There is a need for a Sarawak Office in Singapore to promote and enhance trade and tourism between Sarawak and Singapore, said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg.
“The Singapore government has supported the idea that there should be an office to have a one stop centre for investments and businesses as well as for tourism players to meet the representatives of Sarawak daily,” he said in his winding up speech during the state assembly sitting here yesterday.
The chief minister said that in reference to his meeting with the Singapore Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister.
“The office should be manned by a skeletal staff with the CEO from Sarawak who is highly knowledgeable and competent, supported by five core staff, preferably Sarawakians based in Singapore.
“Their tasks would include coordinating with the Singapore government agencies and private sectors as well as foreign-based companies in Singapore on a regular basis,” he added.
Abang Johari then assured the august House that the potential returns in terms of investment, trade and tourism to Sarawak, from and through Singapore, will justify the expenditure to be incurred in the establishment and running of this office.
“The establishment of Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office in Singapore is timely and critical to leverage on Singapore’s strategic position as the global trade hub and gateway for Sarawak products to enter the global market.
“The Singapore market in 2018 gained a total trade volume of SGD1.1 trillion and its Gross Domestic Product amounted to SGD487.1 billion,” he added.
Besides that, Singapore has always been an export hub and trading partner for Sarawak products including the pepper and timber due to Singapore’s strength as a global financial centre with world class export facilities.
“Singapore is the regional centre for multi-national companies including Alibaba, Google, Facebook and Amazon.”
The setting up of a specific state trade and tourism office is also for developing aggressive and targeted promotional and marketing activities for local products instead of depending solely on federal promotional agencies such as MIDA, MATRADE and Tourism Malaysia to further strengthen bilateral cooperation, trade and tourism between Sarawak and Singapore.
“In 2018, the total of trade between Sarawak and Singapore alone is RM2.9 billion and visitor arrivals from Singapore to Sarawak are 43,734 people and the number keeps increasing.
“We need to understand the big picture on the setting up of an office in Singapore. In fact, this is also in line with our plan to complete the supply chain of the state agriculture sector,” said Abang Johari.
Among the initiatives taken by the state government to strengthen the supply chain are increasing agriculture produce through modern and commercial agriculture, setting up more collection, processing and packaging centre (CPPC), strengthening of agriculture R&D, providing venture capital for agropreneurs, building airports and purchasing cargo plane for transporting the fresh agriculture produce to Singapore.
