KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister II Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam said the State Government through the Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) envisioned Sabah to reach the pinnacle of success in economic development as well as becoming the preferred tourist and business destination by the year 2030.
Urging professional bodies like Persatuan Arkitek Malaysia (PAM) Sabah Branch to be more proactive and creative to see all possibilities and to work with all stakeholders for the betterment of Sabah, he said they should set their imagination in terms of the vast or immense possibility of what they can work on in the future.
“Sabah is a beautiful state and is also known as “Land Below the Wind” for obvious reasons. Sabah lies just below the typhoon belt that occurs a little bit north of the northernmost tip of Kudat, or just our neighbouring country, the Philippines, so it is just below the destructive typhoons that affect our neighbour more than twice each year.
“We are also strategically located, being at the centre of South East Asia region as well as being strategically positioned in terms of air and sea routes. We are more easily connected to the most important cities around South East Asia and East Asia especially, China, Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei. Sabah has the geographical advantage of being the only Malaysian state that is strategically located within the BIMP-EAGA regional grouping as it shares its borders with 3 countries, namely the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia…with about 300 million population within BIMP-EAGA region and the fact that countries like Japan, China and South East Asia are easily accessible logistically, so you can imagine the possible amount of trade and investment to be made,” he said.
Besides that, Dr Joachim said Sabah is also very rich in natural sources, as well as being known as ‘The Tourism Haven’.
“We have a majestic Mount Kinabalu, the stunningly beautiful beaches and islands around us like Sipadan and Turtle Islands to name a few. The sunset in Sabah is also one of the best if not the best in the world.
“All these and the fact that we have educated manpower as well as a stable political environment should be more than enough for business organisations to consider making Sabah their base for expansion or to make it their headquarters.
“The State Government under the most able leadership of Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor as Chief Minister has even formulated policies and regulations that are very business-friendly (investor-friendly) coupled with good governance to ensure that business organisations can safely and profitably invest in Sabah.
“I know our infrastructures such as roads and power have yet to reach their full potential but we as the government of the day are committed to improving them. We are blessed in that we have the assurance and full backing of our Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim too,” he said when officiating the Borneo Architecture Festival (BAF) 2023 themed “Built Environment for Sustainable Development” at the Pacific Sutera Harbour here today.
Dr Joachim who is also Local Government and Housing Minister also urged the architects and allied professions to design, create and develop houses, building structures and landscapes that are green or more environmentally friendly, beautiful to see and sustainable for the future generation.
“One of the bigger concerns or main topics today is green buildings or green cities or anything green or reduce carbon emissions.
“Everybody wants to be green, that is green energy, green technology and green buildings. We all should be if we want to reduce the rate of extreme climate change to affects us. In the near future (in the middle of this century), it is estimated that about 70 per cent of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Studies have shown that urban areas would be impacted most by climate change, which in fact we are experiencing like never before – erratic rainfalls, flash floods and extreme temperatures.
“And Kota Kinabalu is no exception to this phenomenon. I was made to understand that July this year has been one of the hottest months and we had, we even had ice sheets forming at the top of Mount Kinabalu that has never been of that scale.
“It is therefore vital for you as architects and allied professionals, to design, create and develop houses, buildings structures and landscapes that are green or more environmentally friendly, beautiful to see and sustainable for our future generation,” he said.
Congratulating the PAM Sabah Chapter for successfully organising this year’s BAF, Dr Joachim hopes that all stakeholders will work together to realise the common vision of development and prosperity, building their respective countries within the framework of symbiotic regional economic cooperation.
“I hope that through this event, the constellation of ideas and views will spur, improve and strengthen the region’s economic development. Let us embrace the knowledge we share, learn and appreciate the wisdom of our fellow participants. I hope that you have met your targeted objectives,” he said.
This year’s seventh edition of BAF is co-organised by the PAM Sabah Chapter and the Local Government and Housing Ministry with full support from the Sabah Tourism Board (STB). BAF is celebrated annually in conjunction with World Architecture Day, with the objective of making it a platform for sharing, learning and networking for all the construction stakeholders, especially the Architects.
Also present were the Ministry of Local Government and Housing Deputy Permenant Secretary, Stanley Chong; Chairman of PAM Sabah Chapter, Ar. Mok Juang Yu; Chairman of PAM Sarawak Chapter, Ar. Noraini Norodden; Organising Chairman of Borneo Architecture Festival 2023, Ar Daniel Koh, committee members of the PAM Sabah Chapter.
