Abang Johari says "yes" to Singapore students to come and know Sarawak's forests and wildlife

KUCHING, Oct 18 2025: Premier Datuk Patinggu Abang Johari Openg has said he has agreed to Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong’s suggestion to allow Singaporeans students to come to Sarawak to get to know forests and wildlife.

Abang Johari:  Sarawak and Singapore want to establish a new form of cooperation that focuses on environmental education, involving primary and secondary school students.
 

He said the island republic does not have natural forest areas which has resulted in many of its young people never seeing wildlife in person.

“On Friday morning I was with Gan, who suggested that we have a close relationship to provide a way for the younger generation to get to know the forests and the natural habitat of wildlife.

“We know that Singapore does not have forests, and many young people there have never seen chickens in person and wildlife up close.

“So, he and I agreed that primary and secondary school students from Singapore would come to Sarawak through a student exchange programme to learn about nature,” he said this at the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) annual dinner here last night.

According to the premier, the move will not only strengthen awareness and knowledge about the environment among students, but also provide an opportunity for SFC to share expertise and information with teachers and students from Singapore.

He said the initiative was not only for Singaporean students, but also involved expatriate students in the republic.

He said Sarawak and Singapore want to establish a new form of cooperation that focuses on environmental education among the younger generation, particularly through exchange programmes for primary and secondary school students.

He said Gan raised the proposal during their meeting last Thursday.

He said the initiative was not only for Singaporean students, but also involved expatriate students in the republic.

The premier said at the meeting he proposed that Singapore grants more landing rights to Sarawak via the airline AirBorneo to facilitate the implementation of the student exchange programme.

He said he is confident that the initiative can serve as an example for other regional cooperation in the field of environmental education and sustainable tourism, in line with Sarawak’s commitment to green development and environmental sustainability.

 

 

Peter John urges Sarawak government to take seriously the KK High Court's judgment on Sabah's constitutional rights

KUCHING, Oct 17 2025: The Sarawak government has been urged to take seriously the judgment of the Kota Kinabalu High Court which reaffirmed Sabah’s constitutional rights to 40 per cent of federal revenue as guaranteed under Articles 112C and 112D of the Federal Constitution.

Peter John Jaban: The success of Sabah Law Society  shows what can happen when the people,  not politicians,  stand up for their rights. 

Human rights activist Peter John Jaban said Sarawak’s leaders must have the courage to pursue similar legal or political action to reclaim what rightfully belongs to Sarawak under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).

“Sabah has spoken through the court  now it is Sarawak’s turn to act,” Peter said in a statement.

“The court’s decision exposes how Putrajaya has systematically failed to uphold its constitutional obligations towards Sabah and by extension, Sarawak.

“For nearly half a century, both states have contributed immense wealth to the nation while receiving only a fraction of their due returns.

“This imbalance must end,” Peter asserted.

He said the court’s judgment is not just a legal triumph, but it is also a moral victory for the people of Sabah who have waited five decades for the federal government to honour what is rightfully theirs. “The judgment is a clear reminder that MA63 is not a political slogan, but a binding constitutional document that must be respected in full.,” he added.

He congratulated the Sabah Law Society (SLS) for its historic victory in the Kinabalu High Court  against the federal government.

‘The success of SLS shows what can happen when the people,  not politicians,  stand up for their rights.

He said the victory belongs to every Sabahan, and it should inspire every Sarawakian to demand justice, equity, and respect in this federation.

Peter said Sarawakians call upon the federal Attorney-General, the federal and Sabah governments  to act in good faith and not to appeal the judgment.

He said it would be to further insult the people of Sabah, especially when the Sabah state election is just around the corner.

“Any attempt to delay or deny this ruling would only deepen distrust and fuel the growing call for self-determination in both Borneo states,” he said.
Earlier today, the Kota Kinabalu High Court ruled that the federal government acted unlawfully by failing to honour Sabah’s 40 per cent share of federal revenue for nearly five decades.

Malaysiakni quoted Judge Celestina Stuel Galid as declaring that the special grant arrangements made by both the federal and state governments “unlawful, ultra vires and irrational”.

She also said that the grant arrangement had also breached the Federal Constitution, saying that It is unlawful on the part of the federation to make the intended special grants under the 10th Schedule.

Celestina also ruled that the Second and Third Review Orders issued by the two governments were invalid and allowed the Sabah Law Society’s (SLS) application in full.

The SLS filed for a judicial review in 2022, claiming that the federal government had breached the Federal Constitution by failing to conduct a mandatory revenue review every five years since 1974.

