KUCHING: State statutory bodies will soon need to pay annual dividends to the state government as it is the yardstick to measure their performance in generating profit.
As it is now, most of the statutory bodies do not pay dividend to the state, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said.
“In the current situation, statutory bodies keep asking for annual funds from the state government, but this culture must change,” said Abang Johari at the closing ceremony of the Ministry of Urban Development and Natural Resources team building event at Damai Beach Resort yesterday.
“The government is like a shareholder and it is rightly that these bodies pay dividend to the government. “It is simple. If you are not able to make money, you are out just like in private companies,” he added.
Later, he stressed on accountability to ensure that all the agencies perform well and deliver the expected results.
On another matter, Abang Johari called for more adaptation and usage of technology to coordinate data management among state agencies. “This is what we call big data where data is easily accessible. These are enablers, we need this kind of things in order to change,” he said.
He also said by making things easier, faster and efficient, an agency or the government could be transformed for the better.
Moving on to another matter, the Chief Minister said the Urban Development and Natural Resources Ministry will soon have more power but refused to delve further.
He also said he would be meeting several ministers from Singapore by invitation tomorrow, as the nation had expressed interest in collaborating with the state on the SarawakPay platform.