Federal government committed to further developing Sarawak: Najib

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said today the federal government is committed to further developing Sarawak, holding the proven track record of the Barisan Nasional having brought development to Sarawak, especially in the interior areas.
The Prime Minister said, citing an example, that Kapit was "an island on Borneo Island" accessible only by water transport on the Rajang River but it could soon be reached by road when the Kapit-Song-Kanowit-Sibu Road is ready.
He also said that the 2,239km Pan Borneo Highway connecting Sarawak to Sabah was a catalyst for comprehensive development in Sarawak.
"BN has not just made promises but has implemented development and brought changes in Sarawak, including in the interior," he said at a reception with Sarawak community chiefs at Seri Perdana here.
"I have approved about RM2 billion worth of projects for Sarawak since I became the prime minister. Furthermore, it is said that I have made more frequent visits to Sarawak than a former prime minister.
"I am committed to continue developing Sarawak so that it progresses to be on par with peninsular Malaysia. I am not promising something but the fact speaks for itself," he said to applause from the chiefs at the meeting.
About 160 community chiefs from the Kanowit, Kapit and Hulu Rajang parliamentary constituencies, led by Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri James Jemut Masing, met Najib at his official residence, Seri Perdana, where Najib had hosted influential world leaders such as King Salman Abdulaziz Al-Saud of Saudi Arabia, President Xi Jinping of China and then President Barack Obama of the United States.
At the event, the community chiefs expressed their support for and confidence in the BN government, saying it had brought much development to the Land of the Hornbills.
Najib said the BN successes had placed confidence in the people of Sarawak, so much so that they rejected the sweet promises of the political opposition to garner their support.
"BN does not just make promises but implements them successfully," he said.
Meanwhile, Masing expressed his appreciation to the Prime Minister for having brought development in Sarawak, especially in the Hulu Rajang, Kapit and Kanowit areas.
"The frequent trips of Prime Minister Najib to Sarawak, especially Kapit and Kanowit, were to make good what was missing for the past 22 years when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was the prime minister.
"To us, it is the payback time for the federal government what has been sidelined and left behind for 22 years. That's why we are here to say thank you for what he has done to us," he said. — Bernama