KOTA KINABALU, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Tuesday announced an additional allocation of RM5 billion for high impact projects identified in Sabah under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP).
Officiating the action plan for the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) at the Teluk Sepanggar container port near here, he said the allocation will be prepared during the mid-term review of the 9MP.
The government had earlier allocated RM11.4 billion to implement projects in Sabah during the five-year period of the 9MP with the focus on agriculture, human resource development and tourism.
Abdullah also said that the government will announce a package of incentives to develop the sectors and programmes given priority under the SDC.
"The government will announce a series of incentives for those interested to participate in the development of Sabah and those bringing investments to the state," he said.
"And especially for our foreign friends who want to be here, this is a land of opportunity to do well and enjoy some benefits on the return of their investments."
Abdullah said a special implementation body, the Sabah Economic Development Investment Authority or SEDIA, will be set up to oversee the direction of the SDC.
"The planning has been detailed and comprehensive. The people's hopes are high. Hopefully, our dream today can become a bright legacy for the future generation," he said.
-- BERNAMA
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Additional RM5 Billion Allocation For High Impact Projects In Sabah
Sabah Moves Into High Gear To Launch SDC
KOTA KINABALU, Jan 28 (Bernama) -- Word has spread. The much- awaited event deemed to be very significant for the state -- the launch of the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) -- takes place tomorrow at the Sepanggar Bay Container Port near here.
Banners bearing the portraits of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman with brief information on the launch are noticeable along major roads leading to the Sepanggar Bay Container Port while the giant billboards on the occasion have been positioned at strategic locations.
The 18-year plan from 2008 to 2025, to be launched by Abdullah, will not only benefit the business community but most importantly all the people of Sabah, a resource-rich state.
The SDC is the fourth economic corridor to be launched in Malaysia, after the Iskandar Development Region in southern Johor (IDR), Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER) and East Coast Economic Region (ECER).
The SDC will cover every corner of the state to ensure that everyone in the state gets to enjoy the benefits it brings.
"What we like to see that it (SDC) benefits the locals but also open up avenues for foreign participation," said Institute for Development Studies Sabah (IDS) executive director Datuk Mohd Yaakob Johari, who is the consultant for the SDC blueprint.
The implementation of prioritised programmes under the SDC is also expected to increase Sabah's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) almost four-fold from RM16 billion in 2006 to RM63.26 billion in 2025.
More than 900,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the 18-year SDC implementation period.
The sectors being promoted under the SDC initiative are agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and logistics.
The SDC aims to multiply the agriculture sector's GDP contribution by 4.1times to RM17 billion, increase total value of exports from RM9.1 billion to RM60 billion and reduce the negative balance of trade in food by 60 percent to RM353 million.
Three agriculture-based projects -- National Marine Aquaculture Centre, National Breeding Centre and Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct -- have been identified as mega agriculture projects to be given a strong push in the SDC.
"We want to take these 18 years (period of the SDC) to eradicate poverty and enhance the livelihood of people in the agricultural sector," said State Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Ismail.
The SDC targets the tourism receipts to soar to RM48.5 billion by 2025 from just RM2.88 billion in 2006.
Among the SDC's highlights for tourism development is marketing Sabah as an exclusive holiday home destination, developing new tourism products anchored by signature resorts, encouraging rural participation through community-based tourism and developing a one-district one-product programme.
In the manufacturing sector, the oil & gas and biomass recovery sectors will be among the priority sectors.
A new industrial park -- Sipitang Industrial Park which is earmarked for gas-based and shipbuilding-related projects -- will take off following the launch of SDC.
The manufacturing sector targets by 2025 to boost capital investments to RM2.96 billion from RM208 million in 2006.
Strategies have been outlined for the logistics sector to address the current high cost of doing business which includes the establishment of the Sepanggar Free Zone adjacent to the Sepanggar Bay Container Port.
-- BERNAMA
Friday, January 25, 2008
Sabah - An Introduction
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sabah is a Malaysian state located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in Malaysia after Sarawak, which it borders with on its south-west. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south. Sabah used to be a British crown colony known as North Borneo prior to partnership with Federation of Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore to form the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. Its state capital is Kota Kinabalu, formerly known as Jesselton. Sabah is known as Sabah, negeri di bawah bayu, which means 'Sabah, land below the wind', because of its location being just south of the typhoon prone region around the Philippines.
Geography
The western part of Sabah is generally mountainous, containing the three highest mountains in Malaysia. The most prominent range is the Crocker Range which houses several mountains of varying height from about 1,000 metres to 4,000 metres. At the height of 4,095 metres, Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in Malaysia and the second highest in Southeast Asia after Puncak Jaya in Indonesia. While the government of Malaysia officially considers it the highest mountain in Southeast Asia, there are counterclaims that Puncak Jaya is the highest mountain. The argument centres around whether New Guinea could be considered a part of Southeast Asia. So far there is no precise consensus on this, and the view that Mount Kinabalu is indeed the tallest mountain in Southeast Asia is more prevalent. The jungles of Sabah are classified as rainforests and host a diverse array of plant and animal species. Kinabalu National Park was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2000 because of its richness in plant diversity combined with its unique geological, topographical, and climatic conditions.
