Pakatan Harapan has shown to have the clearest and most comprehensive plan when it comes to proper devolution of power especially when it comes to healthcare and education to Sarawak.
It has set the foundation and principles for a comprehensive plan of action towards meaningful devolution of power to Sarawak through a Power Devolution Blueprint for Sarawak that will be discussed and agreed upon by both Federal & State Government.
One of the key steps to be taken is to first take education and healthcare out from the federal list in the Federal Constitution and insert it into the concurrent list as a joint- responsibility to be shared among federal and state governments of Sarawak and Sabah.
From there, the blueprint will outline key milestones within the next 5 to 10 years along with a periodic review of the progress made.
It will also outline the strategies that Sarawak will employ to develop human capital within the state to meet the unique challenges of today and tomorrow.
How do we plan to build the capacity of people of Sarawak and retain talent in the state so that we can develop it together should be covered thoroughly.
Towards that end, once our capacity is built and we are ready to take full control, we can start with devolving the powers for health and education to Sarawak by fully inserting it to State list in the Federal Constitution.
Such progression is important and the responsible way to to avoid such big responsibilities to the State being mishandled at the expense of the people especially if we are not ready or have yet to have the capacity to handle.
The Covid-19 pandemic has shown the importance of an equal federal-state partnership, especially in health matters, to effectively manage outbreaks and protect the lives of Sarawakians. Not only that, health is also intricately linked to the state’s economy.
In terms of education, it is the most potent vehicle for upward social mobility. On top of educational infrastructure, developing sufficient teaching manpower is essential.
The syllabus being taught in schools and institutes of higher learning must incorporate inputs from local stakeholders to produce versatile talent geared towards the jobs we want to create.
Such dynamic investments will bring a positive impact to the employability of youths as well as individuals, especially women, who aim to re-enter the workforce.
With greater autonomy comes the greater need to ensure transparency and accountability. That is why it is even more pertinent for us to have a robust and institutionalized check and balance system including a strong and credible opposition to counter balance within Sarawak.
Institutional reforms that were proposed by us such as strengthening the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Sarawak State Legislative Assembly (DUN) and the establishment of a multi party DUN Select Committees will be essential for stronger checks and balances as well as ensuring such autonomy directly benefit the people of Sarawak.