Public Forum On Outlooks For Sibu - Part 5

Tan Kee Hian called Sibu a slumberung giant. This gives a glimpse of hope - Sibu, after all, is not that dead hopeless!

In 1960s China was branded as a sleeping lion by U.S. Uncle Sam then cautioned against the wake -up of this Middle Kingdom and geared its foreign policies guardung against the rise of China in power. Today China is in a position to balance the world power.

Kee Hian then charted a few potentially viable areas that Sibu can venture into.

1. Tourism

(I agree with Tan Kee Hian. This aspect of potential has been very much untapped. We
have had a lot of lip-service thus far, but there is little concrete progress. Sibu is good only
as a stop-over town now for European tourists.)

2. Education

Invest in education to churn out skilled human resources, especially on vocational/technical
aspects. Sibu needs the drive of this group of human resources in the impending
challenging era.

Having a university in Sibu is a prestige, but there is insufficient market for it.

3. Centre of excellence for services

Sibu has potential to venture into knowledge-based industry.

4. Industralised and scientific agriculture

Agriculture is our hope since Sibu has vast land resources. But smallholders wouldn't help
- go for industralised and scientific agriculture.

5. Value-added downstream industries

Develop value-added downstream industries for exports to generate more revenue. Tan
Kee Hian quoted a few thought-provoking cases in Thailand.

To sum up, knowledge, services and value-added downstream industries have potential to be the core of Sibu's economy in time to come.

The king of fruits - durians. The durian season is on now in Sibu. The photo is by courtesy of Liong.