Abang Johari (second right) launches the Saluran-MySRBN while Morshidi (third right), Abu Bakar (right), Zaidi (second left), Sudarnoto (third left) and Adiman (left) look on. — Penerangan pic via Borneo Post Online
KUCHING, Dec 14 — Caretaker Chief Minister Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg said the Sarawak Linking Urban, Rural and Nation — Sarawak Rural Broadband Network (Saluran — MySRBN) is one of the commitments by the state government to provide connectivity to the state’s rural and suburban communities.
“If we want to develop our state, we need to make use of new technology.
“We have sectors such as agriculture, marketing, business, and education that are going digital and because of that, we need connectivity around us,” he said when launching the Saluran-MySRBN at Padang Sentral in Simunjan today.
Abang Johari pointed out that the availability of Saluran-MySRBN in the state’s rural areas would enable rural folks to stay connected and bridge the digital divide between urban and rural areas.
“Simunjan, for instance, has been described as a ‘blind spot’. Sometimes there’s no internet signal due to several factors such as hilly terrains which affect coverage.
“Through MySRBN, we can connect telecommunication signals and enable residents in Simunjan and the surrounding areas not only to stay connected but to be actively involved in digital economy,” he said, adding that Simunjan serves as one of the centres for Saluran-MySRBN in the area.
On another matter, Abang Johari said the upgrading of Simunjan, Gedong, Sebuyau and Lingga into districts would enable the government to provide better services to residents in these areas.
“There are some people who are upset because when there are so many districts, this would result in their area becoming smaller.
“Let’s say that with Simunjan and Gedong, we will have two districts, which are better than one because we will then have two district officers and each office will focus on their respective district.
“This is why we feel that an area should be upgraded into a district because this allows for better services that are more focused and detailed for the residents,” he explained.
He also pointed out that basic facilities such as internet coverage could be integrated by upgrading Gedong and Simunjan as districts.
“I feel that the development of coastal road areas from Simunjan, Gedong, Asajaya, Sadong Jaya, Sebuyau up to Lingga are more organised to give better services to the people because our lines of work are increasing.
“Hence the reason why we have decided to establish more districts so that services given to the people particularly those living in the suburbs and rural areas are more effective,” he said.
Meanwhile, Abang Johari also announced that the state government had approved allocations to implement several development projects in Simunjan.
“The state government has approved an allocation of RM42 million to implement the proposed full replacement construction project on SK Abang Man, Simunjan; RM25 million to upgrade the road from Batang Sadong Bridge to Kampung Sabun; RM15 million for the construction of a bypass road from Kampung Sabun to Kampung Nanas; and RM15 million to set up the Gunung Ngeli Service Centre including the installation of lights on state roads and village roads.
“These projects were requested by Simunjan incumbent and our Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) candidate for the constituency Awla Dris prior to the dissolution of the State Legislative Assembly (DUN),” he said.
Among those present at the ceremony were Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC) chairman Tan Sri Datuk Amar Morshidi Abdul Ghani, Deputy State Secretary (Socio-Economic Transformation) Datuk Sri Mohamad Abu Bakar Marzuki, SDEC chief executive officer Sudarnoto Oscan, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Sarawak director Adiman Ajem, and Sarawak Multimedia Authority general manager Dr Zaidi Razak. — Borneo Post Online