Pelagoose

LAWAS: Drug abuse, one of vices besetting the ‘northern gateway, is a major headache faced by the authorities here.

According to a reliable source, besides drug abuse, other major vices were prostitution, cyber gambling, smuggling, illegal immigrants and theft.

He said Lawas was a major ‘gateway’ for drugs smuggled into Sarawak from Sabah.

“My own son is a drug addict. I have bailed him out a few times. The latest case happened only two weeks ago but I refused to pay. However, he was bailed out by someone whom I do not know,” the source told BAT6 here yesterday.

The source actually refused to comment but after an assurance from BAT6 that his name would not be exposed, he was willing to be interviewed.

According to him, the drugs-related problem here now even penetrated secondary schools as the drug pushers even asked the students to sell the drugs to their school mates.

“I heard from my son syabu or common known as ‘ice’ by the locals is sold RM50 per straw and it is very popular among the students,” he said.

He hoped the higher authority in the police force would allow their officers to be stationed here for only two years.

“I don’t want to point finger at anybody. But suffice for me to recommend that police officers with the rank of inspector and above be stationed here not more than two years to minimise them from getting ‘rooted’ here thereby they would not be able to enforce the law effectively.”

The source also revealed that the majority of drug addicts here were unemployed youths and thus would be involved in petty thefts to sustain their lifestyle.

“You can imagine for yourself that if they don’t have any money, then they would steal. Before, we were able to say that Lawas was a safe town. But now, even my LPG cylinder could just disappear from the kitchen. This is how Lawas has turned into.”

Besides drugs, Lawas was also associated with prostitution, the source added.

“Actually, I don’t want to say negative thing about our people. But that’s the reality. Most of prostitutes here come from the highlands and almost all of them are divorced women.”

Lawas is also a well-known den for cyber gambling.

“My son admitted to me that he is always working for the cyber gambling outlets. I would say the situation is very bad,” he said.

According to the source again, those who earned big bucks were those involved in smuggling activities – ranging from vehicles to cigarettes and liquor.

“Our border with Kalimantan is very porous. Vehicles, especially four-wheel drive vehicles, are easily smuggled from here and Sabah, and would end up at Long Bawang, which is easily accessible through Ba Kelalan,” he said.

Meanwhile, Lawas District Officer Husssaini Hakim admitted that the drug menace was quite rampant here.

“We are all working towards ‘zero’ drug abuse in Lawas town. Towards this end, we have been ‘engaging’ with the youths, students and their parents, teachers, councillors and community leaders on the danger of drugs.”

Hussaini said the authorities had been working closely together to curb the drug menace but it would take everyone’s efforts to minimise it.

“We hope the enforcement authorities, especially the police, will continue their efforts to rid this town of the dreaded disease to achieve our aim in making Lawas as an important ‘northern gateway’ to Sabah,” he added.



Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/06/30/drugs-ruin-lawas-reputation-as-northern-gateway/#ixzz4D2WoiYLx

MIRI: The state government is charting a new direction for the oil and gas industry through the gathering of the best brains under a non-profit group Suarah Petroleum Group (SPG).

The new think-tank — set up at the behest of Second Resource Planning and Environment Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan last year —gathers engineers, lawyers, consultants, entrepreneurs, contractors and service providers in the oil and gas industry. It is regarded as an ‘invaluable body of knowledge and experience’ that the state government could tap into.

“The formation of SPG is timely and appropriate in helping the state government to chart a roadmap for the benefit of our future generation,” the minister said in officiating at the first annual general meeting (AGM) and launch of SPG here on Saturday

According to Awang Tengah — who is also Industrial Development Minister — the state is currently facing the impact from depressed global oil prices, such as reduced earnings as well as a decline in economic and employment opportunities.

He also highlighted the need to dispel the notion that Sarawak’s interest in developing its oil and gas industry was ‘distinct and separate from national interest’.

“I support the view of SPG that the economically-viable industrial development must be aligned to national interest. The rich oil and gas resources in Sarawak need to be exploited more equitably over the long-term so as to generate more economic multipliers for the state, as opposed to a predominantly ‘extract-and-sell’ strategy that has been implemented in the past.

“The primary ‘commodity approach’ is also not sustainable in the long-term and would weaken the national oil and gas industry.”

He also said despite the establishment of Asean Bintulu Fertiliser (ABF), there was still much room for downstream activities, as most of the oil and gas commodities were still exported in their raw forms.

