Political Dominance - How Important Is It For A Community?
This article does not seek to ‘explore’ beyond Sarawak’s shores but just the potentials of these two sectors in Sarawak.
Telecommunications - Internet Connectivity
The internet industry in Sarawak can rightly be described as a most lucrative diamond field as the potentials for profits in this industry is boundless.
As the world moved relentlessly forward to the digital economy and the IR.4 era, internet and artificial intelligence becomes increasingly prominent as these two ‘utilities’ are crucial components in the drive to fully embrace the two new normal.
Sarawak is no different.
How big exactly is this ‘diamond field’ that we are looking at? Very briefly, we are looking at plans to construct some 1400 telecommunication by 2022. So far at least 1200 have erected and equipped with devices that enabled communication from one point to another. 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 RM2 billion that is to be made in this diamond field.
Who are the companies that are the first to take off from the starting blocks in the race to mine this fields?
Three local telcos namely PP Telecom Sdn Bhd, Danawa Resources Sdn Bhd and Sacofa Sdn Bhd made it to the news in October 2020, as forerunners in this race.
PP Telecom Sdn Bhd is a telco co-owned by Abang Abdillah Izzarim bin Abang Abd Rahman Zohari. Abang Abdillah owns 8,633,100 shares in the company. 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.If you are wondering why Izzarim’s surname looks very familiar, you are right, it is very familiar. And the connection to the government of Sarawak is hard to miss.
Energy (Oil & Gas)
The front page in the New Sarawak Tribune on the 19th June 2021 screamed “ We’re In Control “ and that is no mean boast, although not just in ways obvious to the eyes and minds of the less savy in matters of connection between big business and government.
The news was about the conditional award by Petros of Sarawak Onshore Block SK433, a natural gas concession, to Petra Energy Development Sdn Bhd and its jv partner, Uzma Engineering Sdn Bhd to develop.
The starring role in this potentially multi-billion profits venture is Petra Energy Development Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of a holding company called Petra Energy Bhd. The executive director of Petra Energy Berhad is Sarawak borned personality, Dato Hj. Ahmadi Bin Yusoff (Ahmadi Bin Yusoff). If you are wondering if Ahmadi Yusoff is a relation of federal minister for works Dato’ Sri Fadillah Yusoff, you are right. He is also the brother to Tan Sri Bustari Yusoff, once described as a mover and shaker in Sarawak and the hands that quietly guides former PM Najib Razak. This former Treasurer of PBB has a wide and diverse business interests, from property and construction to oil & gas to the medical sector and infrastructure development.
You may also want to read up on the appointment of Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari’s deputy in PBB Satok, Ibrahim Baki to the board of directors of Petronas. Ibrahim Baki is the Executive Chairman of Hubline Berhad, a company that was awarded an RM63 million contract to provide air service to the Sarawak Department of Health, in addition to contracts from Petronas.
https://sarawakvoice.com/2020/08/20/petronas-appoints-ibrahim-baki-from-sarawak-as-new-board-member/
Once again, the connection to the government is hard to miss.
As the conversation on a potential dayak CM after the coming PRN gains traction, what are the take home lessons from the examples in the two sectors mentioned above?
First of all, for any community to be actively involved in any sector of the economy, one of the must have prerequisite is political dominance. And so it follows that in order for the dayak community to be able to have a fair share in these diamond fields the dayak community must first have political dominance in Sarawak. This is a prize that has eluded them since the birth of Malaysia in Sept 1963 and the failure to achieve political dominance is the reason why the dayaks are unable to say we are in control.
It is not just a matter of the ability to acquire a fair share in these diamond fields but also in many other areas like employment in the public sector or the civil service and the education sector.
Isn’t the much touted dayaks’ unity in GPS providing the political dominance that the dayaks require in order to be able to mine these diamond fields? The answer can be found in another question. Can an illusion deliver a tangible and measurable result? For truly, the unity spoken of by the dayak leaders in GPS component parties is just an illusion.
There is no denying that there are a handful of dayaks millionaires in Sarawak. Almost all of these dayaks millionaires are a result of a system of patronage where the holders of the keys to economic prosperity are not from the dayak community. These millionaires are either leaders in the GPS coalition or cronies of these leaders. The vast majority of the dayaks are to be found in the so-called B40 households and they are mostly rural based.
An as we moved closer to the PRN-12, this message is timely : Dayaks, Reneng Renung Lah.
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