Winners of Open Source Mobile Apps Development Competition with Chan (centre) and Sains chief operating officer Teo Loon Tong (third left).
Sains chief executive officer Dato Teo Tien Hiong (right) explains to Adenan how the drone technology works. Standing right next to Adenan is Sains chairman Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr George Chan. — Photos by Jeffery Mostapa
KUCHING: Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Adenan Satem wants better communication services in the rural areas to help bridge the digital divide between urban and rural communities.
In stating this, the chief minister appealed to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to pay due attention to the needs of rural Sarawakians, rather than just erecting infrastructure that does not work.
“In some rural parts of Sarawak, some broadband network infrastructure or communication towers are there, but they offer no communication services to our rural folks.
“What is the use of having towers that do not transmit data? They say there are some problems with our contractors and so forth. I want to ask MCMC to take particular attention to this matter. When you do it, you finish the job,” he said at ‘A Decade of Sarawak Information Systems (SAINS) Community Out-reach Initiatives’ at Hilton Hotel here last night.
Pointing out that knowledge acquisition had revolutionised the world and would continue to be so, Adenan called upon Sarawakians to keep abreast with the changing information and communication technology (ICT) world.
“We cannot afford to be left behind. The world that is advancing so quickly will not say ‘We will wait for you while you are trying to catch up’.”
He added that computer capacities would increase by leaps and bounds, leading to speedier flow of communication and a vast volume of knowledge being made available anytime and anywhere.
“In the old days, we had to get information by reading books. So now with all this ICT, we must take advantage of it.
“Therefore, I am bidding MCMC to provide better services especially to Sarawak, which has big rural areas and rural populations.”
Adenan asserted that people must also be granted freedom of information, but he acknowledged that restraint had to be practised to keep abuse at bay.
“We do not allow dirty things on the Internet. Aside from that, freedom of information and movement must be there because people want to be better informed nowadays.”
He was pleased to note that SAINS had showcased its own drone technology at the dinner. He called on the state Forest Department to make good use of the home-grown technology to combat illegal logging in the state.
“Timber thieves had better be careful. Before you cut down trees, you must look skyward. The Forest Department should use this technology and catch those people red-handed.”
“If the Americans can use drone technology to kill people thousands of miles from afar, and I’m not suggesting we do that, we can use the drone to fight illegal logging.”
Adenan lauded SAINS for its continued commitment to advance in the ICT sector while exploiting the ICT areas for the betterment of the society.
“We show that, given the chance, we can do it. We can look forward, and we have what it takes to do more. Who would have thought that in Malaysia, we would be the pioneer in ICT. Yes, we can, and our services are even required overseas.”