Adding on, he said the recent approval for the setup of South Korea’s Huchems fine chemicals production plant in Bintulu indicated the state government’s seriousness in boosting downstream value-adding activities in the division.

“Bintulu has the necessary infrastructure, so we should look forward to developing it into becoming the petrochemical hub for this region,” he said.

Awang Tengah added that as part of the aim towards greater participation in the industry — both upstream and downstream — through more business opportunities, his ministry had set up Sarawak Oil and Gas Committee (SOGC) and Sarawak Oil and Gas Development Unit (SOGDU).

“Both entities would play the roles of advising, coordinating, monitoring and formulating policies to promote Sarawak’s interest and participation in industry development, as spelt out by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem who stressed that Sarawakians should not be happy just being ‘bystanders’ in such development.”

Meanwhile, Awang Tengah later announced the appointment of SPG pro tem president Hamim Yusuf and his deputy president Jamel Ibrahim as alternate members representing SPG in SOGC.

Earlier Hamim thanked Awang Tengah for his unwavering support for SPG since the very beginning, adding that the group was focused on helping the government on the negotiation for higher oil and gas royalties for the state, addressing the impact of low oil prices and ensuring holistic development of the industry.

The event was also attended by Assistant Minister of Industrial Development (Investment and Promotion) Datuk Julaihi Narawi.



Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/03/07/spg-to-chart-og-downstream-road-map/#ixzz4D23RCUSK

MIRI: Kekayaan sumber minyak dan gas di Sarawak perlu dieksploitasi secara saksama bagi merancak pertumbuhan ekonomi sekali gus memanfaat industri tersebut dalam jangka masa panjang.

Menteri Perancangan Sumber dan Alam Sekitar Kedua Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan berkata, pendekatan komoditi utama pernah dilaksana tidak mapan untuk jangka masa panjang dan lama-kelamaan akan menjejaskan industri minyak dan gas itu sendiri.

“Pelaburan dalam projek minyak dan gas serta industri hiliran di negeri ini bukan hanya merancak pertumbuhan ekonomi malah ia turut memanfaatkan industri tersebut di Malaysia.

“Oleh itu, saya menyokong penubuhan Suarah Petroleum Group (SPG) membangunkan industri minyak dan gas dengan cara lebih ekonomik dan holistik sejajar kepentingan negara,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian berucap pada majlis pelancaran SPG di sebuah hotel terkemuka di sini semalam.

Hadir sama Menteri Muda Pembangunan Perindustrian (Pelaburan dan Promosi) dan Menteri Muda Pembangunan Luar Bandar Sarawak, Datuk Julaihi Narawi, Protem Presiden SPG Hamim Yusuf, Setiausaha Tetap Kementerian Pembangunan Luar Bandar Sarawak Datu Liaw Soon Eng, Residen Miri Antonio Kahti Galis, Datuk Bandar Miri Lawrence Lai dan tetamu jemputan lain.

Awang Tengah juga Menteri Kemudahan Awam menambah, sejak penemuan minyak di Miri 105 tahun lampau, industri minyak dan gas memain peranan cukup besar dalam memacu pertumbuhan ekonomi negeri dan negara.

Selain, ASEAN Bintulu Fertiliser (ABF) yang mengeluarkan ammonia dan baja, kebanyakan minyak dan gas yang dieksport dari Sarawak adalah mentah.

“Meskipun Sarawak sekarang merupakan pengeluar utama gas di Malaysia,namun masih ada kawasan belum diekploitasi dan dibangun sepenuhnya, khususnya melibatkan industri hiliran.

“Selain itu, industri minyak dan gas kini turut berhadapan dengan cabaran penuruan harga  berterusan di pasaran global sekali gus memberi impak terhadap ekonomi negara,” katanya.

Jelasnya, usaha itu trut membantu mengurangkan pendapatan Sarawak, ekonomi dan peluang pekerjaan dalam sektor ini.

Awang Tengah menambah, baru-baru ini kerajaan meluluskan Huchem dari Korea Selatan untuk pengeluaran bahan kimia.

“Kita berharap lebih banyak aktiviti hiliran dapat dibangunkan di Sarawak termasuk pembinaan komplek petrokimia di Bintulu,” katanya.

Mengenai SPG, Awang Tengah berharap ia dapat menjadi platform kepada anak kelahiran Sarawak yang mempunyai kepakaran dan kemahiran untuk bekerjasama dan berkongsi pengetahuan untuk bersama-sama kerajaan negeri membangunkan industri ini.

