some 46,632 housewives, not employed in a formal sector, have registered with EPF

KUCHING, June 9 2026: A total of 46,632 housewives, who are not employed in a formal sector, have registered with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) under the I-Suri progammes since its establishment five years ago.

Caption: Minister Fatimah Abdullah says that the state government has channeled a large allocation to assist housewives registered with e-kasih data base 

Women, Early Childhood and Community Well-being Development Minister Fatimah Abdullah said they have received benefits with a total state government contribution of RM3.4 million in the initial stage.

She said this when receiving a courtesy call from an EPF delegation led by its director Aminuddin Abdul Aziz at her office at the Baitulmakmur II Building today.

Fatimah added that the Sarawak government has also channeled a larger allocation to assist housewives registered in the eKasih database, thus ensuring that this group is not left out of enjoying social protection benefits.

“Through i-Suri, participants can make additional contributions voluntarily. The higher the contribution, the greater the savings and dividends earned in the long term,” she explained.

She stressed that the initiative not only provides competitive dividend returns, but also provides additional protection such as death assistance of RM2,500 and disability benefits due to accidents.

She added that this programme is important to bridge the gap between women in the formal and informal sectors, so that both can enjoy equal protection facilities.

Farimah said that efforts to strengthen the future security of housewives will continue to be strengthened as the Sarawak government continues its strategic collaboration with EPF to expand inclusive social protection.

She said the initiative focuses on the importance of long-term savings, especially for women who are not employed in the formal sector.

According to her, the collaboration between her ministry and the EPF has been established for the past five years through the i-Suri Programme which saw the state government's contribution begin in 2020.

Premier Abang Johari calls for establishment of a common framework to accelerate Asean Power Grid

KUCHING, June 9, 2026 – Premier Abang Johari Openg has called for the establishment of a common framework to accelerate the implementation of the Asean Power Grid (APG), describing it as a crucial step toward strengthening regional energy security and advancing the clean energy transition.

Caption: Premier Abang Johari Openg (right) with moderator Nobuo Tanaka, director emeritus, International Energy Agency, at the visionary dialogue 

He noted that while the Asean Power Grid has long been discussed, the region still lacks a common platform and regulatory framework to facilitate cross-border energy trading and transmission.

“Asean must have a common platform to implement the power grid. Apparently, there is no framework at the moment,” he said.

He was speaking during a visionary dialogue titled “Empowering the Future – Delivering a Resilient Hydrogen Ecosystem” at the official launch of the Asia Pacific Green Hydrogen Conference and Exhibition (APGH) 2026 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.

Drawing comparisons with the European Union, the premier said Asean could adopt existing models rather than creating entirely new mechanisms.

“We do not have to reinvent the wheel. We can study what happened in the European Union, where there is already a framework for member countries to share energy resources. Scandinavian countries, for example, transmit power through undersea cable interconnections,” he said.

Abang Johari emphasised that regional energy integration would enable Asean nations to optimise renewable energy resources, improve energy security and support decarbonisation efforts.

He highlighted Sarawak’s role in advancing regional power connectivity through the export of renewable electricity generated from its abundant hydropower resources.

According to him, Sarawak is already supplying electricity to Kalimantan in Indonesia and Sabah, while plans are underway to extend power exports to Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.

“We are sharing our electricity with our neighbour in Kalimantan. We are now sharing with our sister state of Sabah. Next will be Brunei, and we are negotiating to supply renewable energy to Singapore,” he said.

Abang Johari stressed that Sarawak’s energy strategy is based on sharing surplus renewable energy with neighbouring economies rather than operating in isolation.

“The leaders in Sarawak are not self-centric. We are sharing with our neighbours,” he said.

The premier said the development of renewable energy and hydrogen production are closely linked, with Sarawak leveraging its abundant water resources, hydropower capacity, natural gas reserves and extensive forest cover to support a low-carbon economy.

He explained that Sarawak began investing in hydrogen production through water electrolysis powered by renewable hydropower, positioning the state as a future producer of green hydrogen.

At the same time, Sarawak continues to expand its renewable electricity generation capacity, creating opportunities for greater regional energy trade under the Asean Power Grid initiative.

Abang Johari also underscored the importance of collective energy security, noting that no country can achieve long-term energy resilience alone.

“Energy security cannot be achieved in only one country. We need collective energy security,” he said.

He revealed that he had previously shared the concept of a regional energy framework with ASEAN member states while discussing the future of energy development, advocating stronger cooperation in power connectivity and renewable energy exchange.

The dialogue was moderated by Executive Director Emeritus of the International Energy Agency, Nobuo Tanaka, who described the Asean Power Grid as one of the most important initiatives for the region’s decarbonisation, electrification and energy security agenda.

RM4.53 billion allocation for 76 dilapidated school projects across Sarawak

DALAT, June 9 2026: The federal government has allocated RM4.53 billion for repairing and upgrading 76 dilapidated schools across Sarawak, Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi has revealed.

Caption: Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi says seven more school projects are expected to be completed this year 

He said 25 out of the 76 school projects are currently under construction, while 27 projects have been completed, including those at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Dalat and SMK Semop.

“Another 24 projects are in the planning and implementation preparation stages,” he Nanta said yesterday.

“In addition, seven more school projects are expected to be completed between June and December this year at a total cost of RM223.64 million,” he said when officiating the handover ceremony for the dilapidated building reconstruction projects of SMK Dalat and SMK Semop, held at SMK Dalat.

Touching on SMK Dalat, Nanta shared that the construction of the replacement building, valued at RM27.2 million, was successfully completed 10 days ahead of its original schedule, specifically on December 30, 2025.

As for the replacement building construction project at SMK Semop, Nanta said it was completed 164 days ahead of the original schedule without any Extension of Time (EOT) and was completed on January 16, 2026, with a total value of RM10.56 million.

“Both projects were implemented using Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Industrialised Building System (IBS) technologies.

“This was to ensure that the construction could be completed with higher quality, in an organised manner, and quickly, thereby helping to provide a safer, sustainable, and more suitable school environment for the learning process,” he explained.

During the ceremony, Nanta also announced a contribution totalling RM40,000 to the Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA) of SMK Dalat and SMK Semop, with each PTA receiving RM20,000 to support the implementation of educational activities and development at both schools.

Also present were Minister for Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development  Fatimah Abdullah, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Manis Yusuf Abd Wahab, as well as the Deputy Secretary-General (Planning and Development) of the Ministry of Education Malaysia  Dr Megat Sany Megat Ahmad Supian.