SIBU: Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg has called on University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) to explore new ideas to utilise resources available in the state.
He said since Sarawak through the Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 aims to transform the state into a developed and high-income region, it needs skilled and talent Sarawakians who can upgrade their capabilities and add value to the state’s resources to achieve this vision.
Underlining the importance of mastering the elements of analysing data and the great potential it brings in shaping the future of the state, he said Sarawak needs more data analysts.
“We need data analysts as data is the new ‘oil’ of the future and therefore I hope Sarawakians will be able to prepare themselves by analysing the data that is readily available where we need people who have the know-how of translating data through the process of coding and decoding.
“As data is something precious and must be protected, along with this protection, we also need cybersecurity analysts.
“I hope this area will insulate strategic data and it will be the basis for us to move forward,” he said.
Abang Johari said this at the second session of 7th UTS Convocation Ceremony held here, Sunday (Aug 6).
In addition, he also called on graduates to venture into robotics especially for the agricultural sector and also chip designing, where the state is in need of such expertise.
Knowing that robots are highly used in the process of production, he said there’s no need to rely on manual labour, which can be used in the agriculture sector.
“We have a problem in the agriculture sector, even plucking our oil palm. Without labour, we cannot sell oil palm but there must be a mechanism where we can use robots to pluck our oil palm,” he said.
As sustainability is the key in propelling the state through a green economy, Abang Johari said that Sarawak has produced biofuel and is now producing sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from microalgae.
He said Sarawak is blessed with vast resources, hence, giving assurance that the state government is doing its absolute best to attract investments in Sarawak.
With this investment, he added, the government is investing in education infrastructure by establishing quality international schools that are competitive and of world-class standard.
“We invest in universities like UTS, giving scholarships and bursaries to students and hope the results will be positive for Sarawak in our journey towards a high income economy by 2030,” he added.
