Kuching City to host 50th edition of Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP)

It gives us great pleasure to announce that Kuching will host the 50th edition of the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSEAYP) on January 19 and 20, 2027. We were given the honour to become host the international programme which will bring youth from across Asia Pacific to our city. 

We welcome the programme which will enable the international participants to take part in local activities and meet our community leaders. Generally, the cruise ship has three ports of call whereby the participants will be taking part in youth programmes and pay courtesy calls to local leaders in the respective locations. In the past, the cruise has stopped at Port Klang in Selangor, Johor, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah and Kuantan in Pahang. 

Next year, it will be the first time the programme is held in Kuching, Sarawak.  I have announced these to our media friends during the press conference held at Baitul Makmur 2 Building after the courtesy visit by the Director General of Federal Youth and Sports Department (JBS), Puan Azura Abidin.

The SSEAYP is an annual, Japanese government-sponsored exchange programme initiated in 1974 to foster friendship and international cooperation among youth from Japan and ten ASEAN nations. Next year’s cruise will visit three ports — Cambodia, Malaysia (Kuching) and the Philippines — with cultural programmes, youth activities and leadership engagements at each stop. 

The planning of next year’s event is still ongoing, with a year to finalise itineraries, venues, welcoming ceremonies and participation details. We will set up a coordination committee to decide who will attend dinners, who will welcome the participants and which places will be visited by youth leaders from ASEAN and Japan. It will be discussed in upcoming meetings.

We are also expecting 211 youths aged 18 to 30 from 10 ASEAN countries, including Malaysia, to take part with the Japanese government is expected to fund the programme, while logistical costs at the port of call in Kuching will be jointly supported with the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS). The organisers had expressed hope for a lively reception in Kuching and look forward to the attendance of Sarawak’s Premier for the official launching ceremony. 

Also present during the press conference were our Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu, Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development (MYSED) permanent secretary ,Dzulkornain Masron, SSEAYP International Malaysia (KABESA) president Datuk Che Muhamad Nordin Ismail and deputy president Dato Juhari Janan

Promising prospects of collaboration between Sarawak and FC Barcelona football club of Spain

Sarawak is working towards collaborating with FC Barcelona of Spain on sports development and we are hoping to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the renowned European football club soon. I have mentioned to our media friends that we are working on it, and I do hope that it will end with some kind of collaboration between Barcelona and Sarawak.

They (FC Barcelona) had expressed interest in working with Sarawak when he met the club's management during an official visit to Barcelona last year.  Any potential collaboration would go beyond football, as Catalonia - the Spanish state where Barcelona is located - had an integrated sports ecosystem. It will be about the development of sport, and we like the idea. Coaches, young footballers and young athletes could be sent there or come here from there.

I have disclosed these information when meeting our media friends after the courtesy visit by the Federal Youth and Sports Department (JBS) delegation led by the director general, Puan Azura Abidin who was in Kuching City recently to attend the Ship for Southeast Asian and Japanese Youth Programme (SSYEAP) International Conference Borneo.

A few interesting matters of mutual interest are being formulated into the proposed MOU and I hope to see it materialise. Entering a strategic partnership with FC Barcelona will bring positive impacts on Sarawak's sports development efforts including alleviating the standards among our athletes, coaches and also officials.

Founded in 1899 FC Barcelona  or popularly known as "Barça") is a Catalan-based club that has become a global football icon, and is actually owned by its supporters. Among the world renown footballers in the football club are Lionel Messi, Johan Cruyff, Ronaldinho, Pep Guardiola to name a few.

Addressing the issue on athletes' selection for the forthcoming 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) for mutual benefits

The forthcoming 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) will be held in August and many states have already making preparations including athletes’ selection which may include those who are not representing their home states. For our contingent, I have given the assurance that athletes will not face any discrimination or be barred from competitions simply because they choose to represent a state other than Sarawak.

I have mentioned this to the media recently and actually, there are some Sarawakian athletes who have opted to compete for other states due to prior commitments or specific allowances received. If things cannot be worked out at that level, then there’s not much we can do. But we will not victimize or stop any athletes just because they do not want to be with us.

We will not kill off their career. We have to be fair to them. With regards to disputes over athlete representation, the responsibility to resolve these lies primarily with the individual sports associations. I have also acknowledged the challenges we face faces on athletes’ representation because some athletes who were developed and groomed by Sarawak represent other states, while some athletes from other states compete for Sarawak.

