BAU, Dec 13 — Sarawakians must continue to give their support to Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) in the 12th state election on Dec 18 because the coalition fights for the rights of the state and its people, said Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
He pointed out that GPS was not bound to the agenda of any Peninsula political parties and cited how the voters in Melaka had rejected Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) at the recent state polls.
“The people in the Peninsula have rejected the party (PKR). How can we (Sarawakians) support (them)? The party (PKR) has lost its credibility,” he said at the closing ceremony of the Entrepreneurship Promotion Programme today.
Awang Tengah, who is defending the Bukit Sari state seat, reminded the people of Sarawak not to be confused on polling day due to the absence of the scales symbol or Barisan Nasional on the ballot paper as this is the first time that GPS will be contesting on its own platform in an election.
He said the Sarawak government would also continue to be committed to helping small and medium enterprise (SME) entrepreneurs through digital economy so as to assist them to expand their market reach and product access to consumers.
The state government, he said, had also channelled financial aid totalling RM5.3 billion through the Sarawakku Sayang initiative, besides improving the skills and applications of new online platforms.
“We always strive to increase the capabilities of SMEs through courses. Apart from that, we also increased the number of business premises so as to make it easier for people to have places to start a business,” he said.
According to him, SMEs are the backbone for economic activity, especially in rural areas, thus, the sector’s recovery agenda is a priority of the state government. — Bernama
