THE LATE TUN ABDUL TAIB CREDITED FOR SARAWAK’S RENEWABLE ENERGY POLICY

KUCHING, May 8 (Bernama) -- Former Sarawak Yang Dipertua Negeri and Chief Minister the late Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud laid the foundation for the state’s renewable energy policy, it was stated here today.

Satok assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki said Sarawak owed the early adoption of its renewable energy policy to the farsightedness of Abdul Taib, who initiated The Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) 16 years ago, in 2008.

He said this provided the backbone to Sarawak’s future economic and development plans.

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“Through SCORE, the central region of Sarawak saw an upturn in fortunes with the investment and implementation of high-impact projects as well as job opportunities to locals.

“The spin-off also included the setting up of three agencies under the Regional Corridor Development Authority (RECODA) - the Upper Rajang Development Agency (URDA), Highland Development Agency (HDA) and the Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA),” he said in his debate in support of the motion of appreciation to Taib at the State Legislative Assembly here.

Ibrahim said these agencies have proven to be successful and that the bottom-up development model whereby planning involved feedback from local communities has been effective.

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“This was to the extent that several other development agencies were set up for the areas of Samarahan, Greater Kuching, Sri Aman and Betong.

“The renewable energy initiative was his (Abdul Taib's) legacy, now continued and enhanced by Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg who pioneered Sarawak’s green economy with emphasis on hydrogen, solar, cascading dams and biomass amongst others,” he said.

Abdul Taib, 87, died in a hospital in Kuala Lumpur on Feb  21. Born on May 21, 1936, Abdul Taib helmed the state as Chief Minister for 33 years.

-- BERNAMA