Sarawak's resources stolen because it is not economical for Sarawak to use?

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Borneo Post today: (11 Nov 2007)

Although it is recognised by Sarawak's Chief Minister that Sarawak is still backward, he accepts that resources from Sarawak be used to develop the already developed Malaya more than Sarawak that is in dire needs for development in all aspects, just because it is not economical to spend per population in Sarawak because of Sarawak's remoteness.

In order for Sarawakian to survive, it has to cut more of its trees and open up more plantations, destroying its environments, because its resources are used up to develop Malaya that is already in a much more advanced state of development.

In fact these expenditures of resources that had made Malaya cheaper to develop further than Sarawak. It is much cheaper to develop what is already developed than one that has never been developed. It was not cheap when the British developed Malaya and Sarawak initially. It is now much cheaper to develop Malaya per population because the basic infrastructures are already there. It is the expenditures of resources that had made it more economical to develop Malaya compard to Sarawak, and if more resources were used, it will make it cheaper to develop Sarawak. Sarawak was at a stage of development that Malaya was earlier.

When the British first built the Malayan railways, there was virtually nobody building homes along the railway tracks. It must have been extremely uneconomical in those days, and yet the British had persisted for the sake of long term benefits.

Once the railways were built up, more people will inhabit the towns along the tracks making it more economical to build more roads.

The same thing should happen to Sarawak and Sabah. You first spend money at a less economic rate, in order to develop roads linking major population centres that will allow the areas around the roads to be developed cheaply and economically, increasing productivity.

Actually this is just an excuse to steal the resources of Sarawak and Sabah. In Sabah, there is no attempt to build roads to Tambisan, which is just a few miles from Felda Sahabat Plantations build around the town of Sabahat, and yet, no attempt was ever made to build such road.

It is certainly very economical for everybody because it will allow the fish and small holders in Tambisan to sell their goods to the major population centres. Whereas virtually nobody with little economic prospect areas in Malaya, in the mountainous areass, were developed with billions of ringgit, so the criteria for economic viability per population is never followed.

The reasons why the Paitan and Sapulut roads were build had nothing to do with helping Sabah, but only to help the Malayan planters in the areas to prosper and no expenditure was ever considered for the economic well being of the surrounding very poor people in these areas by extending these roads to their villages, unlike in Malaya where even the tiniest villages with only a few houses are connected to sealed roads.

This is worse than colonisation. This is blatant theft and it can only be bad for Sabah and Sarawak in the long run. The destruction of our natural resources will be even faster. Malaysia is indeed a disaster for Sabah and Sarawak.

The excuse that Malaya will make a good market for Sarawak's renewable resources is just another theft. Out of 12 billion RM, only 4 billion is spent on developing the resources. 8 billion is spent on the transmission to the cruel imperialist Malaya, and the cost is to be take up by Sarawak, along with the destruction of hundreds of acres of prime land and forests, as well as the bio-diversity of Borneo. And worse, these renewable resources are not for sale to Sabah and Sarawak, let alone Indonesian Kalimatan which is nearer and much more economical to sell. Sarawak and Sabah has to settle for more environment destruction such as the huge coal plant at Silam, the site of the Eco-Challenge, and still, Sabah is suffering from lack of electricity and prices much higher than in Malay.

No, this is not colonisation, like the British Colonisation, this is blatant imperialistic theft of resources of Borneo, which is wrong and very destructive to the world. The rich environment of Borneo must be preserved and protected as long as necessary, not to be wasted in order to appease the appetite for the Malayans for cheap resources.