KUCHING: Other states in Malaysia are called to emulate Sarawak in establishing regional development agencies in empowering the progress of the state, especially the rural areas.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zahid Hamidi said such efforts by the Sarawak government should be praised and followed.
“The progress that has been made by Sarawak in the creation of nine regional development agencies in nine areas in Sarawak is an initiative that other states should emulate.
“And of course, the commitment to high technology without forgetting the basic principles of the needs of the people in the rural areas is also highly commendable.
“Therefore, in this regard we share an approach so that the balance between rural, suburban and urban residents will be adjusted.”
He said this during a press conference after attending a coordination meeting between the Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister of Rural and Regional Development with the Rural Executive Councillors and Ministers at the Sheraton Hotel here on Wednesday.
The nine regional development agencies are Highland Development Agency (HDA), Upper Rajang Development Agency (Urda), Northern Region Development Agency (NRDA), Integrated Regional Samarahan Development Agency (Irsda), Sri Aman Development Agency (Sada), Betong Division Development Agency (BDDA), Rajang Delta Development Agency (Radda), Rascom Area Development Agency (Rada) and the Greater Kuching Coordinated Development Agency (GKCDA).
Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid also stressed the government’s emphasis on high-tech courses in line with employment demand in the industrial market through Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).
He said that presently, Malaysia has 251 TVET under the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development which are supervised by the Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) and other regional agencies.
“We will focus on these high technology courses as per demand by the current industrial market.
“This is to change the mindset of potential job seekers and entrepreneurs in the form of a ‘white collar job’ to a ‘blue collar job’ that promises remuneration that exceeds the normal market reality,” he said.
The meeting, held for the second time this year, involved collaboration with the Sarawak State Government, represented by the Ministry of Food Industry, Commodities and Regional Development (MFICORD) for the attendees to learn more on development strategy by the Sarawak government in targeting Sarawak as a high-income state and then focusing on environmental sustainability and social inclusion.
MEXCLUB is a platform for constructive discussions between the federal and state governments to strengthen understanding in implementing the rural development agenda.
