KUCHING: It is important to close the gap between the rich and the poor in Sarawak, said Datuk Jonathan Chai.
The secretary-general of Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Sarawak (ACCCIS) said that if the gap is not closed between the rich and poor, Sarawak’s recent achievement as a high income state would be meaningless.
“Having said that, I think it is important for Sarawakians to feel that their income has increased and that their standard of living has improved.
“Under the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS 2030), one of the main objectives is to raise the average monthly household income from RM4,544 in 2019 to RM15,047 in 2030, it’s no easy task but not unachievable, especially following the latest accreditation from the World Bank,” he told New Sarawak Tribune.
He said that with the sharp increase of revenue collected by the state government in recent years, more development projects in Sarawak can be expected which would raise the standard of living in the rural area.
“The increased amount of revenue is also due to the SST that is imposed on petroleum products in particular, and more will be expected from the production of hydrogen, sale of electricity and carbon storage among others.
“With the anticipated launch of the sovereign wealth fund, we hope that it would also help to boost the household income of all Sarawakians,” he added.
Earlier, Sarawak has achieved high income status according to the new World Bank country classifications by income level for 2022-2023, by having a gross national income (GNI) per capita of more than US$13,205.
According to World Bank Lead Economist Malaysia Apurva Sanghi, the latest high income data released by the World Bank on July 1 revealed that Sarawak has achieved high income state status.
