As Elon Musk eyes Mars, Premier Abang Johari says Earth comes first

Abang Johari greeting guests upon his arrival at the NREB Service and Award Night 2026 at the Unifor Complex in Kuching on June 19, 2026. Source: Ukas

By Doreen Ling

KUCHING, June 19: While Elon Musk envisions a future where humans may one day live on Mars, our immediate responsibility is to care for the planet we already call home—Earth.

According to Sarawak Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, scientific research has suggested the presence of oxygen on Mars, raising the possibility that the planet could one day support human habitation.

He cited this as one of the reasons why entrepreneurs such as Musk are investing heavily in space exploration and developing technologies aimed at enabling future travel between Earth and Mars.

“If he is successful, that means people can travel to Mars. But first, let us clean up Earth, and hopefully we will succeed.

“We will formulate policies that will bring up Sarawak’s quality, and let us become a model state in Malaysia and Asean,” he said at the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Service and Award Night 2026 at the Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) Complex here tonight, which was broadcast live by the Sarawak Public Communication Unit (Ukas).

Addressing the NREB, he congratulated the board for carrying out its duties in cleaning up Sarawak.

He said that Sarawak has introduced new legislation relating to environmental governance, including laws covering carbon management and greenhouse gas regulation.

“Some say that we are advanced, so much so that the federal government sent officers to interact with us on how we manage our environment.

“At the same time, we have laws that look after policies in terms of implementing a clean environment. So, I also say thank you, because you are the people implementing the policies, we (State government) only formulate them, and the whole machinery must be there to implement this policy,” he said.

He went on to say that environmental governance is relatively new, as in the past, Malaysia did not have dedicated institutions or laws focusing specifically on environmental management.

As part of Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) devolution discussions, he said, Sarawak negotiated for greater authority over environmental matters under the MA63 technical committee, and the federal government agreed that environmental matters within Sarawak’s jurisdiction should come under the State’s authority.

“So, what does that mean? Your (NREB’s) function becomes bigger. It is a challenge for us to sustain the environment, and we need to have a good agency to do so, in which NREB is one of the agencies that must face this challenge.

“But looking at all of you tonight, I feel you can do it, in implementing the function given to Sarawak to make sure that our environment is sustainable and clean,” he said.

Also present were Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian; Deputy Sarawak Secretary (Administration), Felicia Tan Ya Hua, representing the Sarawak Secretary, Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki; Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration, and Environment, Datuk Len Talif Salleh; Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Sarawak State Attorney-General, Dato Sri Saferi Ali; and Controller of Environmental Quality NREB Sarawak, Datu Jack Liam. — DayakDaily