It also argued that the government is constitutionally obliged to remit 40 per cent of federal revenue collected from Sabah back to the state for each of those years.

The revenue-sharing formula has been a contentious issue for decades. Sabah politicians have called for the federal government to honour the state’s entitlement, as agreed in 1963, to 40% of the net revenue derived from Sabah.

Use of the formula had been suspended since 1974, with the federal government paying increased special grants to Sabah and Sarawak instead.

 

Sarawak-Singapore interconnection project gets letter of conditional approval from Singapore authority

SINGAPORE, Oct 17 2025: The Sarawak-Singapore interconnection project has secured a Conditional Approval (CA) from the Energy Market Authority (EMA) of Singapore, a significant milestone towards improving broader energy security prospects and enhancing economic integration between neighbouring nations in the spirit of Asean.

EMA assistant chief executive  and chief commercial officer Eugene Toh (right) handing over letter of conditional approval to SEB chairman Datuk Ibrahim Baki and group chief executive officer Sembcorp Industries Ltd Wong Kim Yin.
 

According to a statement issued by SEB, with the issuance of the CA, the Sarawak-Singapore interconnection project is recognised to have been preliminary assessed to be technically and commercially viable and ready to move on to the next phase of obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals and licenses for further development of the project.

The handing over ceremony this morning was witnessed by Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari  Openg and Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong.

Commenting on the CA issuance, Abang Johari expressed satisfaction with this positive development on the Sarawak-Singapore project.

“The project offers significant value in supporting Malaysia’s pursuit of the development and operation of a wider Asean power grid.

“Sarawak is also supporting the development of the Borneo grid, having established a cross-border connection with West Kalimantan, Indonesia in 2016.

“Building on this success, we are now working to establish new interconnections with Sabah and Brunei to cater to regional energy needs,” he said.

The statement also added that the CA, granted by the EMA is a consortium comprising Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) and Sembcorp Utilities Pte Ltd, for the export of 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy from Sarawak to Singapore, with flow expected to commence around 2035 or earlier.

Present at the handing over ceremony were EMA assistant chief executive and chief commercial officer Eugene Toh who presented the Letter of Conditional Approval to SEB chairman Deputy Minister for Utility (SEB and Petros) Datuk Ibrahim Baki and group chief executive officer of Sembcorp Industries Ltd Wong Kim Yin.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim said that multiple interconnections with abundant renewable energy resources presents an excellent opportunity to initiate multilateral energy trading.

Also present were Minister for Utility and Telecommunications Datuk Sri Julaihi Narawi, Sarawak Secretary and SEB board member Datuk Amar Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, SEB board member Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani, SEB representatives Singapore interconnection project lead Alvin Lim and senior vice president, corporate services Siti Aisah Adenan and relevant Sarawak heads of department.

 

EMA assistant chief executive  and chief commercial officer Eugene Toh (right) to SEB chairman Datuk Ibrahim Baki and group chief executive officer Sembcorp Industries Ltd Wong Kim Yin.

MP Willie takes federal leadership to task over failure to fulfill and fully implement MA63

KUCHING, Oct 16 2025: Puncak Borneo Member of Parliament Datuk Willie Mongin has taken to task the federal leadership for its failure to fulfill and fully implemented the Malaysia Agreement (MA63) over the last 62 years. 

Datuk Willie Mongin: The implementation of MA63 needs to be translated into concrete actions and not just promises

He said the failure means that MA63 has been violated, tarnished and not respected by the leadership of Malaya and the statutory bodies of the federation.

“Because we all love this country, but do not use our love to deny our rights,” he said  during the debate on the Supply Bill 2026 in Parliament yesterday.

He also emphasised that balanced development between Peninsular Malaysia and the  two Borneo states must be a national priority.

He said issues of basic infrastructures such as roads, clean water supply, electricity and internet in Sabah and Sarawak are still far from being fulfilled.

“Therefore, the implementation of MA63 needs to be translated into concrete actions and not just promises,” he said, adding that the rights of Sabah and Sarawak cannot continue to be tarnished by  false promises of the Malayan leadership.

“Sabah and Sarawak's position on oil and gas rights is dignified and enshrined in the  Federal Constitution,” Willie stressed.

He also reminded that the strength of the Malaysian nation lies in its foundation as a federation of equal partners, saying that this foundation is now being tested when the laws enshrined in the Constitution, which have been the basis for Sarawak's accession to Malaysia, have been deliberately and systematically disregarded. 

He said that the root of this issue lies in the jurisdiction over Sarawak's resources, saying that its control over its land and resources was established through the Oil Mining Ordinance 1958 (OMO 1958) and the Land Code 1958.

“This is a law that predates the establishment of Malaysia and is enshrined under the terms of Sarawak's accession to the federation.

“The OMO 1958 gives the state absolute authority to issue licenses and leases for petroleum exploration and production.

“The subsequent federal law, namely the Petroleum Development Act 1974 (PDA 1974), had no constitutional power to abrogate these enshrined state rights,” he added, pointed out that Petronas, as an oil and gas company, was therefore legally bound to obtain all licences and permits from the Sarawak government under the OMO 1958 before it could prospect, explore or extract resources within the state’s boundaries.

“Petronas’ position as a national trustee does not give it immunity from the laws of the sovereign states within the federation,” Willie stressed.

He also said that Sarawak never intended to “kill” Petronas but “we want to join hands and move forward together.

“Is it excessive to demand our rights based on our laws and constitution?” he asked.

The MP argued that by the Borneo States [Legislative Powers] Order, 1963, Sarawak’s legislative powers were extended to include the fields of electricity and gas distribution.

He said this is in line with the recommendations in the Inter-Governmental Committee (IGC) Report 1962, particularly in Article 11 (c) in Annex A, which states that legislative powers relating to electricity and gas charging should be devolved to Sarawak and Sabah.

“For this reason, Petronas must comply with and respect the constitution and MA63,” he said.

Sarawak public service to be revamped into "lean civil service", says premier

SINGAPORE, Oct 15 2025: The Sarawak government plans to revamp the structure of the public service by creating a 'lean civil service' that emphasises on the effectiveness and efficiency of service delivery.  

Datuk Patinggi Johari Openg:  Services provided by the public service to be assigned to government-linked companies

 Premier Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said this approach would see more services being assigned to self-reliant government-linked companies (GLCs) in the future.  

"The management of state assets and strategic investments will be entrusted to GLCs that will operate professionally as corporate bodies in order to be able to generate returns for the companies and also returns in the form of dividends to the Sarawak government," he said at the closing of the Sarawak Civil Service One Team Retreat (SCS OTR) 2025 programme here, today.

He said the GLCs would be vested with the power to generate revenue and establish its own service and salary schemes so that the government would no longer bear the cost of certain services.

The government, as the largest investor in these GLCs, would in return expect returns in the form of dividends, he stressed.

He told heads of departments at the retreat that this had been the model used in Singapore that resulted in  a public service and GLCs that are capable of  offering high salaries and world class services.

Describing the GLCs as “State-Owned Enterprises” (SOEs) the role of these enterprises is to complement the role of the private sector to drive economic transformation particularly in areas that would require high capital outlay.

Citing the methanol project in Bintulu as an example, he said the local private sector would not be able to take on large investment projects without the involvement of the government through its SOEs.

He said the state government would be taking stock of all its GLCs and assets to determine their value in order to be able to optimise their resources for the benefit of the state in line with what he described as a “State ownership policy”.

On civil service development, Abang Johari said that the role of public servants today is not merely as policy implementers, but as strategic partners of the government in realising a holistic and sustainable development agenda towards 2030 and beyond.

He stressed that public servants need to understand Sarawak's economic strategies, including aspects of the green economy, carbon trade, and investments in strategic industries like energy and gas.

"Sarawak is investing in training programmes and international exposure through cooperation with leading institutions such as Harvard and Oxford universities and the World Bank.

"We also provide special executive programmes for senior public service officials, so they are always updated on current issues and global trends.

"We want public servants who understand how future technology works. Nowadays, everything is controlled by technology, from chip design to smart device systems. All of this requires power supply, water, and most importantly, brain power," he explained.

He also expressed his aspiration to see Sarawak become a developed and high-income region on par with Nordic countries in Asia by 2030, even becoming the 'economic star of Asia'.

He also touched on future aspirations, including mastery in advanced technology and chip design, as well as involvement in high-impact industries by 2050.

"Sarawak can become a star in Asia with the support of quality public servants who have fresh ideas and are brave enough to bring forth new ideas," he added.

Among those present were Sarawak Deputy Premiers Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan and Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian; Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Datuk Sri Fatimah Abdullah; Minister of Food Industry, Commodity and Regional Development Datuk Sri Stephen Rundi Utom; Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Minister of Transport Datuk Sri Lee Kim Shin; Minister of Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Sri Roland Sagah Wee Inn and Minister in the Premier's Department, Datuk Sri John Sikie Tayai.