We do get feedbacks on athletes who have been with us for a few years. We are the ones who identify, groom, and expose them, but they come from another state.

Sometimes these athletes are already at a level that can guarantee gold medals, and the other states are not very happy about. I have also added that before SUKMA commences, there are usually a period when such issues are discussed and resolved amicably, with consideration given to the welfare and progression of the athletes.

The welfare and progression of the athletes are always taken into account. We look into who developed the athlete, and if it is us who are responsible on it, then the athletes should represent us, even if they are not permanent residents or considered Sarawakians.

My comments on the proposed establishment of 3rd Federal capital in Borneo

The Sarawak Government had not been consulted on the recent proposal to establish a third federal capital in Borneo and I have mentioned to our media friends on the necessity to address a few important matters first such as the fate of the long-alienated “Bandar 2020” land which was already given to the Federal Government decades ago. If plans to develop the so-called “third federal capital” come true, further land acquisition would inevitably be involved, and Sarawak had already relinquished 2,020 hectares of prime land to the federal government during the Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad administration for the unrealised project.

It was meant to house federal administrative buildings along with accommodation for federal officers. However, nothing has happened on the 2,020 hectares of land. I was responding to Member of Parliament (MP) for Ampang, YB Rodziah Ismail from PKR who proposed for the establishment of a third capital in Borneo during the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s address at the Dewan Rakyat.

To us, the undeveloped land should be returned to the state if it remains unused, as the 2,020 hectare site remains highly valuable as Kuching continues to expand.

This is because if they are not willing to develop the land that has already been given, then the right thing to do is return it to the state. I had further questioned the need for another capital when Malaysia already has Kuala Lumpur as its national and commercial capital, and Putrajaya as its administrative capital.

I don’t see the need for too many capitals for a nation. The economic growth in Sabah and Sarawak does not hinge on hosting a federal capital…creating a third capital would involve further land acquisition and the conversion of state land into federal land, a move that I believe Sarawakians would oppose. Do we want another Labuan in Sarawak? I don’t think so. If the aim was to truly boost the economies of Sabah and Sarawak or drive development in rural and remote areas, there were far more practical ways to do so.

I have also pointed to long-standing issues such as inadequate rural infrastructure, dilapidated schools, hospitals and clinics, and stressed that these matters fell squarely under federal jurisdiction and should be prioritised before any grand new proposals are floated. Such proposal did not reflect federal policy and was raised by an individual, and that Sarawak had not been consulted on the matter.

Checking on the complimentary tourists' bus ride to Semenggoh Wildlife Sanctuary in Puncak Borneo, Kuching

On this Sunday morning I have joined the complimentary electric bus ride to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, in Jalan Puncak Borneo Kuching and the road journey was just fine despite the torrential rainfall the night before.

The event was organised by our Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTB) and it was aimed to see whether the travelling schedule needs to be adjusted in order to improve the tourists' experience, especially in ensuring punctual arrival at the Orang Utan sanctuary's feeding time. 

The adjustment of schedule is important and was made after it was discovered in recent times, the past schedules had caused some tourists to arrive late, thus missing out on the opportunity to witness the animal feeding session. 

Based on the old schedule, some buses were not fully utilised schedule needs to be adjusted to better meet the needs of tourists.  The Orang Utan feeding time at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre is actually held twice a day, at around 10 am and between 3 and 4 pm, and the new bus schedule has now been arranged earlier to meet present needs.

 

The visit to Semenggoh Wildlife Sanctuary was also to assess the effectiveness of the new routes and schedules introduced, as well as to ensure that the use of the electric bus service was more optimal and in line with the main activity schedule at the wildlife centre.

 

The existing free electric bus service also goes through several major hotels around Kuching City to facilitate the movement of tourists and locals. For the past years, our Sarawak government has provided four fully electric buses that are environmentally friendly, in line with the state's commitment towards sustainable tourism and reducing carbon emissions.  

The free electric bus service also involves travelling from Kuching city to the Sarawak Cultural Village in Pantai Damai, Santubong and interested visitors can check the travel schedule via the website https://mtcp.sarawak.gov.my or the Kuching Metro application.