Global change is driving Sarawak's more competitive vision

KUCHING, 1 Oct: Sarawak must anticipate global change and move ahead in exploring new opportunities to keep the state competitive in its future economy.

Sarawak Prime Minister, Datuk Tinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg said that the state leadership needs to understand global developments, technological changes and advantages of Sarawak before determining development direction.

According to him, the wait-and-see approach can lead Sarawak to fall behind in a field that has great potential.

"We'll always be lagging behind if we wait for others first, and we can't lead that way", he said today.

He said the approach would enable Sarawak to move ahead in the fields of hydrogen energy, artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computing and future technologies.

He said the vision of state development should also be translated into decisions, investments, capacity building and actions to ensure that transformation agenda can be implemented.

"A vision shows us where we want to go, but a vision alone is not enough. A vision will only be meaningful when it is translated into decisions, investments, capabilities and actions", he added.

According to Brother Johari, Sarawak has various advantages including hydropower, natural gas, biomass and solar potential, in addition to natural resources, land, biodiversity, strategic position, financial capabilities as well as human resources.

However, he said, such advantages must be supported by the ability, discipline and willingness to act in order to create long-term value.

In making decisions, he said, the government also gained expertise in science, economics and technology as well as assessed risks and potential of a field.

Brother Johari said that the transformation of Sarawak also requires the involvement of companies, universities, institutions and individuals, besides the government.

According to him, the state needs more engineers, scientists, researchers, data specialists, technology developers, energy experts, entrepreneurs and professionals to support the transformation agenda.

In this regard, Mr Johari said investments in higher education and human capital development should go hand-in-hand with efforts to create more high-paying jobs.

He said today's decision not only sets out the direction of Sarawak by 2030, but also impacts on state development in 2040 and 2050.

He urged all parties to make preparations early and boldly explore opportunities capable of creating long-term value for Sarawak. - TVS