Awg Tengah calls on private sector, industry experts to aid state gov’t in becoming nation’s digital economic powerhouse

KUCHING: Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan is calling on the private sectors, higher learning institutions, chambers of commerce, financial institutions and experts from all industrial fields to help the Sarawak Government in charting its way to become the nation’s digital economic powerhouse.

He said that Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg in May had announced the setting up of the Sarawak Economic Action Council (SEAC) to restore the state’s post-Covid-19 economy through digital economy, and therefore would need the collaboration of all sectors to draw a plan.

Awang Tengah said the SEAC will focus on manufacturing and entrepreneur development; mining; forestry; tourism; education and human capital developments; renewable energy; data centre and innovation; services; infrastructure; and commercial agriculture.

“Because of that we need the collaboration of all the relevant people in all these sectors to be able to draw out our development plan,” he said when speaking during Astro’s talk show Agenda Awani on Sunday evening.

Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminals and Entrepreneurship, said many Sarawakians by now had realised the importance of digital economy after going through the deadly Covid-19 pandemic and the slowing down of economic activities caused by the Movement Control Order (MCO).

Because of that, he said, it was inevitable for businesses in the state, as well as the Sarawakian public, to embrace and adapt the digital technologies available today.

This was not just to restore the economy post-Covid-19, but also so that the state’s economy would be able to compete, develop and remain relevant in today’s global business landscape, he added.

“We are thankful that our Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg introduced the digital economy initiative three years ago. This has, in a way, changed the landscape of our business landscape in the state.

“The usefulness of digital economy has been proven during the MCO, where many people made use of digital technologies to go about their daily lives as well as businesses.

“This should not just be at that. Small and medium enterprises and businesses (SMEs) must adapt to the current technologies for the Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 so that they would be able to compete and remain relevant in today’s business landscape,” said Awang Tengah.