Wednesday, December 22, 2010

POLITICAL ECONOMY: The Road Ahead for Sabah

Illegal Immigrant Issue

I have done a little research to find out where are the possible areas in the Philippines and Indonesia that these illegal immigrants are coming from. Of course, southern Mindanao and the islands of Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Mapun and the seven Turtle Islands (of Boan, Lihiman, Langaan, Great Bakkungan, Taganak, Baguan and one nameless island) as well as Palawan and Balabac first come to mind.

As for Indonesia, besides Kalimantan, I suspect Natuna and Anambas and islands of the Riau archipelago.

I have posted links to write-ups of these places on my FB wall. Would appreciate some feedback in terms of evidence so that we get our facts right to use as ammunition for the next General Elections. Many thanks!

Together, we achieve more with less.

Democracy is government by the people, for the people.

Oligarchy is government by the few, for them and their cronies only.

If we choose democracy, then we must get it clear in our heads that people come in all shapes and sizes and also with every opinion under the sun. To have a one-size-fits-all policy that pleases everyone is impossible. To have a popular policy that pleases most of the people is also not the best solution. This is because, by their nature, popular policies are short-term and well, frankly, simply vote-buying tactics.


Sustainable Development

What voters and politicians both need to understand is that we need sustainable policies for the long-term, not just with five-year horizons. Just as we do not inherit this Earth from our ancestors but borrow it from our grandchildren, we have to make difficult, even painful, choices for the sake of our sons, daughters and their grandchildren.

Saying "No!" to a coal-fired power plant is one such choice. The price to pay is perhaps power blackouts in the short-term, like what SESB and TNB are saying. It may mean less industrial development and less blue-collar jobs.


The Road Ahead and Way Forward

What we need to do is have a different economic model, one not based on industry but on agriculture and eco-tourism, just like New Zealand. With a population similar to Sabah, long distance from global markets, New Zealand made the choice to not industrialize but to turn its pristine natural beauty into its economic assets. No tourist coming back from New Zealand is not impressed. Everyone has enjoyed a good beef steak or lamb chop from NZ farms (the non-vegetarians among us, that is).

By contrast, why is the local beef or kerbau farming industry so far behind by comparison to New Zealand? I personally find kerbau meat tastier and more tender than beef. Why are we not exploiting kerbau farming as a business activity?

We must focus on making these difficult choices in planning the road ahead. Oil and gas will not last forever. Protesting about petrol subsidy removal is really, when you look at the big picture, just a small side issue.


Questions to Which We Must Find Solutions

What we really need to focus on are issues like:

• How best to develop eco-tourism in Sabah?
• How best to maintain security in Sabah so that we don't get Abu Sayyaf terrorists kidnapping people from island resorts like Sipadan, Mabul and the Turtle Islands Marine Park?
• How best to ensure food security in Sabah?
• Sugar prices are high. Can we grow sugarcane in Sabah? Why not?
• Why is there no agricultural college in Sabah?
• Why are we not commercializing our unique agricultural products like beras wangi, beras hitam, beras merah, toohau, latuk, pisang tembaga, durian merah, Babagon pineapples?
• Why is there no scientific research or agricultural promotion to protect these biodiversity and grow them on a wider scale?
• Are we conducting sustainable fishery or just marine harvesting?
• What are we doing about dynamite fishing?
• Why are we allowing state agencies like SESB destroy our marine parks?
• What sustainable power-generating technologies can we implement now? Mini-hydro? in the medium term? in the long term?

I am sure you would be pleased to add your own to this growing list of questions...

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