Dr Mohd Yusoff, Gimhwak Group managing director Yong Ing Hui, Wong and others at the signing function.
SIBU: Second Finance Minister Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh has urged players in the shipbuilding industry to see crisis as an open door to be more creative and innovative in taking the industry to greater heights.
Speaking before the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Gimhwak Group and University College of Technology Sarawak (UCTS) yesterday, he said he was aware that the shipping industry was going through a period of crisis with the decrease in the demand for ships.
However, he said crisis itself was not always a bad thing and could be a turning point for good.
“In the Chinese and Japanese languages, (the word) ‘crisis’ has two meanings—danger and opportunity. There are opportunities in times of crisis. In other words, it would be changing the field level for people to compete.
“This is perhaps a time of opportunity and, especially for Gimhwak Group, it could be a time to leap frog to a higher level in the shipbuilding industry and we are here to make things happen,” he pointed out.
Wong, who is also chairman of UCTS, said hard work alone could not take the industry to a higher level.
“It must be grafted upon creativity and innovation.”
According to him, the shipping industry in Sibu hail back to the pioneer days in traditional Chinese junks when the first settlers here realised that the only means of transportation and communication was by the river.
He said they started building boats back in the early 20th century to transport goods and people.
Rajang River and Igan River were the main or mother rivers in the growth of Sibu.
He personally witnessed the growth of the shipping industry from the first generation of express boats and tug boats to the more advanced and well-equipped boats today.
Wong noted that Sibu-built ships could be found anywhere in the world such as in Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil and Indonesia.
“In the olden days, the older generation had shown perseverance and worked hard to make things happen.
“However, they have gradually realised that hard work must be grafted upon creativity and innovation,” he said.
He said especially in today’s world where the shipbuilding industry is getting competitive, industry players must equip themselves with the latest information and be more creative and innovative to make things happen.
The signing of the MoU was done by Gimhwak Group executive director Renco Yong and UCTS vice-chancellor Professor Dato Dr Abdul Hakim Juri.
Wong and the president and chief executive officer of Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High Technology (MIGHT), Datuk Dr Mohd Yusoff Sulaiman witnessed.