The King Prawn Behind The Pebble

 Udang Galah Bersembunyi DiBelakang Batu Kecil

(The King Prawn Behind The Pebble)

Since Feb 2020 we the rakyat have been up to our noses with the acts of betrayal by people we elected to high office. Our hopes for a better Malaysia, a better Sarawak and better future were routinely trampled upon and dashed. We are left to wonder if, from funeral pyre of our regrets and disappointment , we can, like the proverbial pheonix rise from the ashes of our broken dreams and hopes?

Eversince he took office as Chief Minister of Sarawak in Jan 2017,Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari has spoken strongly about I.R4, digital economy, artificial intelligence, wider internet coverage and higher speed internet. When the COVID.19 pandemic took the world on a roller coaster ride, dragging the whole world into a recession, Abang Jo’s voice on the internet of things in Sarawak was welcomed with an audible sigh of relief. Not unlike the many diehard fans of Abang Jo and GPS, I too found myself saying terbaik lah Abang Johari, ketua menteri yg perihatin dan berjiwa rakyat. I was relief to know that my grandchildren whose studies were disrupted by the MCO SOPs would be able to continue their lessons with online classes. The folks of Kpg Remun in Serian are quite fortunate as we do enjoy a decent speed internet service. 

And in my rather infrequent socmed comments I did say thank you to CM Abang Johari because the internet services for the rural areas seems to feature quite prominently in the plans he put forth. Under the COVID.19 conditions that we are now in, his announcements and plans were very much welcomed news as rural based students will not be so left out from learning and rural folks with something to sell will have an avenue through which they can reach consumers. 

It was not too long before I discovered that all those talks about dramatically increasing internet coverage and internet speed in Sarawak were merely pebbled walls building, to hide a giant king prawn. They were articulated to mask the self-serving agendas of the elites of Sarawak, people whose existing wealth can easily last at least 3 generations. I must say that the COVID.19 pandemic has provided a very opportune time for Abang Johari as it provided the best pebble for the king prawn to hide behind.

The internet industry in Sarawak can rightly be described as a most lucartive diamond field as the potentials for profits is boundless.And this diamond field that is the internet industry in Sarawak is even going to take away some of the lustre from the Pan Borneo project. It is the king prawn struggling to hide a pebble in clear water. 

How big exactly is this udang galah that we are looking at? Very briefly, we are looking at plans to construct 1400 telecommunication towers with 600 targeted to be completed by 2020. So far 184 have completed. The complete ‘hardware’ picture will include fibre optic cables and the other enabling components. In line with Sarawak’s digital economy ambitions, CM Abang Johari had spoken about upgrading internet speed in Sarawak to 2 terrabits per second (2000 Gbps. Think real time 5G internet). So far Abang Johari has pinned RM1 billion to this ambition. Lately, RM50 million was mentioned, for the construction and installation of VSAT network. He further mentioned that he is hoping that the federal government will match the RM1 billion by the Sarawak government. We are therefore looking at least RM2 billion that is to be made in this diamond field.

The diamond field that is the internet industry in Sarawak is going to take away some of the lustre from the Pan Borneo project. It is the king prawn struggling to hide a pebble in clear water. 

I am moved to offer, albeit very grudgingly, my congratulations to 3 local telcos namely PP Telecom Sdn Bhd, Danawa Resources Sdn Bhd and Sacofa Sdn Bhd. These are the first three to be at the starting blocks for the 100 meters dash to the potential RM2 billion udang galah. 

c is a telco co-owned by Abang Abdillah Izzarim bin Abang Abd Rahman Zohari. Abang Abdillah owns 8,633,100 shares in the company. Abang Abdillah Izzarim is the son of Sarawak’s chief minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg. Izzarim incidentally is also a director/shareholder in Borneo Seaoffshore Engineering Sdn Bhd. Borneo Seaoffshore and its jv partner Handal Resources Bhd were given a RM300 million contract by Petronas Carigali in June 2015.

https://www.theedgemarkets.com/article/handal-jv-bags-rm360m-j

The other substantial shareholder in PP Telecom Sdn Bhd is Dato Stanley Ling Tiung Leng, founder and President of the Asia-China Entrepreneurs Association (ACEA), an association with strong ties to the business community in China.

PP Telecommunication Sdn Bhd (PPTEL) has big ambition and plans to set up an internet data exchange hub at a cost of US$20 million (RM80 million) in Kuching, to provide the vital link for the state’s digital economy to take off.

According to its executive director Dato Stanley Ling Tiung Leng, the private initiative is to tap the state’s huge potential in digital economy as well as the relatively competitive cost energy source, which is crucial for the data hub to operate.

http://pptelecom.com.my/news/2018/PPTEL-to-set-up-RM80-mln-Internet-data-exchange-hub

Danawa Resources Sdn Bhd is majority owned by Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi, Chairman of Naim Holding Bhd. He is a cousin of Sarawak’s TYT Pehin Seri Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud. Naim Holdings Berhad is one of the contractors for the Pan Borneo Highway project.

https://www.naim.com.my/press-releases/pan-borneo-highway-project-upskills-local-talent/

SACOFA Sdn Bhd is the telco principally responsible for building telecommunication towers in Sarawak and is 50% owned by Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS) Bhd. In Jan 2019, Borneo Post reported that SACOFA is on track to build 600 towers through out Sarawak. 

https://www.theborneopost.com/2019/01/06/sacofa-on-track-to-construct-600-telco-towers-in-swak-this-year/

On the 8th Oct 2020, the New Sarawak Tribune reported that PP Telecom Sdn Bhd and Danawa Resources Sdn Bhd had signed MOUs with SACOFA, to collaborate to further enhance telecommunication services in Sarawak. PP Telecom Sdn Bhd will play a pivotal role in building the underlying infrastructure to support the digital economy through high capacity submarine connectivity.

My disillusionment with politicians is complete and my disappointment is suffocating. Finally it dawned upon me why the logo of a certain political grouping is that of a dismembered bird, without heart and stomach. I am reminded of a malay peribahasa tidak berhati perut and its meaning.

I asked my kopi o’ friends how I should or rather how we should respond to this and I was stunned by their almost unanimous reply. Vote for a change in the coming PRN. Let us give Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) a chance to prove their worth.