IN his the 2019 budget speech, Sabah Chief Minister Shafie Apdal unveiled a thrust for a green economy. The RM4.16 billion budget was optimistic in creating more jobs, something that Sabah sorely needs, and developing downstream industries. A total of RM1.6 billion of this budget was to come from oil royalties, and part of the balance from crude palm oil tax and timber royalties.

While we applaud Shafie’s focus on a sustainable economy, the fact that almost 40% of the budget allocation comes from oil royalties is something we should be concerned about for the sake of sustainability itself. The Economic Affairs Ministry has stated that oil and gas reserves will be depleted by 2029 – in 10 years. Alternative, sustainable routes of funding should be seeded right now for the future of Sabah.

In line with this, the chief minister went to China and signed RM20 billion in agreements. This would be the ideal thing to do in terms of trying to spur development, but in hindsight, is this the right thing to do, knowing China investors and the debt trap phenomenon that invariably affects countries involved in big business deals with China? Countries like Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zambia, Laos and Tonga have all received investment loans from China only to find themselves giving much more than money to pay off these debts.

Knowing that the state of Sabah is currently facing high unemployment rates, we can understand the challenges the state is facing in trying to solve this issue. Last year, Sabah recorded the highest number of unemployed graduates in the country, and their pleas for employment were so intense that it caused an assemblyman, Jenifer Lasimbang, to lash out on Facebook, stating that she was sick and tired of graduates and their parents pestering her for jobs. Unfortunately for the assemblyman, it remains the state’s responsibility to encourage employment growth. 

Taking all that into account, we have to question the strategy currently being employed. Yes, it may seem to be the best short-term measure but in the long term, will it work? From the East Coast Rail Line project, we know that typically, for projects undertaken by the Chinese around the world, it is usually demanded that China contractors be used for every aspect of work: from the actual construction right down to the tea lady, including food supply vendors. They are likely to be Chinese nationals hired by the China investor, shipped in to keep costs down. Where does this leave the locals? Where does this leave the local economy? Local companies, such as the country’s national oil company, bring other benefits to areas in which they carry out projects – schools are built, roads are developed, new infrastructure is established, charitable works are carried out under corporate or social responsibility programmes.

The state can resolve these issues by embarking on strategic green economy projects, as highlighted by Shafie in his budget speech last year. He said that the state would pursue projects that catered to both the need for conservation as well as the need for development in its pursuit of a green economy. This included putting into place policies that would help address global warming. 

Buzzwords surrounding the green agenda relate mostly to the greening of the economy: sustainability, biosustainability, circular economy, biotechnology hubs and the like. All these can easily apply to Sabah. There is vast potential in its forests, despite the pillaging of the previous government, and our future should look in this direction. We have all the tools that are necessary to support ourselves right here.

For example, Sabah can look into developing a bio hub, as was done in Finland. A local company is set to build a bioproduct mill that includes the largest wood-processing unit in the Northern hemisphere, and everything is built with 100% utilisation of raw wood material, and the mill itself will generate bioenergy. On top of all that, investments in this project amount to RM7.99 billion, and will increase Finland’s annual income by about RM2.82 billion. A similar project would not only put Sabah at the forefront of sustainable and green economic development, but also establish the country’s first business model premised on the green economy.

The state could identify capable local entrepreneurs able to establish smart partnerships with global conglomerates and contribute to Sabah’s future growth strategies by capitalising on existing natural resources. Local investors would be more respectful of our need to care and conserve the forests, as they will be beholden to the state’s laws, unlike international companies, whose involvement could result in the state being mired in controversy when illegal logging and other illicit forest-related activities occur without an answerable culprit.

At the end of the day, Sabah has to move away from the dependency on oil royalties and, as for now, there is no concrete plan when it comes to that. We can only wait and see with the new green budget agenda. – August 9, 2019.

* Mutiara Alan, a Sabahan university student, reads The Malaysian Insight.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.