BINTULU, July 23 — Sarawak continues to be recognised by the World Bank as a high-income region in 2023, said Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.

He said the World Bank Malaysia has confirmed that Sarawak still maintains its status as a high-income region, with a gross national income (GNI) of US$17,000 compared to US$15,000 in the previous year.

"With a non-conventional approach, Sarawak can determine its own economic direction that revolves around economic initiatives that are closely related to the global effort to deal with climate change.

"This was proven when Sarawak became the first region in the country to take steps to move its economy towards a green economy and transition to clean energy from carbon while adding value to the state’s natural resources,” he said during the Sarawak Day 2024 celebration in Bintulu last night.

Abang Johari said this green economic policy has highlighted many opportunities to transform the state’s economy in terms of increasing foreign and local investment as is and will happen in Bintulu.

He officially opened Sarawak’s first wholly-owned Methanol Plant in Tanjung Kidurong yesterday with the aim of increasing the added value of Sarawak gas thus generating the state’s economy.

"Tanjung Kidurong will see more investment by giant companies such as Petronas, Shell, Samsung, Sumitomo and others in the next six to 10 years.

"I am confident that Sarawak’s economy will continue to grow as a whole with the development of Tanjung Kidurong as the hub of Sarawak’s gas industry and Samalaju as an industrial area based on intensive energy use.

"Therefore, I am also confident that Sarawak’s economy will continue to grow in the period up to 2030 and up to 2050 and strengthen Sarawak’s status as a high-income economy,” he said.

Abang Johari said the recognition from the World Bank is not the final goal of the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) Government.

"A high level of GNI does not mean that the income of every household of our people is high. This situation should not be politicised but what is more important is to implement efforts to deal with these shortcomings both at the state level and at the federal level.

"The GPS Government’s current focus is to increase the median household income in Sarawak (or Median Household Income) which is at the level of RM4,978 compared to the national rate at the level of RM6,338,” he said.

He was confident with the measures to transform Sarawak’s economy that are being implemented and will be implemented, the state will strive to improve the current level to surpass the national rate. — The Borneo Post