama kita atau pandangan kita mengenai isu-isu tertentu, janganlah kita mengenepikan nilai hormat-menghormati antara sesama kita Anak Sarawak di dalam pergaulan kita pada setiap masa. Bak kata pepatah sedangkan lidah lagi tergigit inikan kita sesama manusia dengan pelbagai ragam dan perbezaan. Namun, kita terus sentiasa rasional dengan tindak-tanduk dan menghindarkan diri daripada mengwujudkan keadaan yang boleh menggugat perpaduan utuh yang telah kita sama-sama bina selama ini.
Dear friends,
I am given to understand that Christmas is about hope to Christians, and likewise our journey to a better Sarawak is also about hope, a fervent hope that in not too distant a future our beloved Land of the Hornbills will be transformed into an advanced economy like other developed economies around the world.
But mere hope is not enough; we have to work in earnest to make things happen in order to achieve our vision of turning Sarawak into a developed and high-income economy by 2030.
We are working on a well-structured roadmap towards 2030 as laid down in the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 or PCDS 2030 to create economic prosperity, ensure that our society is inclusive and that our environment is sustainable.
The fact that the World Bank has affirmed that Sarawak is a high-income economy should speak well of the success of our efforts under the GPS Government thus far but we will not rest on our laurels.
We will continue to strategize our economy to make it dynamic and robust as Sarawak forges ahead with its green economy policy and programmes in line with global efforts to combat global warming.
We have been carrying out a massive programme to enhance road and Internet connectivity to facilitate economic growth which we hope to complete by 2030. This can be seen from the size of our budget which had increased by threefold to RM15.8 billion in 2025 compared to eight years ago, not including allocations under the alternative funding.
As you might have already known, in the next five to 10 years the Sarawak government and the private sector is expected to invest some RM100 billion to implement two massive projects to build a new international airport and a new deep sea port in Kuching. These two massive projects and other large and strategic projects in the offing are designed to propel Sarawak to become a new economic force in the Asian region.
The Sarawak Gas Roadmap (SGR) will see our natural gas being channeled to other parts of the State in a move to ensure that we can use more of our gas to develop our local economy rather than just having our has exported to other countries. Already, PETROS has started to build a RM2 billion 500 MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant project in Miri to boost power supply in Northern Sarawak while pipeline lines are being constructed to supply gas to Samalaju 70 KM away from the gas terminal at Tg Kidurong in Bintulu.
The SGR will also eventually see natural gas being channelled to other parts of Sarawak notably Kuching where there will be another gas terminal at the new proposed deep sea port at Tg. Embang. Gas will also be distributed for domestic use like what is being enjoyed by users in Miri.
This is why Sarawak needs to have full control of its gas supply and distribution in order for us to be able to implement programmes to fully benefit the people of Sarawak without much hindrance. Sarawak has the lawful rights to control the distribution of its natural gas.
Dear friends,
As I used to say, business is not as usual for us anymore. Sarawak needs to create an ecosystem that will usher our economy into a new era of technological and economic advancement much like some countries in the Middle East which used to be nothing but desert, such as UAE.
Besides the new sea port, I am confident that the proposed new international airport in Kuching will add another x-factor to the ecosystem that would make Sarawak attractive to businesses, investment and visitors. We will build the new, seamless airport with our own State funds as we need to expedite its implementation.
The construction of the new airport would make the role of our new airline, upon the take-over of MASWING, become more apparent as our regional carrier to connect Sarawak with regional and other destinations. While acknowledging that an airline is not an easy venture to manage, we have no choice but to invest in the new airline in order to suit our purpose with our own business model. Hoping for existing airlines to accommodate our needs is not an option for us if Sarawak wants to be a well-sought destination for tourists and business people alike.
Dear friends,
In the hope-filled spirit of Christmas, these are some of the strategic assets I would want you to know that Sarawak would be developing and acquiring in the next five to 10 years. It takes time to happen but this is our hope of lifting Sarawak up to a level that would put us on par with other developed countries. No doubt we have to work extra hard to make things happen and avoid being distracted by elements that would rather see us behind them all the time.
This is the time for us Sarawakians to be united and unwavering in our resolve to be a people of courage to determine our own destiny.
Saudara dan saudari yang saya hormati,
Sebagai anak Sarawak kita amat bersyukur kita boleh bersatu dan bekerjasama untuk memajukan Sarawak dan mempertahankan hak Bumi Kenyalang.
Perjuangan kita selama ini untuk mengembalikan dan mempertahankan hak Sarawak bukanlah bererti kita tamak dan cenderung untuk bersengketa. Semua tindak-tanduk kita adalah berdasarkan lunas undang-undang.
Oleh itu bersempena Krismas ini marilah kita merenung sejenak dan membaharui tekad kita untuk terus bersatu dalam menempuh segala cabaran pada masa akan datang.
Akhir kata, sekali lagi saya bagi pihak saya sendiri dan Puan Sri Datuk Amar Juma’ani mengucapkan selamat menyambut hari Krismas kepada seluruh masyarakat Kristian di Sarawak dan selamat menyambut tahun baru 2025 kepada seluruh rakyat Sarawak.
Terima kasih.
