Tuesday, 19 May 2015

Awang Tengah: We need to communicate on hydropower benefits as top priorities



Beijing, May 19, 2015: Public Utilities Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan stressed at the World  Hydropower Congress here on the need to communicate the benefits of hydropower and the systematic sharing of learning from around the world as  top priorities.

"Such learning should be active and should include real partnerships with members of civil societies who are committed, rather than preventing hydropower," he said in his speech at the congress.


He said international detractors had a very large share of the social media space through which they conducted campaigns of ignorance, to counteract well established processes in Sarawak for dialogue and dealing with affected communities.

Awang Tengah (picture, left) called for the promotion of acceptance by going against negative perception of hydropower opponents.

 The three- day congress, which begins today, brings together hydropower developers, policy makers, conservationists and other stakeholders   to share experiences and international best practices to sustainably develop hydropower under the umbrella of International Hydropower Association (IHA).

The IHA works to advanced sustainable hydropower by identifying good practices, as well as building and sharing knowledge around hydropower, with a network of members and partners active in over 100 countries.

The delegation from Sarawak included  Datuk Sylvester Entri Muran, Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Water Supply), Datuk Stephen Rundi  Utom, Assistant Minister of Public Utilities (Telecommunication),  Liwan Lagang, Assistant Minister of Culture and Heritage, Dato Sri Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman, State Financial Secretary, Datu  Ismawi  Ismuni, Director of State Planning Unit, Ubaidillah Abdul Latip, Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Public Utilities, Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot, CEO of RECODA, Datuk Torstein Dale Sjotveit, CEO of Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB), Peter Sawal, NREB Controller, SEB Board Members and SEB Senior Staff.
  
As part of the congress, the IHA’s Hydropower Consultative Council Objective met for a session on how to shape the future of hydropower, which saw participants  share views on the challenges facing hydropower and how to work together to face these challenges. ends

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