Sarawak can qualify itself to earn a developed state status by the end of next year based on the per capita income it expected to achieve by then, Head of State Abdul Taib Mahmud said in Kuching last night.

He said the current economic progress that Sarawak enjoyed now had enabled the people to witness development to take place almost to every corner of the state.

“I think by the end of 2015 we will achieved the per capita income that will qualify us to become a developed state,” he said when speaking at an appreciation dinner for him, ‘Malam Tokoh Wawasan Terbilang’ in Kuching.

He said that by 2030, Sarawak would transform further in terms of economic structure and revamp in its workforce talents.

“The ground had been well-prepared and our estates have grown to over two million hectares as investment to people with better education to go back to the rural areas and earn income equivalent to those in the urban areas,” he added.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Chief Minister Adenan Satem said Taib’s farsightedness had enabled the state to achieve its level of progress now.

He said his predecessor had dedicated more than 50 years of his life to see that the people’s livelihood in Sarawak would change for the better.

“He (Taib) is living to the fullest. A year in his life is like 10 years to the ordinary people,” he added.

- Bernama