Developing economic hope for Sabah & Sarawak people

Last June, Petronas made two significant gas discoveries offshore Sabah, prompting them to come in with enormous investments to tap out the ever dwindling and high in demand resources. The state of Sabah and Sarawak has always been the spot for rich resources such as this, and the federal government waste no time to monetize from our own resources.

Question now, what is it in for Sabahan and Sarawakian people? I always heard the news that more of the revenue goes to the federal government and little to nothing left for our own people. But let’s not justify the current situation only because of this.

In recent news, the massive Sabah-Sarawak Gas Pipeline (SSGP) will create many positive economic values for both states, as explained by Dr Shahren Ahmad Zaidi Adruce. Dr Shahren from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) conducted a research on social impact study on the communities living within the vicinity of the project area; he stated that the development would create new economic activity for the people.

Maybe for many people, this is just another story in the newspaper worthy enough to be “Kedai Kopi” chit-chat. I see it in a different way; this is a golden opportunities that simply cannot be ignored by our local people.

When a development occurs in one area, job employment rates will go higher thus giving opportunities for the locals to get a better job. What I don’t like to see is these jobs falls into the hands of immigrant workers.

These opportunities should be in the hands of the younger generations, but then again these young people should not be so picky in terms of getting a job either. If only they would have realized this and think critically about what this development can benefit them, they wouldn’t end up living poor for the rest of their lives doing odd jobs to survive.

I am positive that this development by Petronas will give a significant value to our people, its our turn to grasp this opportunity and make the best of it. No one is stopping us from getting it, lets hope for a great future for the new generations.

When a development occurs in one area, job employment rates will go higher thus giving opportunities for the locals to get a better job.