Thumbs up to organisers of Sarawak Budget Conference 2026

 I was recently invited to be a panelist at the “Fireside Forum” with an interesting title on “Driving Growth In Sarawak Socio Economic Front”. This forum was organized in conjunction with the 2026 Sarawak Budget Conference that was organized by the Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence (SCOPE) together with the Sarawak Civil Service (SCS) Leadership Institute and Salihin Company. The conference was held at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) on 16 to 17 December and was attended by participants from both within and outside the state. 

It was an interesting session and was part of the two-day conference which had served as a strategic platform to discuss on the 2026 Sarawak Budget that will align our public and private sector stakeholders knowledge as well as expectations on Sarawak’s long-term economic and social aspirations. The highlight of the event was the keynote address by our right honourable Premier of Sarawak Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg. His address had include the outline of our state government’s vision under the 2026 budget framework, with emphasis on people-centric development, economic resilience and sustainable growth.

Response towards the series of plenary sessions and panel discussions was encouraging with participants getting good outcomes that had focussed on fiscal outlooks, development planning, business competitiveness, and strategies to navigate global economic uncertainties while strengthening Sarawak’s domestic economy. There were discussions that deliberated on the alignment between the state and federal budgets, as well as policy measures to enhance socio-economic outcomes, support businesses and improve public service delivery.

 

Kudos to the organisers who had rendered a good avenue for us to get clarity on policy direction while fostering constructive engagement among local and strategic stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of budgetary measures.

 

Kudos to Sarawak Cycling Association (SCA) for this year's strings of achievements

Recently I was invited to the appreciation dinner and awards presentation ceremony that was organised by the Sarawak Cycling Association (SCA) which was held at the Sarawak of Jalan Taman Budaya in Kuching. The function was organised to present awards to our exemplary cycling athletes who had won numerous championships at national level in 2025 especially in track and BMX events. It was a pleasure to have the presence of Malaysia National Cycling Federation ((MNCF) president, Datuk Amarjit Singh Gill who is also on leadership roles with the Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) and is a vice-president at International Cycling Union (UCI). 

In my speech, I did mention many things including the lack of a velodrome which in many ways had limited the development of track cycling in Sarawak. We need proper infrastructure development which is essential to build high-performance athletes for Sarawak which wants to be known to be a sports powerhouse in cycling as well as a reputable organiser of sporting events.

We do not want to just be a good organiser. We want to be champions. Because of that, our government has agreed in principle to the construction of a velodrome, which will form part of Sarawak’s broader efforts to strengthen its sports ecosystem alongside BMX and mountain biking facilities. I was pleased to reveal that the land accreditation process involving more than 60 acres near the Sarawak Sports Complex in Petra Jaya has largely been completed and described the site as suitable for the development of a major sports hub.

When we have our own velodrome, it will be able to increase the spirit and interest towards competitive cycling. Apart from that, I have also highlighted the importance of cycling clubs as the foundation of the sport’s development in Sarawak with cycling has historically grown through club-based structures since the 1960s and continues to do so today.

Thus, I have called for stronger focus on youth development, particularly among cyclists in the age group between 15 to 17. This can ensure Sarawak can progressively develop a sustainable pipeline of competitive and event ready athletes capable of delivering results in the future. I have also congratulated the Sarawak Cycling Association for being recognised as the best cycling association in Malaysia based on the recent sterling performances of our young cyclists at this year’s national championships. It is a collective achievement that reflects the progress made in developing the sport at Sarawaklevel.

Commenting on recent launch of AirBorneo's tickets prices which had attracted criticisms from the public

My comments on the recent public’s response to the tickets prices by AirBorneo which had been launched the few days. I have urged our local folks to give Sarawak's new state-owned airline some time to adjust its fares after taking over from MASwings Sdn Bhd. The ticket prices were just launched and we called for the people to exercise patience and understanding during this initial period. The aircrafts have mot even started flying, and people are already complaining. “Give it a chance” I have said to our media friends in responding to the public’s dissatisfaction with high airfares on Airborneo's newly launched website. 

Sarawak-owned airline AirBorneo has begun selling flight tickets following the recent launch of its official website on December 10. Travels on AirBorneo are available from January 14 next year, marking a key milestone in Sarawak’s anticipated entry into Malaysia’s commercial aviation. AirBorneo's initial network will focus on domestic routes within Sarawak and Sabah. Presently the routes are currently operated using turboprop aeroplanes under the Rural Air Services (RAS) framework. 

