MaGIC opens first centre outside Klang Valley at Borneo 744

Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah plays a drum to launch MaGIC Sarawak@Borneo744. From left are MaGIC Asean Centre of Entrepreneur, Community and Outreach executive director Ehon Chan, National Strategic Unit director Datuk Aminuddin Hassim, Deputy State Secretary Datu Jaul Samion and Ashran.

KUCHING: The Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC) launched its first physical presence outside the Klang Valley at Borneo 744 Bintawa here, yesterday.
MaGIC Sarawak@Borneo744 is part of MaGIC’s outreach and engagement efforts to foster a vibrant entrepreneurship ecosystem nationwide.

State aims to attract 5 mln tourists this year — Abdul Karim

SARAWAK is targeting five million tourist arrivals and expecting RM8.98 billion in tourism receipts this year.
In stating this, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said the state’s total tourist arrivals stood at 1.67 million as of April.
“As of January to April this year, visitor arrival figure was 1.67 million, indicating an increase of 17.26 per cent as compared to the corresponding period in 2016,” he said in his winding-up speech yesterday.
Whereas last year, the state received 4.66 million tourists, spending RM8.37 billion in the state, an increase of 3.19 per cent over the figure recorded in 2015, he added.

Ongoing efforts to increase local authorities’ cashflow — Dr Sim

THE Local Government and Housing Ministry will continuously look into ways to improve the efficiency of the local authorities’ processes and services so that they can generate ‘healthy’ cashflow and savings for the local authorities.
This will include charging utility companies for their use of council lands and advancing the due date of assessment rates to February and August instead of May and October in each year.
Its Minister Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said the local authorities would also be encouraged to embark on e-billing to reduce overhead costs, which is also in line with the Chief Minister’s vision for the state to leapfrog into digital economy.

‘Local councils should set up guidelines for fishtail adverts’

SIBU: Local authorities in Sarawak should look into setting up a proper system for approving mounting of fishtail advertisements in public.
Assistant Minister of Local Government Datu Dr Penguang Manggil made the proposal yesterday in response to a call by the Association of Sarawak Advertising Companies to local councils to come up with a more systematic way of letting people know availability of slots for fishtail advertisements..
Penguang said with a proper guideline, fishtail adverts would look more organised and environmentally friendly.

Sunrich Awesome producing fresh and healthy vegetables

Ding (centre) and Sunrich Awesome staff show some of the hydroponic vegetables.

SIBU: Sunrich Awesome Sdn Bhd is hydroponically producing fresh vegetables for local consumers that are 100 per cent free of pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals.
Co-founder Lina Ding said the company, launched in January this year, has an indoor controlled-environment farm measuring some 250 sq metres at Ding Lik Kong Road here.
She said the farm is able to produce 8,000 heads of lettuce and other leafy vegetables per month, and an estimated 3.5 tonnes of vegetables per year with plans to further increase shelf numbers to increase the varieties of vegetables.

Deepen access channel at Kuala Baram river mouth urgently, appeals Ting

THE state government has been urged to deepen the shallow access channel at the Kuala Baram river mouth as an urgent priority in order to restore Miri Port as a premier deep sea port.
Datuk Sebastian Ting (BN-Piasau) also called for the restoration of Kuala Baram Industrial Estate into a successful and vibrant industrial area, more importantly to serve hinterlands like Limbang and Lawas.
According to him, in 1988, Miri Port was relocated to Kuala Baram Industrial Estate with a vision to make Miri a leading deep sea port.

Maximise impact of cabotage abolition by upgrading access channels to ports, suggests Lee

MIRI: The federal government can add more value to the recently-announced abolition of cabotage policy by allocating funds slated for improving the access channels to the major ports across Sarawak and Sabah.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced on Sunday that the policy, which had been limiting the shipment of goods from Peninsular Malaysia to Sarawak and Sabah to only Malaysian flagships, would cease effective June 1.

RM3 million allocated for artificial reefs in the state

Belayong (seated centre) during a photo call for the event. He is flanked by Buniamin (left) and Fairol.

MIRI: The Marine Fisheries Department has been allocated with RM3 million to build artificial reefs in the state this year.
Department director Belayong Nyuak said this is to help improve the living standards of fishermen statewide.

Sarawak Cabinet 2017

砂拉越州內閣陣容（2017年5月6日生效）●首長署首席部長：拿督阿瑪阿邦佐哈里
副首席部長：拿督阿瑪道格拉斯、丹斯里詹姆士瑪欣、拿督阿瑪阿旺登雅
首長署部長：拿督達立朱菲立
助理部長（土著法律及習俗）：拿督約翰西基
助理部長（法律、州及聯邦關係及計劃監督）：莎麗花哈茜達
助理部長（企業事務）：阿都拉賽頓

●財政及經濟策劃部
部長：阿邦佐哈里
第二財政部長：拿督斯里黃順舸

●城市發展及資源部
部長：阿邦佐哈里
第二城市發展及資源部長：拿督阿瑪阿旺登雅
助理部長（城市發展、土地行政及環境）：拿督連達立夫