Sarawak is looking forward to having more mutual collaborations and partnerships with China, especially on leveraging the state’s digital economy initiatives.
In pointing this out, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg sees China as beyond being ‘the factory of the world’ in that it is now on the forefront of new economic and disruptive innovations based on technologies.
He says he has made several trips to China since becoming chief minister in 2017, to learn many things about the meteoric rise of that country to become a world’s economic power, particularly in digital economy.
“We are confident that with their (China’s) support and cooperation, Sarawak would be able to realise the transformation of its economy through digital initiatives……
Selling out to foreign loan sharks is the last dirty trait of kleptocrats. It is what they do when they have finally stripped their own larder bare. Remember, Malaysia’s finance minister has warned of Sarawak’s parlous financial state. Meanwhile, GPS has set about throwing all the money left on desperate vote buying before the state election.
That is why Abang Johari is humbly running to and fro from China.
Let’s be clear, China is not interested in Sarawak because of ‘digital initiatives’ or any other such nonsense, it is interested in Sarawak’s lush land mass (space for it own bursting population) its rich resources and strategic possibilities.
That is the way of most super-powers and it is the job of the Sarawak leadership to defend their people’s interests and not sell out to tempting ‘investments’ backed by ‘soft loans’, which leave the state with a mound debt, whilst (of course) putting plenty of money in the individual pockets of the decision makers themselves to retire on.
China has employed this loan-shark model of economic imperialism throughout Africa and Asia – the present basket case is Sri Lanka, which has been reduced to warring chaos as the once independent country struggles to shake off vast debts and military bases imposed by China thanks to the easy seduction of decision makers who betrayed their people.
Sarawak’s state government has already wasted most of its natural riches thanks to the orgy of recent decades, which have left the family of Taib Mahmud and some mafia-style loggers very rich but the state coffers on the brink of exhaustion. And, in the same way that Najib was willing to accept a Chinese bail out it seems Sarawak’s leaders are willing now to do the same and allow the Chinese state ‘investors’ to move in with their ‘projects’.
The long term price will be the same. A debt stranglehold by the loan-shark super-power from which this little minnow of a country will have little chance to escape. The Abang Johari’s of this world and his venal team of Najib-admirers will not care, because they will get enough payment to retire comfortably in return for selling out their responsibilities.
Sarawak has been ditched before like this. Now is time to take control.