Abang Johari (standing centre) in a candid moment with Sarawakian students during a group photo session at the ‘London Lan Berambeh’ gathering.
KUCHING: The state capital has been earmarked as one of the four sites to set up a Commonwealth Leadership Institute to provide leadership training for potential leaders within the Commonwealth, as part of the Commonwealth Emerging Leaders leadership training programme.
According to Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg, the proposal, if approved by the governing body, would be a collaborative effort between the Commonwealth initiative and the existing Leadership Institute of the Sarawak Civil Service in Kuching.
He said this when addressing students at a maiden ‘London Lan Berambeh’ gathering for Sarawakian students in United Kingdom at a restaurant in London on Friday night.
The Emerging Leaders programme under the patronage of Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal Princess Anne, is an international network of leaders in business, labour, government and civil society
who are passionate about developing the capability of future leaders in Commonwealth countries.
Abang Johari said the state is honoured to be chosen as one of the four sites earmarked for the leadership institute in the Commonwealth countries and believed that the centre would likely be bestowed with a British royal title after it is set up.
The other possible three sites are Oxford University for the UK, one in Africa, and one either in the Caribbean or Australia/Pacific Islands. All the centres would be linked with the world-renowned and oldest university in UK.
Meanwhile, Abang Johari told the students of his recent meeting with Princess Anne last Wednesday.
He and his wife Datin Amar Dato Juma’ani Tun Tuanku Bujang alongside members of his entourage attended a dinner hosted by the princess at St James Palace in London. The dinner was to mark the success of the Emerging Leaders Dialogue 2016 (ELD) that was held in Kuala Lumpur and Kuching was a destination for one of the study tours.
The chief minister said Princess Anne during the dinner had revealed that she and her team had decided that the next ELD in 2018 would be held in Kuching while ELD Asia would also be organising its first ‘Sarawak Dialogue’ in Kuching this year.
“Princess Anne was very impressed with the prevailing unity and harmony of the people in Sarawak which she described as a model for a ‘small United Nations’ and a model for Commonwealth countries.
“I felt very proud when she said that Sarawak is a model,” Abang Johari said to the applause of around 70 students from all racial and religious backgrounds from across UK.
He also pointed out that Sarawak was given a special mention at the dinner and he was awarded a special royal pin by Princess Anne whom he said had expressed keen interest in Sarawak’s flora and fauna.
Abang Johari also informed the students that the future of Sarawak lies in the ability of the state to capitalise on the power of the Internet and use its abundant power resources, hydro power from its dams in particular, wisely to transform Sarawak from a traditional to a digital economy.
He said Sarawak with a small population of 2.8 million people has a small consumer base but he expressed confidence that Sarawak’s economy could be changed if it is able to reach out to the three billion consumers in Asia through Internet connectivity.
“For Sarawak to be able to reach out to consumers beyond its shore, it must develop its ICT infrastructure to provide fast Internet connectivity to the tune of two terabyte per second on its main highway.”
He also reiterated that the policies laid down by the late former Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem would continue and that Sarawak’s development policy under his leadership was primarily to give hope to the young like them.
“That’s why our economy has to be changed because the global economic landscape has also changed where technology plays the all important role.
“Therefore, I will start with what is called a digital economy which would render the concept of nation state and physical borders irrelevant beyond the political realm. The cyberspace will be the place for us to work,” he added.
Abang Johari also gave a grant of £10,000 for the Lan Berambeh programme as well as those that will be organised in the future and later fielded questions in a dialogue with the students.
Also present were State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Morshidi Abdul Ghani and his wife Puan Sri Datin Amar Saptuyah Suib, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Science Research and Biotechnology) Dr Annuar Rapa’ee, Assistant Minister of Early Childhood and Family Development Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed Aman Ghazali, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Abdul Aziz Husain, former Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan, and High Commissioner of Malaysia in UK Dato’ Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi.