KUCHING, March 9 — The Sarawak government will not issue prospecting licence to any company to mine bauxite and antimony in Sematan, a tourist district in the southern of tip of Sarawak, citing irreversible damage like in Pahang.
Its Tourism, Culture, Arts, Youth and Sports minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said today the decision was made even as the district has large reserves of bauxite, antimony and even gold, that if mined could bring revenue to the state.
“We don't want something to happen in Sematan district like what are happening in Pahang where rivers have turned red,” Karim said at opening of the Digital Tourism Forum, organised by the Asean-China Entrepreneurs' Association here.
Karim said Sematan district, known for its golden beaches and national parks, will be environmentally damaged if companies are allowed to mine bauxite and antimony.
He stressed that Sarawak has plenty of mineral resources, like coal, but its focus is on oil and gas and renewable energy like hydro-electric power, to generate revenue.
Karim said the state is emphasising tourism as a new economic sector which has a huge potential to grow and provide employment opportunities in the industry.
He said the state recorded 4.86 million tourist arrivals, generating a revenue of about RM8.56 billion, last year.
He added the revenue accounted for 7.9 per cent of the state' gross domestic products.
“For this year, we are expecting 5.25 million tourist arrivals,” he said, adding that most of the arrivals are expected to come from Asean countries, especially Brunei and Indonesia.
As such, Karim said, Sarawak wants to have closer relationship and cooperation with the Asean neighbours so to promote tourism and tourism products.
He said the state has to do a lot of work to promote tourism because it cannot rely entirely on Tourism Malaysia.
He claimed that Tourism Malaysia only covers Malacca, Penang and Terengganu “while Sarawak is not always part of it,” adding that the state has plenty to offer, especially for those going for culture, adventure and nature destinations.
