Abang Johari (fourth right), flanked by Awang Tengah on his right and Dr Zaidi, declares open the Badundun Digital Lawas as others look on.
LAWAS: Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) will provide WiFi coverage in Lawas within this year to serve the needs of the local community through infrastructure development.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg disclosed this when launching the Badundun Digital Lawas event at Pusat Latihan Kemahiran Islam Jakim at Jalan Trusan here yesterday.
“SMA will upgrade the infrastructure and will introduce 800 Mbps for WiFi here,” he said, adding it is part of the state government’s initiative to accelerate uptake of digital-driven ventures in various sectors in tandem with the global trend of moving towards Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0 and digital economy.
The Chief Minister said smart agriculture management is cost effective and efficient from production to marketing of products to the global market when infrastructure is in place.
The state is targeting to put up 300 communication towers this year and further increase the number in shaping the state towards digital technology in both urban and rural areas where the Internet of Things (IoT) will make conventional methods obsolete.
The state has received international and national accolades for adopting this approach in facing the future and Abang Johari said he is laying the foundation of the ecosystem for the younger generation to thrive and be competitive in the global scene.
“The old ways have been transformed by Google-driven e-education, e-commerce, and the Sarawak Pay system is one of the steps taken in this direction towards economic transformation in Sarawak,” the Chief Minister said.
Marketing of products from tourism, agriculture and other sectors has been the state’s target in the digital economy push and there are already signs of adoption in the rural areas.
“In Igan, a single mother selling kerepek on her website can earn up to RM4,000 monthly through digital economy with aid of a smartphone,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan in his speech said enabling infrastructure will be emphasised to boost intellectual capital in the state.
“Professor Michio Kaku, a futurist, commended our Chief Minister for putting Sarawak on the right course to meet future challenges and opportunities where intellectual capacity is wealth,” he said.
He hoped the people will embrace IR4.0 and digital economy to tap into the global market to promote and sell their goods and services.
Also present at the function were Minister of Utilities Dato Sri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom; Minister of Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah; Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah; Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office (Integrity and Ombudsman) Datuk Talib Zulpilip; Assistant Minister of Agriculture Dr Abdul Rahman Ismail and SMA general manager Dr Zaidi Razak.