Abang Johari: Effective climate governnance in Malaysia must recognise roles, responsibilities of Sarawak and Sabah

KUCHING, March 3 2026: Premier Abang Johari Openg has stressed that effective climate governance in Malaysia must recognise the roles and responsibilities of Sabah and Sarawak, while ensuring national coherence.

Premier Abang Johari Openg: says that strong states strengthen the federation while coordinated governance strengthens national resilience. 

He said this is not about drawing boundaries, but it is about building bridges so that federal ambition and state implementation reinforce one another.

“Sarawak remains committed to constructive engagement with the federal government and with Sabah to ensure policy alignment, investment coordination, and shared learning so that climate action benefits Malaysia as a whole,” he said at the launch of the Subnational Climate Change Institutional Assessment for Sarawak and Sabah Report here today.

The premier said that strong states strengthen the federation while coordinated governance strengthens national resilience.

He welcomed the report of the Subnational Climate Change Institutional Assessment or in short, CCIA’s recognition of the meaningful progress Sarawak has achieved.

“It affirms our ambition and the investments and policy reforms already underway, while providing thoughtful guidance on how our institutional framework can be further strengthened to ensure effective delivery and enduring impact.

“Importantly, the report does not focus only on identifying challenges. It provides a structured reform roadmap — with actionable recommendations across the short, medium, and longer term — grounded in operational realities,” the premier said.

He also said he values the inclusion of international experiences, saying that these examples show how other jurisdictions facing similar governance and development challenges have strengthened their climate institutions.

“Such perspectives are useful as reference points while we continue to chart Sarawak’s own pathway,”he added, stressing that for Sarawak, strengthening these institutional foundations is not merely administrative reform.

“It is a strategic investment in stability, competitiveness, and long- term prosperity.

“Ultimately, strong institutions ensure continuity. They help translate political commitment into sustained action, regardless of economic cycles or changing circumstances,” the premier stressed.