THE idea initially was confined to Sabah’s east coast, specifically Sandakan, Lahad Datu and Tawau. But it grew. Today the term “corridor” is a misnomer, as the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) encompasses the entire state, including the interior regions and the burgeoning west coast. The SDC, which will be launched by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi today, is a three-pronged blueprint designed by the Institute for Development Studies, Sabah, targeted primarily at agriculture, tourism and manufacturing. At the same time, its architects hope that subsidiary industries will also enjoy spin-off benefits. The SDC is a three-phase programme. Under the first leg spanning 2008-2010, the RM147mil injection into the agropolitan project, involving the planting of rubber and fish cultivation in Pulau Banggi, will redress pockets of poverty on that island.
(29-1-2008 The Star)
