MIRI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has expressed strong confidence in Sarawak’s future direction, particularly its economic vision and efforts to tackle poverty through education, says Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
He said the ADB’s leadership had invited him to Manila last week to share Sarawak’s future development plans and economic direction.
“I was invited by the Asian Development Bank to share with its president and board on the future for Sarawak. They asked, ‘Can you share with us your future of Sarawak?’ and said they were very impressed with the vision of Sarawak,” he said this in his speech during the Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB) Northern Zone Special Convention 2026 at Miri Indoor Stadium here today (Sept 13).
He said he also shared with the ADB the State’s approach to reducing poverty and improving household income, including the model adopted to empower families through education.
He said his approach was influenced by economist Ruchir Sharma’s book The Rise and Fall of Nations, which examines the development and economic progress of countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.
“After reading it, for me, the only way is through education. Only education can improve the quality of children and families and change the problem of poverty,” he said.
Abang Johari said Sarawak had been recognised as a high-income economy since 2022, ahead of Malaysia as a whole, but stressed that this achievement must be accompanied by improvements in household income.
He said the state government is therefore focusing on empowering families and ensuring their children have better access to education.
“The answer is to empower the family and empower their children because their parents did not have the opportunity to go to school before, but their children now have access to education up to university,” he said.
Abang Johari said the Sarawak government, under the leadership of Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), had therefore introduced free tertiary education for Sarawakian students.
He said the initiative is aimed at ensuring that financial background would not prevent Sarawakian youths from pursuing higher education.
“We provide free education to Sarawakian children at university level, regardless of their background. Whether they are poor or not wealthy, as long as they can continue their studies to university,” he said.