The negative reactions to AirBorneo’s newly-announced launch fares are premature in nature as our airline has yet to begin operations officially. I have also stressed that the ticket prices must remain sustainable for the airline to operate. The planes have not even taken off yet and people are already complaining. Give it a chance.

Our media friends are keen to my response to the complaints from travellers and industry players, who felt the fares were too high and needed reviewing to better support domestic mobility and tourism growth. I have mentioned that fare-setting in the aviation industry involves multiple considerations and cannot be lowered excessively at the expense of operational viability.

There is no point to bring down the fare right up to the minimum until AirBorneo so called unable to operate. There has to be a balance. The pricing also needed to consider the wider aviation ecosystem and ensure that AirBorneo’s rates do not unintentionally drive away other airlines serving Sarawak. We have to balance it out with our fellow airlines. If we lower it to the point that other airlines run away and no longer want to come to Sarawak, it will be a loss. When everybody wants to use AirBorneo then the one who will suffer will be us too.

There had been online complaints regarding routes such as Sibu–Kota Kinabalu and Sibu–Kuching, where some travellers felt fares of over RM200 were “too high” but in real life perceptions of affordability differ among passengers. What is the ideal price? Is it RM100? RM200? RM250? It depends. To some, RM200-plus might be okay. To others, it might not be okay. It’s very difficult to satisfy everybody.

I have reiterated that public judgement over whether the fares are low or high remains “very, very subjective”, adding that affordability varies between income groups.

That is why I say whether the fare is low or not is very, very subjective. For businessmen, RM250, that is peanuts to them. Maybe for farmers, RM250 might not be. Our public should be patient and to allow the system time to stabilise. Let us wait for the system to settle, the plane to be there, then after a while the price will get adjusted by itself.

Over 5,000 attended the official opening of "Civil Service Day 2025" at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching

Over 5,000 members of Sarawak's civil service had joined this year's "Civil Service Day" which was held at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) that was officiated by our right honourable Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Abang Haji Openg.

It was a delightful event where our civil servants from all government ministries, agencies and departments had gathered together to hear for themselves the various speeches delivered by the Federal Chief Secretary, our honourable State Secretary of Sarawak and the guest of honour, the Premier of Sarawak.

Our esteemed premier had expressed his appreciation to the state and Federal civil service members, describing them as the backbone in realizing Sarawak's development policies.

Among the other key points that he had mentioned were on the importance of continuing commitment of government officials, especially in the education and health sectors, enables critical issues like dilapidated schools and the role of the Health Department to be addressed effectively through close cooperation between state and Federal levels. The transformation and adaptation of Sarawak's civil service had proven itself capable of adapting to ongoing transformation agendas, particularly regarding digitalization and efficient fund management. 

In achieving the lean government model, we need to progress in the digitalization and organized fiscal governance which are important pillars in ensuring our government's administration is more efficient, responsive, and not burdensome.

 

Delightful time at the recent "WAK 2025" appreciation dinner & looking forward to achieving 5 million tourists in 2025

We had a delightful evening at the recent “We Are Kindred Festival (WAK 2025) Appreciation Dinner” which was held at Theatre Hotel Kuching. Also present during the dinner were the list of supporters and collaborators of this year’s WAK event which had various exciting activities as well as programs held in Kuching, Sibu and Miri. In my speech, I described the festival as an important catalyst in Sarawak's creative industry, fostering innovation, cultural exploration, and collaboration among our multi-racial community. The expansion of WAK events to Sarawak’s central and northern regions had highlighted the growing interest in arts and creativity across our state. 

On another note, I have highlighted the importance of support and collaboration from both government agencies, private sector and non governmental organizations (NGOs) in making this year's WAK a huge success and attracted the attention of our local folks.

With the staging of colourful events in Sarawak, we are able to attract visitors from domestic and international sectors which in return contributing the tourism receipts that had breached the RM1 billion mark in October 2025. The tourism receipt had also showed Sarawak's positive momentum of consistently achieving over RM1 billion every month since January 2025. 

Our visitors' number had also reached 414, 225 people in October and those from the international sector had reached 212,250 people.

We are also optimistic for Sarawak to reach its target of five million tourists by the end of 2025 and the state government will continue to strengthen our position as a premier destination through the organizing of high-impact events, aggressive promotions and development of new tourism products to woo visitors.