Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah Government is adopting a balanced growth model that demands fair economic value for its environmental contributions, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
“Sabah does not want development that destroys our environment, and also cannot accept an approach where environmental idealism delays the progress of our people.
“We must reject both extremes. We do not want reckless development. We also do not want an unrealistic transition. The way forward for Sabah is a balanced growth model.
“That is growth with discipline – conservation with value; investment with responsibility; energy transition with affordability and sustainability with justice,” he said when officiating the Powering Green Growth: Sabah and Malaysia in the Age of Sustainability World Green and Sustainability Summit (WGSS) at Shangri-La Tanjung Aru Resort, here, Monday.
The Chief Minister said Sabah may be a small State within a small nation, but it possesses strengths and assets that are becoming increasingly valuable in today’s world.
“We are blessed with rich natural capital and extraordinary biodiversity. We have vast land and maritime resources. We have energy potential, strategic geographical positioning and political stability.
“And, most importantly, we have a young generation ready to help shape the economy of the future.
“The opportunities before Sabah are immense. Sabah has done exceptionally well in protecting our vast forest reserves, preserving globally important biodiversity and maintaining one of the highest proportions of protected land in this region.
“Today, Sabah is recognised as an important leader in conservation, not only within Malaysia, but also across Southeast Asia. And because of that, Sabah is well positioned to become a destination for responsible and sustainable investment,” he said.
Hajiji said Sabah’s next green growth phase is to move to conservation with value.
“We are moving from protecting resources to building responsible industries around those resources. We are moving from being only a green contributor to becoming a green economy leader.
“That means developing credible carbon markets that benefit Sabah. It means attracting quality green investments that create real economic value and growing industries around renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, the Blue Economy, ecotourism and biodiversity-based innovation.
“It means ensuring that local companies, local workers and local communities are part of the value chain,” he said.
The Chief Minister said long before sustainability became an international agenda, Sabah was already protecting its forests, oceans, wildlife and some of the richest ecosystems in this region.
“Today, almost 30 per cent of Sabah’s landmass is under Totally Protected Areas (TPA), which is not a small commitment,” he said.
He said the WGSS is an important platform for discussing sustainability issues that affect people’s lives and the future of younger generations.
However, he said, sustainability cannot sound good only in conference halls, but it must also work on the ground and make sense to the people.
“A green transition that is too expensive for ordinary families is not sustainable. A policy that protects the future but burdens the present must be carefully reviewed.
“A development model that looks good internationally, but weakens local competitiveness, cannot be the right model for Sabah. For Sabah, sustainability must be practical. It must be fair. It must be affordable and above all, it must serve the people,” he said.
