Does Sabah have a Food Security Plan?

Published on: Sunday, September 19, 2021

By: Datuk John Lo

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Sino-America Tension is Unnerving. Sabahans should be increasingly nervous about the dense geopolitical development being scribed by USA in the South China Sea because of China’s economic ascendency to second super power and soon, overtake USA as the largest economy in the world. Very worrying is this USA led gang up to contain China, reminiscent of the opium war that the colonial powers of the West, together with Japan defeated China and carved up vast tracks of land and economic concessions from China, including the forced rights to sell opium to Chinese citizens.

This is how Britain [no longer Great], grabbed HK as her colony. Etched into the Chinese national psyche is this period as the 100 years of shame, never to be forgotten and never will it be prepared to suffer such national indignity again.

America’s Irrational Fear of China’s Rise.

If USA is confident of its No. 1 superpower position, technological and financial superiority, it would not need to cajole or pressure other nations for support in its

confrontation with China. America should compete with China, one on one like the American Hero in Hollywood movie.

The American frenzy to contain China’s rise has reached the heights of irrationality, sending its warships including aircraft carriers to harass China.

Even feather weight Britan, Australia, Japan have deemed appropriate to join it.

China is not what China was 100 years ago, not even 20 years ago. Together with Russia, they form a formidable economic/military block. As USA baits and provokes China by sailing its warships to the Chinese coastline, China navy has to show they can play the games, and send her warships to the American coast near Alaska.

No War in South China Sea Please!

Trump was unpredictable, churlish, childish. Biden is senile, suffering from cognitive difficulty and is likely not in control. He is more dangerous than Trump in the present high tension geopolitical drama. His finger should never be allowed to touch the nuclear button.

Sabahans should pray that no war, not even a conventional one, will breakout in the South China Sea, which is the hottest flash point in the world now.

Reason is USA’s continuous economic decline will generate desperation among its ruling elite and the military industrial complex warlords to start war against China. This war, God forbids, will likely occur in South China Sea which is on our door step.

Sabah’s Overriding Food Security Concern.

In peace time, Sabah cannot produce enough food to feed ourselves. What will happen when there is war in the South China Sea? Where will Sabah get sufficient food? In the present scary geopolitical scenario, Sabah should and must conduct soulsearching on our food security.

To delve on food security is not scare-mongering. Be prepared is best policy judging from the current USA/China’s very difficult relationship. War can be just a “spark” away or a military incidence. Not to plan now is being foolish. Ignore it at our own peril. In the event of war in the South China Sea, the first concern that should worry Sabah is food security for all type of staple and/or essential food, from rice to vegie to fruit, to meat, to animal feeds. The reality is Sabah produces little food, grossly insufficient for 4m people.

Questions, Questions, Questions.

This being the case, some pertinent questions Sabahans should start asking ourselves are:

Question 1] Does the federal government or the Sabah government have a food security plan for Sabah in the event of war breaking up in the South China Sea when commercial shipping or flights is not possible?

Question 2] How will the federal government bring food to Sabah in a prolonged war? Is there an alternative logistic plan?

Question 3] Will Sabahans be left to fend for ourselves? How will/can we do this?

Question 4] Does the Sabah government know, with a high degree of certainty, what are the food items we produce or need to produce to achieve food security? And how much?

Question 5] Does Sabah have a stock pile of basic food stuff like rice, flour and other essential food items? How long will they last?

Question 6] Does Sabah have a plan for self-sufficiency for basic food stuff like rice?

Question 7] Do we have a food ration plan in case of need?

Sabahans’ Nonchalant Attitude Must Stop.

Very worrying that Sabahans are taking life too easy, we don’t seem to worry about many critical things especially food security. We have plenty of fertile land but not producing enough food especially staples like rice and meat. Why? Sabah produces only 25pc of total demand for rice. Can never imagine Sabah is importing 75pc of rice requirement. We should be exporting!

Two things Sabah do quickly.

[a]Sabah should elevate the Department of Agriculture to top importance soonest possible.

[b] Attract and enlarge investment on food production immediately. If there is a federal or state food contingency plan, please share it. If not, let us have start one now before we regret it.