Welcome Rakan Sarawak April 2005

Rangkaian Khidmat Awam Negeri Sarawak

A MONTHLY SUPPLEMENT OF RAKAN SARAWAK BULLETIN

(People, events, activities and programmes which make for a total quality-managed Sarawak Civil Service)

ISSN 1394-5726

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Bandar Mutiara is Thriving

Tebedu, a small town located about 100 km from Kuching was not known to many until after the Tebedu-Entikong Crossing was officially opened on October 1, 1989.

It was later upgraded to an entry and exit point for international trade on May 27, 1995 and become the Border Crossing Inspection Post to accommodate the flow of people and goods across the border. Dubbed Bandar Mutiara or “City of Pearl”, this town has all what it needs to be a thriving Border town in the next five years. A project developed by Land Custody and Development Authority (LCDA) and the Ministry of Industrial Development through its Light
Industrial Estate.

The strategic location of Tebedu made it attractive for businessmen to invest in the area especially with the completion of the Phase 1 of the RM11.5 million of the Tebedu Light Industrial Estate soon. The 250 –acre estate will also include Sarawak’s First Inland Port, a RM20 million sited on a 50-acre
site within the estate. When the port is ready for operation in 2007, the image of Tebedu as a thriving border town would be further enhanced turning it into an investors’ paradise.

Sarawak’s Chief Minister, Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud once quoted that “It is the intention of leaders of Sarawak and Indonesia that the two countries share the State’s prosperity”. He added that prosperity should not happen in isolation but believes that Sarawak should share its economic success with the region in West Kalimantan (KALBAR).

The close cooperation between both governments of Sarawak and Kalimantan Barat provide mutual economic benefits for both the people here and the
Indonesians. The Tebedu Light Industrial Estate, for example, would attract labour intensive industries like lower end electronic industries. Investors would be encouraged to set up factories in this area as it is close to a ready source of “cheaper” labour just across the border.

This would mean more job opportunities for both the locals and the Indonesian workers who could either commute to work across the border or stay in special accommodations provided by their employers in this border town. This win-win situation would help reduce the problems of illegal workers within the state.

One worrying factor potential investors in Bandar Mutiara may have is the issue of security. According to Pehin Sri at the signing ceremony between Kuching Port Authority and SM Inland Port Sdn Bhd, a company appointed to operate the Inland Port in Tebedu, border security will be increased as the army will been stationed nearby and the police complex in Bandar Mutiara is already in operation.

Also present are relevant government agencies to ensure the smooth administration of this fast growing town. Immigrations and Customs offices have been established on both sides of the border to facilitate rather active cross border activities with respect to trade, people and vehicles entering or exiting the border.

When the Inland Port is ready, other government bodies like Department of Agriculture, Medical Department, Sarawak Timber Industry Development Corporation, State Planning Authority and the Department of Environment to name a few, would be stationed there. It is hoped that the economic spin-offs from the Inland Port would spur the growth of Bandar Mutiara, bringing prosperity and wealth to improve the lives of the people in Tebedu.