Borneo's biodiversity must be exploited for the welfare of its people

KUCHING, 27 Oct: Natural resources on Borneo Island must be used responsibly and knowingly to improve the quality of life of the people and support regional economic development.

Sarawak's prime minister, Tan Sri Datuk Seri Johari Tun Openg said that the natural resources of Borneo should be used for the well-being of all communities regardless of religious background.

"For Sarawak, we already know that the treasure given to Sarawak is a powerful source of energy. Borneo has many rivers, as does Sarawak and the water that flows through them can be a source for us to generate energy.

"This energy is essential for society, business and the economy. If we can build this together, of course this energy will be able to add value to our other treasures including biodiversity", he said as he inaugurated the Se-Borneo City Qur'an Examination Council at the Sarawak Islamic Complex Hall here tonight.

Johari said the development of energy resources also contributes to regional economic development through ASEAN Power Grid (APG).

He said that such efforts could be an important resource for stimulating development in neighbouring countries, especially Kalimantan, Indonesia and Singapore.

In this regard, he urged Muslims to deepen the knowledge contained in the Qur'an and apply it according to current needs on the island of Borneo.

"Allah has bestowed upon us this treasure, and in Islam we are forbidden to waste. We should use our knowledge based on the culture of Iqra' to explore all the knowledge contained in the Qur'an as a basis for developing the treasure that Allah has given us.

"There is no other region with more biodiversity resources than Borneo", he added.

Clearly, the natural treasures of Borneo, which cover an area of 743,330 square kilometers, including some 427,500 square kilometers of forested land, need to be preserved and exploited to improve the quality of life. - TVS