Lying nearby Mount Kinabalu is Mount Tambuyukon. At a height of 2,579 metres, it is the third highest peak in the country. Adjacent to the Crocker Range is the Trus Madi Range which houses the second highest peak in the country, Mount Trus Madi, at a height of 2,642 metres. There are lower ranges of hills extending towards the western coasts, southern plains, and the interior or central part of Sabah. These mountains and hills are traversed by an extensive network of river valleys and are in most cases covered with dense rainforest.
The central and eastern portion of Sabah are generally lower mountain ranges and plains with occasional hills. Kinabatangan River begins from the western ranges and snakes its way through the central region towards the east coast out into the Sulu Sea. It is the second longest river in Malaysia after Rejang River at a length of 560 kilometres. The forests surrounding the river valley also contains an array of wildlife habitats, and is the largest forest-covered floodplain in Malaysia.
Other important wildlife regions in Sabah include Maliau Basin, Danum Valley, Tabin, and Sepilok. These places are either designated as national parks, wildlife reserves, virgin jungle reserves, or protection forest reserve.
Over three quarters of the human population inhabit the coastal plains. Major towns and urban centers have sprouted along the coasts of Sabah. The interior region remains sparsely populated with only villages, and the occasional small towns or townships.
Beyond the coasts of Sabah lies a number of islands and coral reefs, including the largest island in Malaysia, Pulau Banggi. Other larger islands include, Pulau Jambongan, Pulau Balambangan, Pulau Timbun Mata, Pulau Bumbun, and Pulau Sebatik. Other popular island mainly for tourism are, Pulau Sipadan, Pulau Selingan, Pulau Gaya, Pulau Tiga, Pulau Layang-Layang, and many more.
Economy
Sabah's economy was traditionally heavily lumber dependent, based on export of tropical timber, but with increasing depletion of the natural forests and ecological efforts to save remaining natural rainforest areas, palm oil has emerged as a more sustainable resource. Other agricultural products important in the Sabah economy include rubber and cacao. Tourism is currently the second largest contributor to the economy. There are other exports; like seafood & vegetable.
In 1970, Sabah ranked as one of the richest states in the federation, with a per capita GDP second only to Selangor (which then included Kuala Lumpur).[14] However, despite its vast wealth of natural resources, Sabah is currently the poorest of Malaysia's states. Average incomes are now among the lowest in Malaysia, and with a considerably higher cost of living than in West Malaysia. In 2000, Sabah had an unemployment rate of 5.6 per cent - the highest of any Malaysian state and almost twice the national average of 3.1 per cent. The state has the highest poverty level in the country at 16 per cent, more than three times the national average. Part of the problem is the inequitable distribution of wealth between the State and the Federal government, and large numbers of illegal immigrants from Indonesia, Philippines, even East Timor, whose population was estimated to be in the region of half a million people. In 2004, the poverty level worsened to 22 per cent.
The recent tabling of Ninth Malaysia Plan has allocated RM16.908 billion for Sabah, the second highest state allocation after Sarawak's but it is still only 8% of the total national budget for a population of Sabah of more than 13%, and area of more than 25%.
The fund is pledged to improve the state's rural areas, improving the state's transportation and utilities infrastructures and boosting the economy of Sabah. The government has placed its focus on three major areas of the economy which have the potential to be Sabah's growth engine. These are agriculture, manufacturing and tourism.
Urban centers and ports
There are currently 7 ports in Sabah: Kota Kinabalu Port, Sepanggar Bay Container Port, Sandakan Port, Tawau Port, Kudat Port, Kunak Port, and Lahad Datu Port. These ports are operated and maintained by Sabah Ports Authority.[19] The major towns and city are:
| Rank | City | Population [20] |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kota Kinabalu | 532,129 |
| 2 | Sandakan | 448,074 |
| 3 | Tawau | 349,962 |
| 4 | Lahad Datu | 119,938 |
| 5 | Keningau | 97,152 |
| 6 | Semporna | 71,157 |
| 7 | Kudat | 34,481 |
Tourism
Tourism, particularly eco-tourism, is a major contributor to the economy of Sabah. In 2006, 2 million tourists visited Sabah[21] and it is estimated that the number will continue to rise following rigorous promotional activities by the state and national tourism boards and also better stability and security in the region. Sabah currently has 6 national parks. One of it, the Kinabalu National Park, was designated as a World Heritage Site in 2000. It is the first of two sites in Malaysia to obtain the status, the other being the Gunung Mulu National Park in Sarawak. These parks are maintained and controlled by Sabah Parks as under the Parks Enactment 1984. Sabah Wildlife Department also has conservation, utilization, and management responsibility.[22]
National Parks
- Mount Kinabalu National Park - the second highest mountain in Southeast Asia with an altitude of 4,101 metres (13,455 ft). It is only lower than Puncak Jaya in Irian Jaya on the island of New Guinea, Indonesia at 4,884 metres.
- Turtle Islands Park - conservation efforts for endangered sea turtles
- Tunku Abdul Rahman Park - A National Park consisting of five islands off the coast of Kota Kinabalu
- Pulau Tiga National Park
- Crocker Range National Park
- Tawau Hills Park