Increase GDP, reduce poverty for Sarawak to prosper - Abdul Taib

KUCHING, May 12  -- Efforts must continue to be made to further increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income in Sarawak, besides reducing poverty, so as to enable the state to be the most prosperous by 2030.

The Yang Di-pertua Negeri of Sarawak Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud said Sarawak’s GDP was now at RM121,814, with the per capita income at RM44,990 and the rate of poverty at less than three per cent.

"At one time, Sarawak had a per capita income of only RM4,000 and now it has jumped to more than RM40,000, that's an increase of more than 10 times,” he said in his message in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri, which will be celebrated tomorrow.

He said the state government was in the midst of implementing a long-term development programme known as Sarawak Socio-Economic Transformation Plan (SETP) 2016-2030 aimed at expediting the income growth and reducing the income gap among the people.

“It will place emphasis on efforts to create opportunities to build a high-income economy with existing resources and improve the industries in the state,” he said.

Abdul Taib also urged the public to be thankful that they can still celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri in a peaceful manner despite the new reality of the situation due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said that since the threat of COVID-19 was still prevalent, the people of Sarawak must continue to comply with the conditions for the sake of their own health and that of the general public so that the state’s political stability could be maintained as the basis to drive its social and economic development.

-- BERNAMA