“Saya gembira kerana ahli-ahli SPG ini terdiri daripada jurutera, peguam, perunding, usahawan, kontraktor dan penyedia perkhidmatan dalam industri minyak dan gas.”

“Objektif utama SPG ialah mempromosi industri petroleum sejajar dengan polisi kerajaan negeri untuk melihat lebih ramai anak-anak Sarawak terlibat dalam industri ini.

“Sehubungan itu, penubuhan SPG tepat pada masanya dalam membantu kerajaan negeri mendapat hak untuk masa depan generasi kita,” katanya.



Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/03/06/eksploitasi-minyak-gas-bantu-pacu-ekonomi-sarawak/#ixzz4D1rY7fGO

KUCHING: Suarah Petroleum Group (SPG) fully supports the state government under Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem in its efforts to restore the state’s rights over its own territory and resources, especially its petroleum resources.

SPG president Hamim Yusuf said in a press statement that Petronas activities within the state must benefit the state and therefore must be regulated by the state, in accordance with all applicable state laws and the Federal Constitution.

“This is in line with SPG’s mission to assist the state government by providing professional advice and services to maximise Sarawak’s socio-economic benefits and safeguard its rights in the oil and gas industry for its present and future generations,” he said.

There is no doubt that Sarawak has been left out of an equitable share of the nation’s development, even though its petroleum resources have contributed a substantial portion to the national budget, he added.

“After 40 years of one-sided development riding on the back of the state’s petroleum resources, it is high time that Sarawak and its people utilise its own petroleum resources for the benefit of the state itself towards achieving economic parity, which is also in the national interest as a whole.”

SPG wholeheartedly agrees with Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing’s recent statement that local

firms are capable of taking over oil and gas production from Petronas.

SPG itself has grouped together a pool of expertise of more than 50 oil and gas professionals in all aspects of the petroleum industry who are highly capable of assisting the state government in its objectives to obtain greater economic benefit for Sarawak from its own petroleum resources, the statement added.





Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/06/30/group-supports-state-governments-pursuit-of-reclaiming-its-rights/#ixzz4D1lVHExz

Express Boat at Kapit

With good infrastructure connectivity, this will open-up to multiplier effects due to better accessibilty, good telecommunication system, close proximity to medical facilities thus  better quality of life through better living environment.

KUCHING: A Sarawak-based corporation should take over the oil and gas production in the state, suggested Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing.

He said this is because the state has companies that have the expertise in the field, naming one of them as Brooke Dockyard and Engineering Works Corporation, which he said can be the leading agency.

“With over 100 years of experience, Brooke Dockyard is not a kindergarten institution anymore as it is now a university when compared with the other industry players in the county. Other industry players in the country made it big because they got backup from the big guns,” he reasoned.

According to him, Brooke Dockyard, originally a marine ship building company, is the oldest oil and gas fabrication company in the country.

Speaking to reporters at the company’s office in Sejingkat yesterday, he also suggested that the state agency take over some sectors of oil and gas production from Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas).

“Sarawak owns the oil and gas but Petronas is the one currently using our platform created by Brooke Dockyard. As for now we have many marginal oil and gas reserves in Sarawak and since Petronas is not producing anything from these reserves, I hope to see oil and gas from these reserves produced by the state,” he added,.

He pointed out that many job opportunities would be created for Sarawakians if Sarawak is allowed to manage its own oil and gas industry, lamenting that presently a big part of the workforce of most companies engaged in oil and gas production in Sarawak are foreigners.

At the same time, he hoped that many Sarawakians would seize the opportunity should one such company is created by the state government in the future.

“There is no point of creating jobs for Sarawakians in the oil and gas industry if they are not interested. We (the state government) are doing our best to provide jobs for Sarawakians,” he said.

The Minister of Infrastructure Development and Transportation was on a working visit to the Brooke Dockyard and Engineering Works Corporation with Assistant Minister for Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Assistant Minister for River Transportation and Safety Liwan Lagang and Assistant Minister for Infrastructure Development Datuk Talib Zulpilip.

Their visit was received by Brooke Dockyard chairman Datuk Abang Abdul Karim Tun Abang Openg and the management team with a simple welcoming ceremony.

Lately, there had been several suggestions including one by Pelagus assemblyman Wilson Nyabong Ijang at the State Legislative Assembly that Sarawak should consider setting up its own company to increase the state’s involvement in the oil and gas industry.





Read more: http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/06/24/managing-our-own-resources/#ixzz4D8XhRFYn