SABAH CHIEF MINISTER YAB DATUK SERI PANGLIMA MUSA HAJI AMAN’S SPEECH AT THE KOTA KINABALU CHINESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY CHINESE NEW YEAR BANQUET ON 29TH JANUARY 2012, AT OCEAN SEAFOOD RESTAURANT BALLROOM, KOTA KINABALU

Good evening and Salam 1 Malaysia. XING NIAN GWAI LER!

It gives me great pleasure to join you in celebrating the Lunar Chinese New Year, and in ushering in the year of the Dragon. Allow me to express my most sincere wishes to all of you for a happy and prosperous new year. I am indeed pleased to address distinguished members and guests of the Kota Kinabalu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCCI) at this banquet this evening.

For centuries around the world and in Malaysia, members of the Chinese business community have excelled and made a mark in many fields. Here in Sabah, entrepreneurs like Datuk Seri Sari Nuar and Datuk Lau Kok Sing, just to name a few, have become hugely successful as result of their determination and sheer hardwork. I am confident that the Chinese community in Sabah will continue to work hard and create success stories in business and other fields.

The Sabah State Government values the contribution of the Chinese community to the local economy and to Malaysia’s overall growth. Through various types of professional ventures and businesses, you create jobs which provide a consistent income. You also diligently pay taxes, which then becomes revenue for the Government to carry out numerous development projects. Work ethics and dedication among the Chinese business community continues to drive economic growth of our nation.

Sabah’s economic growth is partly reliant on small and medium businesses made up of companies run by members of the various chambers of commerce, including the KKCCCI. The State Government recognizes the crucial role each of you play in helping the State become an even better place to do business, through new and innovative elements that are injected into your products and services. Many of you are striving to make your respective businesses and brands stand out, and for this, I commend you.

To facilitate further growth especially in the business sector, the Federal Government has introduced initiatives such as the New Economic Model (NEM), Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). The ETP in particular is a private sector led programme that will propel us in becoming a high income nation by 2020. I wish to take this opportunity to encourage KKCCCI members to learn about the ETP and other Government initiatives, so that you can continue to effectively contribute towards economic growth.

On-going work by the KKCCCI in complementing Government efforts in accelerating economic growth is highly commendable. I was informed that a recent trade visit to Guangzhou, China is one of many activities you are undertaking to enhance trade relationships. By building partnerships in other countries, including China which is an economic power house, we can strive towards building more businesses, strengthening our economy in the process.

Sabah is blessed with resources such as oil, gas, rubber and oil palm, but I am of the opinion that our most precious resource is our people. Apart from prudent management on the part of the Government and people-oriented policies, national unity and resilience among the rakyat are factors that saw us through impacts of the global economic crisis last year. I am especially proud to note that Malaysians in Sabah are exemplary of the true essence of 1Malaysia, and I believe that if we all continue to work together regardless of our respective background, Sabah will prosper even further.

I wish to take this opportunity to request that we all remain vigilant against irresponsible groups and individuals who are out to destroy harmony and unity in their quest to gain power. These people make many promises and statements to entice Malaysians, but do not offer solutions. These so-called leaders are suddenly active because they are anticipating that the elections are around the corner. The Barisan Nasional has a proven record, and is not only active at the eve of elections. We continue to ensure stability, and we walk the talk. This is evident through the many programmes and policies that have been introduced, such as the Bantuan Rakyat 1Malaysia (BR1M), which aims to help the lower income group.

I did not initially intend to touch on politics at this event, but without political stability and a strong government, a conducive atmosphere for economic activities will not be possible. I wish to express my sincere appreciation to the KKCCCI and other business and trade groups for their continued confidence in the abilities of the BN. Let me assure you that we listen to your grievances and we are ever willing to work with the various groups to look for solutions that will facilitate business and other areas of the economy.

I am pleased to share that our State reserves have grown to over RM4 billion and as most of you know, we unveiled this year's budget of RM4.08 is biggest budget ever unveiled. This budget will go towards the socioeconomic development of the state. We are also thankful to our beloved Prime Minister for his generosity in allocating billions to Sabah to for development purposes and to improve the people's welfare. I am also pleased to say that our administrative and financial management is recognised by the Auditor General’s report and international rating agencies. The State BN Government will continue to be business friendly and create a climate that is condusive to attracting investments. We will also continue to support independent Chinese and mission schools as well as non Muslim religious organisations. This is the BN way whereby we assist one another like in a big family.

As we enter the year of the Dragon, we are confident of a renewed era of growth and we are optimistic of our potential. I wish to once again thank KKCCCI for this invitation, and on that note, I wish you all a very happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fa Cai!