KUCHING – Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Abdul Rahman Zohari Tun Datuk Abang Openg has linked the state’s ability to pursue its development priorities to stable relations between communities, saying progress should benefit people of all racial backgrounds.
Speaking at the Federation of Chinese Associations Sarawak (FCAS) installation ceremony and dinner in Kuching on Tuesday, he said harmony and cooperation within Sarawak’s multiracial society provided a foundation for sustained development.
âThis situation allows Sarawak to remain stable, enabling us to focus on the stateâs development for the benefit of every community in Sarawak,â he said.
Abang Zohari said the government’s approach to development did not distinguish between communities on the basis of race. Instead, it sought to give all communities opportunities to participate in the state’s economic development and share in its progress.
His remarks placed both participation and the distribution of benefits at the centre of that approach. The emphasis was not only on advancing the state economy, but also on ensuring that opportunities remained open across racial backgrounds.
He also stressed the importance of continued cooperation between communities as Sarawak responds to economic change and an increasingly challenging global environment. Working together, he said, was necessary for society to move forward collectively.
The address connected social harmony with the government’s capacity to concentrate on development. In the Premier’s account, stability gives the administration room to pursue its priorities, while close relations between communities help sustain that environment.
That distinction gives the message a broader focus than economic progress alone. It presents cooperation as a condition supporting development, rather than treating harmony and economic participation as separate concerns.
For a multiracial society, inclusive development involves considering both access to opportunities and how the gains from progress reach different communities. These are related but distinct considerations: participation concerns people’s ability to contribute, while shared benefits concern the outcomes of development.
The Premier’s remarks addressed both aspects by linking opportunities for involvement with the expectation that progress should serve the wider community. His call for cooperation also extended beyond the community represented at the dinner to Sarawak society as a whole.
The FCAS gathering provided the setting for that statewide message. Although delivered at a Chinese associations event, the address focused on relations among communities and their shared role in the state’s future.
Also attending were Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Professor Dr Sim Kui Hian, FCAS president Dato Sri Richard Wee and Federation of Chinese Associations Malaysia president Dato Lim Kah Chuan. â Sarawak Daily
