TAKING NAJIB’S CUE – ABANG JO NOW RUNNING TO & FRO TO KOW-TOW TO MIGHTY CHINA: WHAT NEXT WILL TAIB MAHMUD’S KLEPTOCRATS SELL AWAY?

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.

Abang Johari: Sarawak must comply with international timber sustainability standards

KUCHING: Sarawak is serious about complying with international timber sustainability standards, says Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.

The Chief Minister said he did not want the state’s timber to face issues such as of boycotts or misunderstanding like what palm oil faces today.

“If we don’t comply with international standards on sustainability, people will boycott our products.

“We do not want this to affect our timber industry,” he said when opening the Sarawak Timber and SME Expo 2019 at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching on Thursday (June 27).

To ensure that timber concessions are managed sustainably, Abang Johari said the state government had made it mandatory for all long-term forest timber licences to obtain forest management certification by 2022.

“This certification will provide concrete and verifiable evidence that the forest management unit is being managed on a sustainable basis.

“This initiative will not only widen the market access and acceptance for our timber products, but will also enhance the state’s image on forest management globally,” he said.

Abang Johari also called on holders of licences for planted forests (LPF) to step up their planting of industrial forests.

He said the state government had revised the target of achieving one million hectares of planted forests to 2025.

“LPF holders must make strong efforts to comply with the state government’s policy as it is for their own good,” he said.

It was previously reported that the target was reset from 2020 to 2025 due to slow planting progress, with about 420,146 hectares planted so far.

Abang Johari said the industrial forest policy aimed to mitigate the issue of depleting natural forest resources on a long-term basis.

“The objective is to reduce pressure on natural forests and to ensure sustainable supply of raw materials for the timber industry,” he said. – ANN

– SARAWAK REPORT